2016 Halloween Season Opens in Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow

The Halloween season for Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow is upon us.

Tarrytown’s Halloween Parade will begin on Oct. 29 at 5:30 p.m. But there is a lot to do and see in October before it arrives. The parade will start at Patriot’s Park, located next to the Warner Library, and proceed south along Broadway to Tarrytown’s Main Street. A block party and live musical performances will follow.

Tickets to Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow Halloween events sell out early especially for Saturday and Sunday events. The best advice is to reserve admission via their websites immediately.

Horseman’s Hollow, produced by Historical Hudson Valley, begins at Philipsburg Manor in Sleepy Hollow on Oct. 7 and runs on Fridays through Sundays in October beginning at 7 p.m. and on four days at the end of the month, Oct. 27-31. Visitors will encounter terrifying creatures as they walk down a haunted trail and enter the spooky ruins of Ichabod’s Schoolhouse. This event is not suitable for small children (below ten) or the faint hearted. Timed-arrival tickets cost $20 ($25 on Saturdays) and can be purchased at www.hudsonvalley.org.

Not to be outdone, Jay Ghoul’s House of Curiosities at 67-acre Lyndhurst also offers a stroll through the grounds coupled with greetings from a cast of characters hanging out on the castle's first floor and in its basement including Merlin, the Mad Hatter, and Rumpelstillskin. Timed-arrival tickets are offered for Fridays through Sundays from Oct. 14 through Oct. 31. Tickets can be bought at $25 for adults and $20 for children at https://www.showclix.com/event/monster9662235.

At the Old Dutch Church, Jonathan Kruk will be back to recite from Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” This 45-minute lively performance is accompanied by appropriate organ music played by Jim Keyes. Parking is available across the street at Philipsburg Manor. Tickets can be purchased for selected day or evening performances via website at $25 for adults and $20 for children under 18. Performances are conducted on Oct. 7-9, 14-16, 21-23 and 27-31. The Old Dutch Church is not wheelchair-accessible.

Tours of the Old Dutch Burying Ground are available during the Halloween season.

The grounds of Lyndhurst (the former home of railroad baron Jay Gould) will have more than 300 scarecrows to tour daily through Oct. 31 beginning at 9 a.m. each day with last entry on weekends at 4 p.m. No advance purchase of tickets is necessary. A seasonal parking fee is charged on Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays.

“The Legend Behind the Legend” includes a house tour, a puppet show and a spooky walk through the woods, up hills, and across bridges at Washington Irving’s Sunnyside for daytime visitors during the month of October. The house and puppet show are handicapped accessible but the walk through rough terrain at times is not. Ticket prices: adults $16, seniors $12, children (3-17) $8. Buy timed-admission tickets at www.hudsonvalley.org/events/legend-behind-legend/tickets.

Sleepy Hollow’s Haunted Hayrides, begin at 7 p.m. on Oct. 28-29 and are followed by free block parties. The ride passes the Old Dutch Church and retraces Ichabod Crane’s flight from the Headless Horseman into the dark woods beyond. Visitors can listen for approaching hoffbeats. Tickets can be purchased at www.sleepyhollowny.gov or at Sleepy Hollow village hall at 28 beekman Ave.

Related October events

Sleepy Hollow’s 20th Annual Street Fair will be held on Oct. 15 on Beekman Ave., starting at 10 a.m. Free admission.

The 843-seat Tarrytown Music Hall, located at 11 Main St., has just finished an extensive restoration project. It offers about 200 stage and film events a year and is visited by about 85,000 people annually.

During October, Tarrytown Music Hall performances include comedian Bobby Collins (Oct. 7), Dark Star Orchestra, a Grateful Dead concert experience (Oct. 8), Ace Frehley, a former founding member of Kiss (Oct. 9), Jack Hanna Into the Wild Life (Oct. 13), ALFIO concert (Oct. 14), Jazz Ambassadors (Oct. 17), The Moth, storytelling (Oct. 21), Family Fun Day (Oct. 22), comedian Jim Breuer (Oct. 22), Rocky Horror Picture Show (Oct. 22), The Mavericks (Oct. 27-29) and The Ugly Duckling, a puppet show (Oct. 30). To purchase tickets via the internet for performances at the Tarrytown Music Hall, go to www.tickets.tarrytownmusichall.org.

Photo: Jonathan Kruk performing at the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow