The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze
My love of all things Fall has already been expressed in a
previous Slice and this fondness for the season was reaffirmed by another spectacular
New York Fall event that never fails to amaze: The Great Jack O’Lantern
Blaze. Located at the historic Van
Cortlandt Manor site in the Hudson Valley area, the annual Blaze experience invites
visitors to stroll through an incredible display of over 7000 expertly carved
and illuminated jack o’lanterns. These
are no ordinary jack o’lanterns, however. The creativity behind the intricate
designs and constructions are truly awe-inspiring. According to the official Blaze site, “more
than 1000 volunteers help scoop, carve, and light the pumpkins and every single
jack o’lantern is hand-carved on site by our team of professional artists”. And
artist is definitely an appropriate way to describe the people behind these
creations.
There were several personal favourites at this year’s Blaze. The first is the beautiful collection of
Zodiac signs (my star sign, Gemini, featured two stunning owls). Next is the hypnotizing light show in the
Pumpkin Planetarium. The most impressive
display is probably the 20-foot rotating carousel, wrapped in 555 individually
carved jack o’lanterns and lit up in bright carnival colours. Other highlights include the 25 foot tall
Statue of Liberty, comprising 114 individually carved jack o’lanterns; the
massive spiderweb and accompanying creepy crawlies of all shapes and sizes; the
“Jurassic Park” featuring everyone’s favourite dinosaurs such as the T-Rex,
brontosaurus, triceratops and tetradactyl, and The Van Cortlandt Manor house decorated
with ribbons of colour-changing neon lights and scary jack o’lanterns.
Visitors can purchase an array of Fall treats, from popcorn
and pumpkin donuts to light meals and refreshing cider (both warm and
cold) while the makeshift store offers a
wide range of pumpkin and Fall-themed decorations, novelty items, sweet treats,
books and gifts, many of which are overpriced in my opinion.
It was a magical evening and well worth the 45 minute train
ride from Grand Central and 15 minute walk from Croton-Harmon station to get
there. If you’re in the tri-state area, be
sure to plan a visit to the self-proclaimed “biggest, most electrifying fall event”
in the region. The event is open until 24 November but be aware that tickets for available nights sell out fast.
Comments
Post a Comment