Happy Sleepy Holloween 2017

It isn't like decades past, when Sleepy Hollow residents, led by the Carbon Canyon Women's Club, would have a community event including the famed Ride of the Headless Horseman from Washington Irving's short story, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."

It's not even ten or so years ago when the women's club hosted a Halloween party at the Sleepy Hollow Community Center.

Now my kids are too old to trick or treat, so there's not even that.

But, there are still folks in the neighborhood who get into the spirits of the holiday and put up creative, eye-catching, and creepy decorations--so there is something about upholding tradition that way.

For example, check out a neighbor's fence and the wish for a "Happy Sleepy Holloween" along with a witch making her brew for All Souls Eve.

Or, the one with the scary clown--after all, clowns are generally creepy.

Then, there's the ghostly lady gently swaying with the breeze as she hangs from an oak tree.

One of the coolest (yup, pun intended) decorations is a neighbor who created a 5-foot tall volcano in the yard.  Lavalicious!

And, check out the neighbor who carved this year into their pumpkin!

So, we'll see how many trick-or-treaters there'll be tonight--lately, it's been only a few kids plying the neighborhood.  But, they tend to do really well in terms of amount of candy per house!

It's getting dark, so time to see who will be coming to get their treats.  Happy Sleepy Holloween 2017!

Sleepy Holloween 2016

The kids in this household aren't kids anymore, so trick or treating in Sleepy Hollow is done.

A few little ones from the neighborhood have made their way over, but it looks to be a "dead" night here on Halloween.

Check out the Sleepy Hollow Daycare display!

Still, some of the folks on this street have done their usual stellar job of decorating.

So, here are a few examples of some of what has been for the holiday.

Meanwhile, we usually think of Halloween as the scariest, most frightening, terrifying, blood-curdling, bone-chilling and horrifying day of the year.

But, in 2016, that distinction may well be reserved for a week from tomorrow.

Happy Sleepy Holloween 2016!

Happy Sleepy Holloween 2014

Though the number of people who decorate their homes and pass out treats for Halloween has certainly gone down in general over recent decades, there has actually been an upsurge in Sleepy Hollow, or at least one section of it.

On Rosemary Lane, there has been a very notable increase in decorations.  Of the dozen residences on the street, most are now doing something for the holiday, a marked contrast to how it was a decade ago.

Moreover, there are, for the first time in that period, a population in kids that has reached double figures--almost as many as there are houses.  So, that could mean a few more trick-or-treaters rambling the streets of the Hollow this Halloween.

This could just about warrant a return of the Headless Horseman from Washington Irving's famed 19th-century short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, an annual part of celebrations in the community for many years between the 1960s and 1980s.

In any case, here are some selections of photos taken of decorations along Rosemary Lane and have a Happy Holloween.

Sleepy Holloween Spirits On Display

As recounted previously on this blog, the Carbon Canyon community of Sleepy Hollow had a tradition from the mid-1960s for a couple of decades afterward of celebrating Halloween by having its own recreation of the nighttime ride of the headless horseman chasing after Ichabod Crane near the old community center and fire house.

Unfortunately, that event ceased quite a number of years ago, although more recently the Carbon Canyon Women's Club held annual Halloween parties in the new community center.  Even that, however, stopped a few Halloweens ago.

There are, though, some folks who are doing their best to keep up the spirit(s) of the season by decorating their homes and encouraging the few children who live in Sleepy Hollow to do their trick or treating here. 

In fact, at least in some parts of the community, there have been increasingly more elaborating decorations this year than in the recent past.

Here are just a few photographic examples of the ghosts, goblins, witches, zombies, tombstones, and other Halloween creatures and fixtures that are inhabiting the area this holiday.  While there isn't a picture of it here, there's even a headless horseman at the end of the community to keep that part of the local lore intact.

It sure would be cool if there could be a revival of the ride of the headless horseman, though that might be asking for too much, but at least there are some inventive and creative holiday decorations to enjoy during the Halloween season.  Note the Miley Cyrus tombstone at the lower left of the above photo.

So, thanks to everyone who takes part in enlivening Sleepy Hollow this time of year.  While it's certainly fun for the kids to enjoy, the adults seem to be as in to it as the younger ones, too.

Here are more examples of the awesome decorations that are out there right now:

 

Couldn't resist having this sincere shout-out to Elvis included.



 

 

Some of these take some work, but they really add a lot to the atmosphere when they're up.

 

 

All this one needs is a hand sticking up out of the ground--maybe next year.