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Tags:historic places, holiday destinations, holiday travel, Kingsmill Resort, living history, Williamsburg VA
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The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze Returns to Long Island’s Old Bethpage Village Restoration

September 23, 2021

*Nassau County Executive Laura Curran at the 2020 Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze Long Island. The event returns Sept. 22-Nov. 7 for those with pre-purchased timed tickets.*

Nassau County, Long Island, NY – The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze®, a highlight of the Halloween festival season, is returning to Old Bethpage Village Restoration (OBVR) on Long Island for a second time, after a successful launch last year. The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze® Long Island will run for 36 selected nights from September 22 through November 7. Timed tickets, which must be purchased in advance, are now on sale at www.pumpkinblaze.org.

A small team of local artists hand-carved more than 7,000 jack o’lanterns and created elaborate pumpkin sculptures at this walk-through experience on the grounds of the 19^th-century village. New displays this year include an 80-foot circus train–a nod to the 146-year run of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the nearby Nassau Coliseum, a sea monster and many new creative creatures from under the ocean.

The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze® is also returning for its 17^th year to its original location in the Hudson Valley at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson. That location will be open 59 nights from September 17 through November 21 and will feature new displays such as an immersive river walk-through experience and a New York City streetscape.

The health and safety of our visitors is the highest priority. At both locations, the experience is outdoors and touch-free, and capacity has been reduced to ensure social distancing. Visitors who are not vaccinated are required to wear masks at all times. Masks are not required for vaccinated visitors while on the grounds, but will be required when entering buildings, such as restrooms.

“We’re thrilled to bring back this extraordinary experience for the second consecutive year and provide a safe and spooky way to celebrate the Halloween season right here in Nassau County,”said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran. “The County’s Old Bethpage Village provides a perfect backdrop for this spectacular event which is expected to attract thousands and give our local economy a boost. Whether you’re a local or visitor, encouraging all to check out this unique event and explore one of our vibrant downtowns. Thank you to Historic Hudson Valley for working with the County to host your iconic event once again.”

“We were thrilled to partner with Nassau County to bring The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze® to Old Bethpage Village Restoration. After a successful run in 2020, when were we able to safely entertain thousands of visitors and help support the local economy, we are delighted to partner again to make this second year even more exciting. We’ve added more nights and more displays and can’t wait to welcome visitors through the pumpkin arch,” said Historic Hudson Valley’s VP of Communications and Commerce, Rob Schweitzer.

Blaze: Hudson Valley’s Founding Sponsor is Entergy; Presenting Sponsor is Westchester Medical Center; and Contributing Sponsors are J.P. Morgan Chase and Edge-on-Hudson. Blaze: Long Island’s Exclusive Financial Services Sponsor is JPMorgan; Contributing Sponsor is National Grid.

All events are held rain or shine. Proceeds support Historic Hudson Valley, the Tarrytown-based private, non-profit educational organization, and Old Bethpage Village Restoration.

The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze Long Island features illuminated, individually hand-carved jack o’ lanterns in more than two dozen elaborate displays professionally lit throughout the landscape of Old Bethpage Village Restoration in various themed areas.

Favorite installations appear along with site-specific displays including a sea monster and sea creatures, as well as a lighthouse, in a nod to the location’s proximity to the ocean.

Creative Director Michael Natiello leads a small team of local artists who carve all the jack o’lanterns. The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze Shop offers a selection Blaze-specific merchandise including T-shirts and hats.

Blaze: Long Island has limited capacity and all admissions are by advance purchase timed ticket. To further reduce staff/visitor touchpoints, no tickets are sold on site even if not sold out.

Blaze: Long Island dates are September 22-26; 29-October 3; October 6-11; 20-24; 27-31; November 3-7. Online tickets start at $32 for adults and $24 for children 3-17 and are free for children 2 and under.

Old Bethpage Village Restoration is a living history museum owned and operated by Nassau County that provides guests the opportunity to step back in time to the island’s agrarian past. The Village consists of homes, barns and other buildings dating back to 1765. Costumed interpreters describe life as it was in the 19th century and historic trade smiths demonstrate various trades.

Also on the grounds of Old Bethpage Village Restoration is a Co-Op Farm and farmers market, which brings organic and local food to Long Islanders and the Museum of American Armor which is home to armored vehicles dedicated to remembering our servicemen and women who have fought bravely for our country.

Old Bethpage Village Restoration is also the home of the Long Island Fair.

Old Bethpage Village Restoration is at 1303 Round Swamp Road in Old Bethpage.

More information about The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is available at pumpkinblaze.org.

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Tags:fall festival, Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, Halloween Happenings, historic places, Long Island Halloween festival, Long Island travel, Old Bethpage Village Restoration, pumpkinblaze
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Experience Holidays of Centuries Past at Jamestown Settlement

November 16, 2018

Holiday feast in Jamestown Settlement.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va.— Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown offer visitors the opportunity to experience holidays of centuries past during seasonal events “Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia,” November 22-24, and “Christmastide in Virginia,” December 20-31.

Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia, November 22-24 – The holiday season starts on Thanksgiving Day with a three-day event that explores foodways of 17th- and 18th-century Virginia and centuries-old cooking and preservation methods. At Jamestown Settlement, historical interpreters demonstrate how food was gathered, preserved and prepared on land and at sea by Virginia’s English colonists and Powhatan Indians. At the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, programs examine typical soldiers’ fare during the Revolutionary War and trace the bounty of a period farm from field to kitchen. While food preparation in the museums’ outdoor living-history areas is for demonstration purposes only, the Jamestown Settlement Café will offer a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 22.

Christmastide in Virginia, December 20-31 – Holiday traditions of 17th- and 18th-century Virginia are recalled with special interpretive programs and period musical entertainment, along with daily appearances at Jamestown Settlement by the Lord of Misrule, “grand captain of all mischief.” Jamestown Settlement interpretive programs allow visitors to compare and contrast English Christmas customs of the period with how English colonists may have observed the season in the difficult early years of the Jamestown colony. Visitors to the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown can hear accounts of Christmas and winter in a Continental Army encampment and glimpse holiday preparations at a period farm.

This holiday season and throughout the year, visitors of all ages can enjoy the museums’ immersive indoor gallery exhibits to learn about America’s past, including two ongoing special exhibitions – “TENACITY: Women in Jamestown and Early Virginia” at Jamestown Settlement and “Blast from the Past: Artillery in the War for Independence” at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. Outdoors, experience historical interpretation and hands-on activities in re-created outdoor settings – a Powhatan Indian village, 1607 ships and colonial fort at Jamestown Settlement, and Continental Army encampment and Revolution-era farm at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.

These living-history museums of 17th- and 18th-century Virginia offer many ways to make the holidays memorable, from tickets and packages, some of which include other Williamsburg area attractions, to unique shopping opportunities in the museum gift shops.

Visitors can experience the holiday fun with a variety of tickets and packages, available online at historyisfun.org/visit/vacation-packages:

History is Fun – This online ticket offers unlimited admission to Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown for seven consecutive days and represents a 20 percent savings over individual admission. The ticket, which includes daytime special events and special exhibitions, is $25.50 for adults and $12.25 for ages 6-12, and can be packaged with Williamsburg area lodging. Children under 6 are free. Private tours for 14 or fewer people are available at each museum for an additional fee and can be reserved in advance online or by calling (757) 253-4939.

America’s Historic Triangle – This ticket features unlimited admission for seven consecutive days to Jamestown Settlement, Historic Jamestowne, Colonial Williamsburg, American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and Yorktown Battlefield. The ticket is $93.50 for adults (ages 16 and older), $42.75 for children (ages 6-15), and can be packaged with lodging. Holiday events include Colonial Williamsburg’s “Grand Illumination,” December 2; Jamestown Settlement and American Revolution Museum at Yorktown’s “Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia,” November 22-24, and “Christmastide in Virginia,” December 20-31.

Four-Site Value – This ticket features unlimited admission for seven consecutive days to Jamestown Settlement, Historic Jamestowne, American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and Yorktown Battlefield. The ticket is $39.50 for adults (ages 16 and older), $27.50 for ages 13-15, and $14.25 for ages 6-12, and can be packaged with lodging.

For holiday shoppers, Jamestown Settlement and American Revolution Museum at Yorktown museum gift shops offer a selection of books, prints, museum reproductions, educational toys, games and souvenirs relating to the 17th and 18th centuries. Jamestown Settlement’s special exhibition gift shop has an assortment of items related to “TENACITY: Women in Jamestown and Early Virginia.” Admission is not required to visit the museum gift shops, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Shop online at shophistoryisfun.com.

Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily year-round, closed December 25 and January 1, are separated by a 25-minute drive along the Colonial Parkway, a National Scenic Byway. Jamestown Settlement is located on Route 31 just southwest of Williamsburg. The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown is located on Route 1020 in Yorktown. Parking is free.

Admission to Jamestown Settlement is $17.00 for adults and $8.00 for ages 6-12 and, to the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, $15.00 for adults and $7.50 for ages 6-12. Children under 6 are admitted free. A combination ticket to both museums is $25.50 for adults and $12.25 for ages 6-12. An American Heritage Annual Pass, $38.00 for adults and $19.00 for ages 6-12, makes a great holiday gift and offers recipients one year of unlimited admission to both museums. For more information, call (888) 593-4682 toll-free, (757) 253-4838 or visit historyisfun.org.

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Tags:American Revolution Museum, Christmas travel, Christmastide in Virginia, historic places, holiday travel, holidays in Jamestown Settlement, Jamestown Settlement, Williamsburg, winter holiday travel, Yorktown
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176th Long Island Fair at Old Bethpage Village Restoration

September 21, 2018

oldbethpage-LIFair-100906 158e2 (c) Karen Rubin

The Long Island Fair is unique among New York State county fairs in that it maintains much of the historical ambiance of the 19th century. At the 176th Long Island Fair, you can watch blacksmithing, among other historical demonstrations including music and dance © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

Old Bethpage, NY – Old Bethpage Village Restoration (OBVR) will host the 176^th Annual Long Island Fair this weekend: September 22 and 23.

Enjoy magic shows, a petting zoo, and historical entertainment. Stilt walkers traverse the grounds, and entertainers delight families with puppets, juggling and storytelling. All of these festivities continue a 176-year tradition. Attractions such as livestock shows, the Timberworks Lumberjack Show, tractor rides, Civil War reenactments, and Rough Rider demonstrations whisk riders back to another era.

Visitors will also find:

Historical demonstrations: tin-smithing, pottery, blacksmithing, weaving, and candle-making;
Dance opportunities: brass bands, a fiddler, bluegrass band Buddy Merriam & Backroads, Homegrown String Band, and kids’ singer-songwriter Patricia Shih;
Tests of skill: sawing, corn-husking, and scarecrow-building contests; guessing the weight of a giant pumpkin;
Tickets required: rides on camels, ponies, horse-drawn wagons, a hot-air balloon, and a 19th-century carousel; bounce houses;
Eats for sale: candied apples, pumpkins, organic veggies, fresh-made candy, giant turkey legs, and funnel cakes.

Meanwhile, baseball fans can enjoy the end-of-season matches of OBVR’s Old Time Baseball League, which recreates “baseball” as it was played in the latter half of the 19^th century, with teams competing in authentic uniforms and playing under the names of Long Island clubs of that era.

The Long Island Fair is the New York State-recognized county fair for Queens, Nassau and Suffolk, and involves the cooperation of the Nassau County Department of Parks, Recreation and Museums and the Agricultural Society of Queens, Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Thousands of exhibits are entered every year in friendly competition, with blue ribbon categories including livestock, flowers and vegetables from farms and home gardens, culinary, needlework, hobbies, and a junior division for those 13 and younger. This year’s competitions will also include an “Advanced” category for new professionals, novices and students who are serious about their craft. Entries in this category will require a fee, with generous first, second and third place prizes; and the judges will be required to submit credentials in the specific classes.

The fair is unique among New York State County Fairs in that it maintains much of the historical ambiance of the 19^th century. The fair was founded in 1842 and became known as the Queens County Agricultural Fair, but soon after was called the Mineola Fair when it moved to a permanent location in Mineola in 1866. The fair moved to Roosevelt Raceway in 1953 and to the newly opened Old Bethpage Village Restoration in 1970, where it is held on a 12-acre recreation of the original Mineola Fairgrounds.

The Long Island Fair hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Entrance fees are: $15 for adults, $13 for children (5 to 12) and seniors 60 & up. Children 5 and under and Active Military Personnel: Free.

Old Bethpage Village Restoration provides visitors with a unique and wonderful opportunity to step back in time and experience life in a recreated mid-19^th Century American village set on more than 200 acres. Old Bethpage Village is located at 1303 Round Swamp Road in Old Bethpage; for more information, call (516) 572-8401.

For more information about the Long Island Fair, visit www.lifair.org.

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