Yes, HVBlogger acknowledges the 50% chance of  a shower, but c'mon, you can't just sit inside on the start of a long holiday weekend! HHV has two offbeat events today -- Independence Day 1808 (Van Cortlandt Manor) and Independence Day 1858 (Sunnyside). How often do you get to choose your own time period?

The Journal News saw fit to publish a cover story on today's events, featuring the most clever lede (the opening sentences, for you non-journo types) HVBlogger has seen in quite some time:

Cannnon-wielding soldiers and hotheaded debaters might seem like a dangerous combination. Luckily, they're miles apart.

Oh, and Crotonblog had a few things to say about us, too.

Click here to buy tickets online. (Psst...used discount code USA and your 5-17 year olds get in free.)

Your faithful HVBLogger was on the scene at Van Cortlandt Manor yesterday and shot this video of Dikki Ellis, king of the slack rope walkers (and a pretty good comedian/magician, too).

Yes, Dikki will be there today for those of you who still haven't made it to Animals & Acrobats.

A Journal News reporter and photographer came to Van Cortlandt Manor yesterday and filed this report on Animals & Acrobats.

Cool stuff!

Jennifer Pena and her Flight of the Raptors show is one of HVBLogger's favorite parts of his favorite springtime HHV event: Animals & Acrobats, which kicks off today (right now, as we "speak"!), at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton.

Jennifer will be offering her amazing birds of prey demonstrations throughout the weekend. Animals & Acrobats takes place today, tomorrow, and Monday from 10-5. Make it easy on yourself and buy your tickets online. Thousands of visitors tend to flock to the site during this Memorial Day classic. And the weather is looking mighty fine...

If you go, post your thoughts here and feel free to send me some pics or vids and I'll post ‘em.

Sunday was a sunny day at Sunnyside, made all the more so by the dozen artists scattered throughout the grounds creating new works of art on site as part of Artists-on-the-Hudson.

Below, you can see artist Vern Ford of Blaze fame has a cult following wherever he goes. At left, Jan Aiello of Croton captures Washington Irving's homestead in all its romantic glory.

Special thanks to Danielle Fontaine for the pics.