Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze Returns on Sept. 30, 2016

The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is back with structures and creatures made from 7,000 jack o’lanterns including an enormous brontosaurus and a flying pterodactyl along with many other Jurassic Park dinosaurs, an undersea aquarium, a sea serpent, slithering snakes, a giant spider web, Jack-in-the-boxes that simulate the real ones, and of course, the Headless Horseman.

New attractions being introduced by Historic Hudson Valley include “Main Street” at the Pumpkin Promenade and a walking 80-foot-long Pumpkin Zee Bridge. Pumpkin Planetarium which made it debut in 2015 has doubled in size this year.

The dates for visiting the Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson are Sept. 30-Oct. 2, Oct. 7-10, Oct. 13-16, Oct. 19-31, Nov. 3-6, and Nov. 10-13. The show is conducted on evenings only, rain or shine.

Eerie music, sound effects and elaborate synchronized lighting will add to the fun.

Café Blazé, operated by Geordane’s of Irvington, will offer snacks including soup, veggie chili, muffins, pumpkin cookies, and cider. A souvenir shop will sell Blaze merchandise.

Purchase Blaze tickets in advance

Tickets for admittance at specific times can be purchased online at www.hudsonvalley.org or by calling 914-366-6900 (there is a $2 per ticket surcharge for phone orders and for tickets purchased onsite, if available). Online tickets costs are $20 for adults ($25 on Saturdays), $16 for children 3-17 ($20 on Saturdays), and free for children under 3 and Historic Hudson Valley members.

Proceeds from the Blaze help to support the historic sites owned and operated by Historic Hudson Valley.

Van Cortlandt Manor is located at 525 South Riverside Avenue, just off Route 9 in Croton-on-Hudson, Westchester County, NY, www.hudsonvalley.org.

Photo by Tom Nycz