Carving pumpkins into spooky or silly grinning faces is a long-treasured Halloween tradition. The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, held annually at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton -on-Hudson, NY, takes this tradition and turns up the voltage – offering an amazing walking tour through a pumpkin wonderland.
Van Cortlandt Manor is part of Historic Hudson Valley, a non-profit organization that owns and operates several historic sites in the area, including Sunnyside, the home of the author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving. “The greater Sleepy Hollow area has always been a magnet for Halloween enthusiasts. We were looking for a way to artistically celebrate the season, as well as honor this unique site,” says Rob Schweitzer, VP of Communications for Historic Hudson Valley and a 068 resident.
The inaugural Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze launched in 2005, with eight nights featuring 2,000 carved pumpkins that were mainly individually displayed. “Even though it rained most of the nights, it was a huge success,” says Schweitzer.
Bigger and Better
Now in its 21st year, the Blaze promises to keep the flame going, so to speak, with an even bigger and more spook-tacular event. This year’s event expects to welcome approximately 125,000 visitors during its 52-night run, from Friday, September 12th through Sunday, November 16th.
As always, there is plenty of free parking on site. This year’s event has grown to include between 7,000 and 8,000 pumpkins, many of which are combined to create mind-boggling structures. “We’ve really upped our game on themed installations. Over the years, we’ve added a lot of high-value production elements such as synchronized lighting, music, and movement,” say Schweitzer.
Returning this year are perennial favorite displays, such as the pumpkin planetarium, a completely immersive experience complete with music and lighting that visitors can walk through. “It has become a very popular photo and Instagram-worthy spot,” says Schweitzer. Other fan favorites include a 25-foot lighthouse, complete with a functioning and spinning light on top.
While Schweitzer doesn’t want to share all the spoilers for this year’s event, he does say that one new installation visitors can look forward to is a homage to the Wizard of Oz. “Obviously, we have a lot of orange, but we’re working in a lot of green to this one,” says Schweitzer.
Strolling through the half-mile pathways takes approximately 45 minutes. Once visitors complete their tour of the Blaze, they can grab something to eat at Café Blaze or bring home a memento from the Blaze Boo-tique.
Pumpkin Preparation
An event this size takes a lot of organization – it’s really a year-round endeavor. Pumpkins are ordered from local Hudson Valley farms as early as January as installation plans start to solidify.
The main creative carving team consists of about ten people – some of whom have a professional artistic background and others who’ve simply discovered a knack for carving. “You have to be okay with pumpkins as your medium,” laughs Schweitzer. While some of the pumpkins displayed are foam, many are real, sourced from farms in the Hudson Valley. “Each carved pumpkin lasts a couple of days, depending on the weather. We are continuously carving throughout the run of the event,” says Schweitzer. Retired pumpkins are composted and used as fertilizer on the various properties of Historic Hudson Valley.
The Blaze is the largest annual fundraiser for Historic Hudson Valley – the sales and revenue subsidize the educational programs they run throughout the year at all of their historic sites. It also has been and continues to be a fantastic community event, drawing people near and far to not only enjoy the display but also visit restaurants, hotels and other historic sites in the Greater Sleepy Hollow area. “Halloween has become one of the largest holidays in the US in terms of retail, shopping, and interest. The Blaze is happy to be a part of this. The appeal is the creativity and artistry that goes into creating these displays. There’s something for everybody,” says Schweitzer.
For more information, please visit hudsonvalley.or
