And they still use real pumpkins as well. Even famous local and international landmarks abound.Īccording to the Hudson Valley website, “more than 1,000 volunteers help to scoop, carve, and light the pumpkins and every single jack o’ lantern is hand-carved on site by team of professional artists.” While they do use some artificial pumpkins in their displays, each pumpkin is carved by one of the professional artists. Here in the Hudson Valley, they have recreated dinosaurs, scarecrows, insects, monsters, you name it. But as you can see already, they aren’t the normal carvings that you do at home with triangle eyes and a couple of teeth. When I was buying tickets for the first time, a part of me thought ‘how many traditional pumpkin-carved faces do people really need to see?’ I mean, 7,000 certainly seemed excessive. The Time of the Dinosaurs Pumpkin Palooza This long line is actually perfect since most visitors will spend their time in open-mouthed awe, gaping at the amazing carvings laid out in front of them. Note that the Blaze will undoubtedly be packed with a continuously long line. Visitors wait in the aforementioned tents and enter the Blaze when their time is called. Admittance is done on a timed basis in 30-minute intervals. There are lots of items to nosh on, including soup, chili, donuts, pumpkin pie and my favorite… hot apple cider. Stalks of cornĪfter finding parking in the ample lot of the Van Cortlandt Manor, visitors start their journey by making their way into tents selling holiday merchandise and food. Most of the dates and times for the Blaze sell out in advance so make sure you buy tickets early. The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze: The Details We grabbed a bite to eat in one of the only restaurants that had electricity after the hurricane. That year, Bryan and I kicked off what would become our annual trek to the Blaze. How amazing is that? A hurricane was barreling down on Croton-on-Hudson and people saved the pumpkins! Then, they re-organized everything back outside after the hurricane left. How could that be? Volunteers secured all 7,000 pumpkins in a safe spot before Sandy. It was only when I tried to get my tickets refunded that I realized the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze was still running. I assumed the Blaze was canceled as well. For the second year in a row, Halloween was officially canceled. For those of you that didn’t live on the eastern seaboard at that time, I’d like to introduce you to a little something called Hurricane Sandy. I assumed there was no way that a fluke storm would hit the area two years in a row. ![]() When fall 2012 came around I bought tickets again. Halloween was officially canceled that year as was the Blaze (we were refunded the money for our tickets). All the pumpkins from the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze were destroyed. Unfortunately, to the dismay of children everywhere in Metro-NY, a fluke snowstorm hit the area right before Halloween. I first heard about the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze in the fall of 2011. The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is certainly at the top of that “amazing experiences” list. There were so many awe-inspiring events just a car ride away. ![]() While I couldn’t picture wanting to raise my kids anywhere other than Hawaii, the east coast really spoiled me in terms of amazing experiences. The Blaze also includes synchronized lighting and an original, hypnotic soundtrack. Started as a local celebration in 2005, the event now includes 7,000 lit-up pumpkins on the grounds of the 18th century Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson. ![]() ![]() – Excerpt from “A Journey through The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze”Įveryone should get to experience kicking off the festive season by visiting the Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze. Along the mighty Hudson, in a forest and through a maze, lies an enchanted kingdom called The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze.
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