1. So what’s this Blaze business all about?
The Great Jack O' Lantern Blaze is a Halloween spectacle integrating thousands of hand-carved pumpkins - everything from your standard Jack O' Lantern to extremely elaborate abstract designs - lit up throughout the landscape of Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., in various arrangements - thematic, conceptual, and otherwise. This event pays tribute and homage to Halloween, and the home of the American heritage of Halloween: Sleepy Hollow Country.

2. And what’s that got to do with Van Cortlandt Manor?
Blaze's creative director, Michael Natiello, said the true inspiration for Blaze is the landscape of Van Cortlandt Manor itself. The event is really a land art installation informed by artists such as Michael Heizer, Robert Smithson, Donald Judd, and Andy Goldsworthy. Various arrangements and placements of pumpkins are meant to complement and draw attention to the site's architecture, history, and landscape.

3. Blaze: been there, done that. Why go again?
The 5^th anniversary celebration of Blaze will feature new installations including giant sunflowers, a beehive with bumblebees, and a replica of Henry Hudson's Half Moon. Plus, you can experience an homage to the Great Paleozoic Museum, originally planned for Central Park but never brought to fruition. Be awed by dinosaurs. Big, big dinosaurs made out of jack o'lanterns, including a T-rex and stegosaurus, plus related flora and fauna. The carvings depict their exact skeletal structure.

4. Great, but why so rooted in Earth, man? Don't you have any installations from some other planet?
New to Blaze this year will be a UFO and outer space gallery.

5. And what’s this about an anniversary?
This year is Blaze’s 5th anniversary and 2009 also marks the 50th anniversary of Van Cortlandt Manor’s rebirth as a historic museum.

6. I’m tempted by all this, but I need a little more convincing. Did a tastemaker, like, for example, Martha Stewart, ever say anything about the Blaze?
Funny you should ask! Martha herself called the event a "Halloween extravaganza" when she featured the event and Michael Natiello in a 12-minute segment on her show. She even carved jack o'lanterns with Michael Natiello in her studio! You can see a clip she posted from the show on her YouTube channel.

7. OK, now I can hardly wait. When can I see Blaze this year?
Blaze takes place on 17 evenings: Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3-4; Saturday through Monday, Oct. 10-12 (Columbus Day weekend); Friday through Sunday, Oct. 16-18; Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 22-25; and Wednesday through Sunday, Oct. 28-Nov. 1.

8. I’m a budding auteur. Too bad I can’t come film the Blaze. Or can I? Can I win a prize, like a really cool prize, for doing so?
Yes and yes! Come with your camera, leave your tripod and/or monopod at home, and grab some footage for our YouTube Video Contest. If your video is up to snuff, it can win you an iPod touch. The winning videos will be no longer than three minutes in length and will best capture the creativity and excitement of the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze experience. An iPod touch, courtesy of WHUD 100.7, will be given away each week. You can also win an iPod touch for your Legend Nights video. Click here for full details.

9. Do I really have to leave my tripod and/or monopod at home?
Yes. Please. We beg of you.

10. And Legend Nights has nothing to do with Arabian Nights?
No no. Legend Nights is Historic Hudson Valley’s original Halloween celebration, at Philipsburg Manor. You can interact with pirates, witches, ghouls, and goblins from Hudson Valley folklore. PLUS, you can see the Headless Horseman ride! There’s a little-kid friendly Daytime program as well. Click here for details.

more...