come see all the pumpkins
she said on that night
come see all the pumpkins
it's OH, such a sight
for you all to believe
it simply must be seen
it's dark but not scary
these pumpkins aren't mean

we waited, read emails, bought tickets and more
made all kinds of plans to meet near the store
she said: "the day! it is coming! it's practically here!
the pumpkins! the manor! the picnics! the gear!
get all of your families, the kids mom, and brothers.
do you all have your tickets?
you can bring ALL the others
these pumpkins will amaze you--you really won't scoff
PACK THEM IN!! WAGON TRAIN!! GET READY, WE'RE OFF!!!!

it rained and it blew on the way in the car
the fog was so foggy, we couldn't see far
but then OH, we arrived and the weather turned fair
dampish, but 70, not a chill in the air.

then flashing lights and barricades and people in ponchos
they had flashlights and road flares
you know. . . the head honchos.
NO SHOW TONIGHT, FOLKS!! NOT ONE SINGLE PUMPKIN!
DANGER! BAD WEATHER! WE WON'T LET YOU IN!
COME BACK ANOTHER DAY WHEN THE WEATHER IS DRY.
and the kids in the back? they started to cry.

they shouted and wailed: we want to see pumpkins--you said that we could!
where are they? you tricked us! we knew that you would!!

and so there we were -- at a loss
what to do? the kids were expecting some fun--and us too!
what's that you ust said?
go BOWLING in BEACON??
you're out of your head.
the kids are against me, my mom doesn't feel well,
bowling in beacon's a really hard sell.

have fun! i said and turned back to the haze
back over the river
without any BLAZE

How proud I am to work for an organization that puts peoples safety first. As you can see by the thousands of happy visitors that that attended Blaze in the rain last niight, there is truely an open rain or shine policy. It is just when high winds or thunderstorms are predicted that visitor safety might cause a decision to cancel. On Fri Oct 19th the Staff was on site, the pumpkins were on site and already glowing. It was very costly to cancel the event and refund tickets, but the risk to our visitors was put above the money lost and the anger of disappointed ticket holders. Thank you HHV.

I am sorry to hear that tonight was cancelled and I think it is a good decision. I understand the frustrations and worries. My date too was almost cancelled due to bad weather, but it was on and we made it even though it was still a rainy evening. Even sadder, this weather is not letting up. Better to be safe than sorry or even sick for that matter.

Anyways, I do encourage those to re-schedule for the event that was very much worth my 1 hr travel up north in the rain. I really enjoyed my time at the Blaze event, even with the light rain, which added to the spooky atmosphere. I thought the event was so wonderful, I had posted it on my company, naming it a must do for the spooky weekend (weather permitting). I work for a tourist guide in NYC and really thought this was wonderful. Too bad I found out too late. I would really like for you to visit the blog at [url=http://nycpocket.wordpress.com/ ]http://nycpocket.wordpress.com/ and hopefully this can persuade you to re-schedule and really make time for this wonderful event I knew nothing about until now.

I wish everyone the best and hope that your plans will eventually work out.
All the best for a spooky time,
Jasmine
NYC Pocket Guide

OK EVERYONE CALM DOWN. Yes, we drove about over an hour, yes we were disappointed HOWEVER the weather is unpredictable. Historic Hudson made the decision they thought was the safest FOR ALL OF US. Can you imagine the complaining you all would be doing if they hadnt cancelled and all of you had to go running for cover in high winds and lightning and heavy rain. It would have been chaos.

After visiting in September, I knew I had a winner! What a great fall weekend getaway! I decided to become a member and purchase tickets to Blaze.

We travelled from Philadelphia and planned a four-day weekend around our Friday night Blaze tickets - I even purchased a couple extra Legend tickets for other family members driving back to Pittsburgh from Maine. Needless to say, we were disappointed at the cancellation and yes, our 4 YO and 2 YO were devastated.

As a trained weather spotter, I understand the nature of safety and unpredictability of weather events. So I applaud the decision of the HHV.

The next day, Saturday morning, we decided to take our little girls to Van Cortlandt Manor to see the pumpkins anyway. Yes, it was daylight, but so what! The kids had a blast and weren't crowded and scared of all the people and lights, etc. They absolutely loved it! It didn't matter that they were lit up - they got to enjoy them on their own time.

After visiting all the HHV sites, FDR, Vanderbilt, Lyndhurst, West Point, Olana and others, when asked what their favorite responded both my girls responded that seeing the pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns at VC Manor was the best!

We'll try again next year and hope that others will take the same approach that we did - do the next best thing. :-)

I understand the caution in cancelling the event, since so many young children are in attendance. This would have been my first year attending with 2 young children after having so many people recommend it. I also agree with most comments that the event shold have been cancelled earlier. The Historic Hudson Valley Organization knows exactly how popular this event is and must know that many people travel great distances to attend. Therefore, it really is unbelievable that they waited to the last possible moment where only local people would not be terreibly inconvenienced.

That said, I don't see why the HHVO can't add another night to accomodate all the people that held tickets for October 19th? Why not let us attend on November 2nd? I certainly wouldn't mind that it would occur after Halloween. For all the inconvenience caused to so many people, it should only be expected that the HHVO be inconvenienced slightly in order to fix this and keep the loyal fans they have garnered through the years.

HHVO please comment on this request asap. Thank you!

I was very disappointed that Blaze was canceled on Friday night but I have been to many events and tours at Van Cottlandt Manor and was there when a sudden storm hit this past May. The day was Sunny and Calm and about 3:00 a storm came through that took down over 20 trees that I could see and blocked the access roads to the peoperty. If the staff had not been on their toes getting us into safe areas we would have been out in the height of the storm and possibly hit by a falling tree on the path. The storm lasted about 25 minutes but the damage was substantial.

From this experience I can safely say that for all the disappointment I think that the management at Hudson Valley acted in our best interest by putting our safety before any profit they may have realized.

Yes I'm sad the event was canceled and getting replacement tickets is near impossible but then I would have done the same thing if my family was on the line.

just had to address m who posted the severe weather outlook- -it is just that an outlook, it has a very low percentage that it will occur. It would be interesting if someone really familiar with weather forecasting could inform us of the probability of real severe weather when it is an outlook, not a watch nor a warning.

Thanks for the explanation - which is helpful. One follow-up question is why are just members allowed to use the tickets for the same time on an alternative night and not all ticket holders?

We apologize for the inconvenience and disappointment caused by our decision to cancel last night’s Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor and Legend at Philipsburg Manor.

Normally these events go forward rain or shine, but a forecast of extreme weather with lightning and high winds was posted late in the afternoon.

Throughout the day, we monitored weather forecasts closely, and when the hour-by-hour forecast changed from a 60% to 70% chance of thunderstorms with lightning and high winds to a 90% to 100% probability of “heavy” thunderstorms, we cancelled the events. We changed the message on our voicemail and on our website and contacted local radio stations, who agreed to broadcast the cancellations.

In addition to giving people who purchased tickets for that evening full refunds, we have made additional times available for both Blaze and Legend on the remaining days for those who may wish to re-book. Members who had tickets for October 19 are permitted to come on any other night but only in their original time slot to help guard against over-crowding.

We made the decision based on the weather forecast information available to us at the time, concluding that visitor safety was paramount. As it turned out, the late afternoon forecast was much more dire than the reality and by 6:00 p.m. had been revised. We share your disappointment and apologize for the inconvenience we caused for those intrepid folks who set out before hearing the announcement only to be turned away at the gate.

The tickets and website and phone ALL said.....and DO say....."RAIN OR SHINE...No Refunds" Based on this, my wife and I battled horrendous traffic to arrive at the BLAZE only to be turned-away AT THE GATE!!! And now....I read that since we aren't "Members", we can't arrive an alternate nite (like TONITE...the 20th) and use our tickets. Hey....we're adults and are very dissappointed, but I can imagine a family with young kids battling Friday Nite traffic and to be also told..."tough !!"

Very, very poor management and decision-making on the part of the "Society"......NO radio publicity of the "cancellation".....No signs, nothing on the "Website".......RAIN OR SHINE means....RAIN OR SHINE......NO REFUNDS means....NO REFUNDS!

We should have an opportunity to SEE this event.......and show-up WHEN we want with our existing tickets!

Due to poor planning and a busy back to school schedule - I didn't get tickets for my family but would love to go. If anyone is unable to use their Friday Night tickets please let me know and I will take them off your hands. Happy Haunting

I am finding it hard to understand why the Blaze was cancelled on Oct. 19.

There was no wind or rain when we left for the 8:30 showing at about 7pm. In fact, there was no wind at all throughout the day. There was some brief periods of heavy rain, but that wasn't anywhere near as bad as the flooding rains of April. When I left my girlfriend's parent's house in Mahopac at around 9:30, when our showing would have been over, there was no rain, wind or anything going on weather wise. The weather forecast, as usual, did not live up to the hype it was given.

It appears to me someone overreacted and was worried about lawsuits from falling tree limbs or objects. I can understand if there was a thunderstorm but I checked the radar on weather.com for Croton and there was nothing substantial going on.

I work during the week, as most do and I don't want a ticket for a weekday showing. I think extra weekend showings should be considered for this weekend and the 26th, 27th and 28th or free tickets and first pick for next year.

The refund is fine, but it is disappointing that this decision appears to have been made too quickly and without much thought. And why was it announced so late? My girlfriend was coming home around 6pm and there was still no announcement on WHUD that the event was cancelled. By 7pm the announcement had changed.

I am highly disappointed with this decision, especially when I made the trip all the way from LaGrange in Dutchess with a bad cold. I was at the event last year and it was fantastic. I am sure that this year was even better. Unfortunately, I am not going to be able to judge that and if I have to pay next year, I will definitely consider not attending.

I hope you will consider all options and provide a solution that is fair for all those who made supreme efforts to attend your event.

Joe

Seeing the Blaze with kids means not seeing a lot, as they have to be managed so much. sometimes. My husband and I want to go again, but we can not purchase tickets online, without a charge applied (supposed to be included in membership). Does anyone know why?

Pumpkin Blaze cancelled?!! What the heck for?!! What happened to..."RAIN OR SHINE! NO REFUNDS OR EXCHANGES"! That's what you're told on the website AND when you call. We drove two cars through horrendous Friday night traffic for almost 2 hours only to be turned around AT THE GATE! Are you kidding me? No message on the website or phone line with information about the cancellation AT ALL? Talk about poor management decisions and inconsideration. The weather was far from "dangerous"..and certainly there were no hurricanes in sight. In fact, it didn't even rain until after midnight. I can't wait to chance another possible "rainy" night, 2-hour drive with kids, cancellation on another future Blaze. Don't..think..so. You've turned a great family night event into a joke...in one night. Getting a full refund is the LEAST you can do after this fiasco. Hopefully, in the future, you'll communicate a cancellation to ticket holders BEFORE they arrive at the gate.

I certainly agree with the Steve who mentioned that members are getting preferential treatment. I understand that they are the first to be considered when purchasing the tickets initially but when the event is cancelled so abruptly, everyone should be given the same opportunity to reschedule. This was a collosal error! When we were sent back, my husband and I listened to the weather reports and there were NO mention of storm warnings in our area. Boooo to you.

Yes, absolutely, thank you for the refunds. Now, what went wrong? I brought 30 people to the Blaze the last two years and brought 56 this year! This event is a must see -- so many people in your community have embraced this as a yearly ritual -- congratulations. Just imagine for a minute...I planned an outing for my son's pre-school and diligently purchased all the tickets I could until the 6:30 slot sold out (in September). After weeks of excitement, it was time to go see 4,000 jack o' lanterns. Before heading out this afternoon, I checked the phone message and website numerous times. I even was lucky enough to speak with someone this afternoon who seemed perplexed that I would ask if the event was still going on. She said, "your ticket says rain or shine." Indeed it does. So, we piled into 14 cars and drove to the event (by the way, at 4:30 p.m., the phone message still indicated that the event was on -- we left and arrived before 6:00 p.m. (our drive time was almost 1 1/2 hours) to find out that the event had been canceled. Not o.k. I would not expect this of Historic Hudson Valley. Yes, I know, lots of people were to be on the grounds and there was potential for harsh weather. Though, could you not have been a bit more proactive with communication? There we were...all those children...rain boots and all, such disappointment. What I recommend: while it's admirable to issue "automatic full refunds," have you thought it through that perhaps there are people that cannot attend on a weeknight...say, families with 3,4 and 5 year olds? Why not let us purchase tickets on the following weekend if we wish (in the same time slot)? Do the right thing.

For those of you who think they are weathermen (or women) I would like to post NOAA's hazardous weather outlook bulletin. See below. It is sad when the weather doesn't cooperate. I am as disappointed as anyone else who was supposed to go to Blaze tonight. However, when the weather calls for thunderstorms, damaging winds, torrential rain and possible flash flooding (keep in mind that Van Cortlandt Manor is right on the Croton River), what do you expect? Last week when they didn't cancel people were angry. This week they are angry that they did cancel. The people who are being overdramatic and even name calling would find something to complain about no matter what. Have you actually been to Blaze? Do you know what it would be like if people were allowed to come to any night? You would defintiely be complaining about overcrowding and unsafe conditions. And yes, I also have small kids who are disappointed but I will either take them to a different event or let them stay out late one night to go on another night!


weather.gov
National Weather Service
Hazardous Weather Outlook
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UPTON NY
FRI OCT 19 2007

CTZ005>012-NJZ002>006-011-NYZ067>081-201100-
NORTHERN FAIRFIELD-NORTHERN NEW HAVEN-NORTHERN MIDDLESEX-
NORTHERN NEW LONDON-SOUTHERN FAIRFIELD-SOUTHERN NEW HAVEN-
SOUTHERN MIDDLESEX-SOUTHERN NEW LONDON-WESTERN PASSAIC-BERGEN-
EASTERN PASSAIC-ESSEX-HUDSON-UNION-ORANGE-PUTNAM-ROCKLAND-
NORTHERN WESTCHESTER-SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER-NEW YORK (MANHATTAN)-BRONX-
RICHMOND (STATEN ISLAND)-KINGS (BROOKLYN)-QUEENS-NASSAU-
NORTHWESTERN SUFFOLK-NORTHEASTERN SUFFOLK-SOUTHWESTERN SUFFOLK-
SOUTHEASTERN SUFFOLK-
952 PM EDT FRI OCT 19 2007

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN
CONNECTICUT...NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY AND SOUTHEAST NEW YORK.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION THROUGH
EARLY MORNING. A FEW OF THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE
DAMAGING WINDS. IN ADDITION TORRENTIAL RAINFALL CAN BE EXPECTED
WITH SOME OF THIS ACTIVITY AS IT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. THE
HEAVY RAINFALL WILL LIKELY PRODUCE URBAN AND POOR DRAINAGE
FLOODING...WHILE FLASH FLOODING OF SMALLER STREAMS WILL ALSO BE
POSSIBLE. OVERNIGHT...AN ADDITIONAL INCH OF RAINFALL IS EXPECTED
AREAWIDE...WITH LOCALIZED AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES POSSIBLE UNDER
THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY.

THE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER AND HEAVY RAINFALL WILL COME TO AN END
BY AROUND DAYBREAK AS A COLDFRONT SWEEPS THROUGH THE AREA BRINGING
AN END TO THE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY.

Wow, who is calling the shots for cancelling the Pumpkin Blaze. What a dope, doesn't he/she know how to read a weather map and since when does someone rely solely on the weather report? While I understand this might be a volunteer project, people still need to realize that rain or shine on the tix means just that. Deb probably works for the Historic Society and is trying to negate some of the bad feelings. There really is no excuse for such poor judgment and inconsideration to the public. I am sure if this were to happen to the people who called it off there would be a lot of unhappy people. By the way, did I mention that I drove over two hours for this event? Ever hear of the environment?

I was so surprised to hear the Blaze was cancelled...The first year of the Blaze, we went in the pouring rain and agreed we would do it all again, if it rained the following year.. It was THAT spectacular! .But I do understand the precautions you had to take in cancelling the Blaze tonight....HOWEVER...as a member who plans to attend at the end of October, I don't want the 9:30 time slot....too late for a week night...Members should be able to attend ANY night at ANY time....
So....be the rebels....go out on a limb....take it to the wild side and give members freedom of choice..
Remember; well behaved historic societies rarely make history.

we checked the site and called at 4pm before making the TWO hour trip to the legend weekend and blaze only to arrive at LW to (nicely) be told it was cancelled an hour and a half ago. so at about 5pm they made this decision? a little late in the game isnt it? Its absolutely ridiculous that they waited so long and caused so many people such trouble and disappointed so many kids. We only have a small baby but the ride back and forth was totally unnecessary and really awful. This was handled ver poorly..land not letting ticket holders to come back the next night is absolutely ridiculous. Ive waited 2 years to go to this event and having it run this poorly is really, really awful.

Jennifer has a good point. I understand members getting special pricing, but I strongly encourage the event organizers to do the honorable thing and allow all ticketholders, not just members, to attend an alternative night at the same time. I am sure that the families who decided to return would be spread over the remaining nights to make it logistically feasible. Given how poorly tonight was handled, it is a small concession to win back a disappointed and angry customer base who are likely strong supporters of the area.

Be classy and extend this policy to all ticketholders.

I cannot tell you how year after year I rave about this blaze. Every year I walk away saying what a wonderful, family, well run event. NO MORE CAN I SAY THAT. I honestly tell you hour after hour today, during the rain storms of the early afternoon I called and called only to hear that the event is held rain or shine. I honestly tell you that hour after hour I checked the web site to only see event is held 'rain or shine'. As a matter of fact, the FAQ section of the web site states the following: "Question 32. It’s raining and I’m afraid of melting, can I get a refund or exchange my tickets? Blaze takes place rain or shine. In extreme weather conditions that force a cancellation, such as a hurricane, Historic Hudson Valley will determine if ticket-holders can opt to attend on an alternate night or receive a refund."
They almost make FUN of people who are 'afraid' to get wet first of all....and second of all....was there a HURRICANE in Westchester that I missed? So.....at 6pm we pack up FIVE carloads of people, families and most importantly kids and off we go on our annual treck to the Blaze. When we get there.....the first woman waves us on to the next person who waves us on the the next and so on until we reach the last guy who waves us to make a U-TURN and off we head in the other dirsction....NO ONE SAYING ANYTHING....NO SIGNS....NOTHING......we pull into the gas station and head back towards the blaze.......we stop and ask the first woman what the heck is going on and she says MOVE ON the last guy will tell you......we get to the last guy who is insisting we make a U-TURN and we stop to ask him whats going on and he says "HUH"?

I mean....ARE YOU KIDDING ME??

I MEAN....WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED THIS YEAR??

Gee......thanks...so so much for the refund..........and gee wiz.....thanks so so much for giving us the 'chance' to re-book for a Wednesday night at midnight........

Please......cut it out already.

The pumpkin blaze has been doused by very poor organization.........to think the sad joy I get out of walking around with a lousy cup of hot apple cider.

The days of me singing the praises of the blaze have come to en end.

i am also confused as to why this evening was cancelled... i was listening to weather all afternoon and was pleasantly surprised when the rain let up ... and heard nothing to indicate wind, storms or other catastrophic conditions...
i do appreciate the automatic refund but we were all looking forward to this plannned event for weeks...

We were very disappointed and angry to find out that tonight's event was cancelled. We traveled over an hour to get there, only to be told to buy tickets for another night. I had called during the day, got a machine saying the event was taking place rain or shine, just like to web site. We picked a weekend time slot due to our work schedule and having a 20 month old son. I think it is unfair to allow "members" to come at the same time slot on any other night, but yet I have to re-purchase tickets for night that is not convenient for my family. I think you should honor all tickets for the same time slot on any day, especially the weekend. Many of us have jobs and young children, I would hope you would take that into consideration. For such a popular event, I think your event coordinators handled this cancellation very poorly. The worst part is the weather held out and the event could have taken place, alloowing for an enjoyable evening for many familes, especially young children.

I agree with Steve and Kevin. Not sure what weather report the event planners were watching, but everything on the news indicates a little rain but nothing where one would expect the event to be cancelled....especially since the tickets say "rain or shine". We drove for over 40 minutes in aweful traffic just to pull up and have a not very understanding person tell us, basically, tough and you are out of luck. A little more consideration for people who eagerly planned for this event weeks and, in some cases, months in advance is not too much too expect. I do appreciate the refund, but that is minimum that could be expected (the person turning us away acted like it was gracious).

You call this a "Pumpkin Blaze"???? I call it more a "Pumpkin Bust"!!! I am completely understanding when one's safety is at issue, but tonight's weather was situable for such an event. Furthermore, the method of informing the patrons was unsatisfactory---- notifying us as we approach the event rather than posting it your website or leaving a message on your voice machine during the day indicates poor planning and lack of customer consideration on your part. You made a potentially enjoyable night into a waste of time!

I couldn't agree more with Steve. I checked the website a few times today and there was no notice. We called and the machine said rain or shine as does the website. This notice should have been posted earlier. It would have saved a lot of people of lot of time. Also, I think the ticketholders should have been able to use their tickets on another day of their choosing. It is not that crowded.

I think you made a wise decison and I thank you for the refund. I have booked a new date and although it is a less desireable date/time, I apprecate the courtesy refund and hope you will be promt in processing it.

In addition to the cancellation being unnecessary, it was poorly handled by the organization. Firstly, the event was cancelled very late in the day after the telephone line was busy the entire day. Secondly, many families with small children selected a weekend date and instead of a school night. Instead of offering these families an alternative on a weekend night, the organizers simply said that you were welcome to book another night knowing perfectly well that all other slots on weekends were sold out. The tickets for night should have been accomodated on another night.

I hope you will review your procedures for next year and prevent the disappointment that was caused to my three young children, who anticipated this evening for quite some time.

Thanks for refunding the tickets. I wasnt expecting that and Im really grateful.
Im going to rebook now, hoping my luck will be better the second time around!