The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze

Do you know what is The Great Jack O’Lantern?

There is an old Irish legend about a man named Stingy Jack who was too mean to get into heaven and had played too many tricks on the devil to go to hell. When he died, he had to walk the earth, carrying a lantern made out of a turnip with a burning coal inside. Stingy Jack became known as "Jack of the Lantern," or "Jack-o'-Lantern."

From this legend came the Irish tradition of placing jack-o'-lanterns made of turnips and other vegetables in windows or by doors on Halloween. The jack-o'-lanterns are meant to scare away Stingy Jack and all the other spirits that are said to walk the earth on that night. It wasn't until the tradition was brought to the United States by immigrants that pumpkins were used for jack-o'-lanterns.

Now every October, carved pumpkins peer out from porches and doorsteps in the United States and other parts of the world. Gourd-like orange fruits inscribed with ghoulish faces and illuminated by candles are a sure sign of the Halloween season.

By the way in the United States, the carved pumpkin was first associated with the harvest season in general, long before it became an emblem of Halloween.

The tri-state area’s biggest, most exciting, most electrifying Halloween event returns for a whopping 22 nights in 2012 at Van Cortlandt Manor in Hudson Valley!

See more than 5,000 individually hand-carved, illuminated jack o’ lanterns in this elaborate walk-through experience. Meander through an historic, 18th-century riverside landscape and discover a breathtaking display – all made of jack o’ lanterns! Stroll through the Tunnel O’ Pumpkin Love and emerge to the incredible sight of gourd-filled Jack-in-the-Box springing up and bouncing around. Flying pumpkin ghosts will soar above the lantern-lit path...

This event requires advance tickets and has limited capacity

The tickets are going on sale for General Public September 4, 2012

You can order tickets online https://www.hudsonvalley.org/store or by phone 914-366-6900.

The prices are:

Adults, $16, Children 3-17, $12 (Saturdays $20, $16) on line and
Adults, $18, Children 3-17, $14 (Saturdays $22, $18) on the phone (includes $2/ticket surcharge)
FREE for children under 3

Remember: all tickets are for specific day and time and are final sale.

For direction please go to http://www.hudsonvalley.org/historic-sites/van-cortlandt-manor/directions.

Labor Day weekend

Symbolically representing the transition from summer to fall, Labor Day gathers friends and family together for one final weekend packed full of events and activities before students return back to school and the journey into the seemingly never ending months that end in “ber” begins.
More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers, but it was first celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883. In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday and have been celebrated on that day ever since, which, luckily, gives us a long weekend to celebrate.

I’m sure many of you already have plans (as do I), but if you don’t, I would like to remind you about many interesting destination I have featured on my blog. Just go to Friend's Travel Club’s archive (provide link here) and pick something you would consider visiting.

Happy Labor Day and easy travel to all of you!
 

Colorado Springs, CO, Part 2

It took us only 20 min by car to get from the Air Force Academy to The Garden of the Gods – something everyone should see. Unfortunately we had just enough time to drive through the park, but it did give us a chance to appreciate the beauty of the place – each rock formation was more interesting than the other!
Legend has it that two surveyors came upon this natural wonder. One commented that it would be a “capital place for a beer garden.” His partner, Rufus Cable, having a greater appreciation for the uniqueness of the landscape, was taken aback. “Beer garden? Why, it is a place for the Gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods!”
Garden of the Gods Park is home to rock formations with intriguing names such as Giant Footprints, Kissing Camels, Siamese Twins, Three Graces, and Tower of Babel.
There are many great trails for easy hiking with families (including trails with good wheelchair access and strollers). And best of all....the place is FREE!
Opening hours are 5 am till 11 pm (May 1 - Oct 31), and 5 am to 9 pm the rest of the year.
Do not forget to bring a camera, and late afternoon seems best since you'll want good lighting for photos of the rocks, greenery and sky!
Garden of Gods, Seven Falls, Royal Gorge Bridge are only several of many attractions of Pikes Peak region. To learn about other attractions of the region please go to http://www.pikes-peak.com/Attraction/24.aspx
One very interesting fact: in 1893, Katharine Lee Bates, author of many volumes of poetry, travel books and children's books, and long-time professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, was lecturing at the summer session at Colorado College. During that time she joined an expedition to the summit of Pikes Peak. Electrified by the beauty she saw atop Pikes Peak she wrote the poem that later became known as "America the Beautiful."

Colorado Springs, CO, Part I

Last weekend my husband and I went to Denver for a Family reunion. We also spent some time in Colorado Springs. Colorado Springs region has a lot of interesting sites, but we had time only for three of them.

First we went to United States Air Force Academy – USAF Academy. We went there to see the Cadets Chapel, which you can see even from highway, and we were not disappointed. The Chapel is a real architectural gem on the outside as well as inside; it has separate chambers for each religious denomination. Stained glass windows give the upper chamber a blue look. The chapel is only 1/3 mile from the visitor center.

I would recommend starting your visit by watching a 10 minute movie about the Academy and cadets’ training. Do not miss the small museum and interesting gift shop, both located in visitor center.

The beautiful acres surrounding the Academy offer miles of walking and running trails.

You do not have to make a reservation, just drive in. Lastly, there is no fee to tour the campus, museum and the Chapel.

The second place we visited was Garden of Gods. Be on the lookout for that article next week.

Crayola Factory, PA

The other place in Pennsylvania I’d like to tell you about is Crayola Factory.

At the Crayola Factory, your only creative limitation is your imagination.

Come and see how Crayola crayons and markers are made and learn about the history of the Crayola brand on this self-guided tour.  At each creative space, you will be

immersed in color and creativity and invited to play and explore while learning and having lots and lots of fun.  

Lots of interactive activities for kids age 10 and under like the glow-in-the-dark coloring, creating with modeling clay, sidewalk coloring, making your own puzzles, arts & crafts. You can even make your own binoculars! The kids also enjoy the treasure hunt for crayons!  There are three floors of activities, which allow the young ones to use many of the products sold by Crayola. The kids will leave with several treats that are included in the price of admission. 

At the Crayola Store, next door to the factory, you will be able to see the world's largest crayon and purchase a few fun items for creative art projects at home.

For directions and opening hours please go to http://www2.crayola.com/factory/about_us.cfm.

After Crayola you can go to the National Canal Museum located a few miles from the Crayola Factory in Hugh Moore Park and take a 30 minutes mule-drown canal ride on the Josiah White II boat with costumed interpreters describing life on the canal. Just remember this ride is avaliable during summer months only, so hurry.

A combination ticket for a boat ride and admission to The Crayola Experience is available from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Please call

(610) 991-0503 for more information.

Hershey Gardens, PA

If you were wondering why I didn’t post any new information last week, I want you to know that it was because I spent that week in Poconos, PA with my grandkids. So this week I will try to catch up by posting two articles and of course there is no surprise that both of them are about places in Pennsylvania.

The first place is Hershey Gardens.

 Most people go to Hershey, PA to visit Hershey Park and Chocolate factory, but I want to invite you to Hershey Garden (http://www.hersheygardens.org/) - a must visit place if you go to Hershey World (??).  A natural wonder, with

meticulously maintained plants from all around the world, Hershey Garden provides welcome relief from the noise and traffic of Hershey. And where else can you see a Sequoia tree in the east? By the way, this year the Gardens celebrate 75^th anniversary.

As you wander throughout the Gardens, be sure to explore all 11 distinct theme gardens. My favorite is the Japanese Garden, where you can enjoy the relaxing sound of a peaceful stream and tranquil reflective pond with different kind of colorful fishes.

The Children Garden with its Butterfly House is another place not to be missed.

Make sure to wear comfortable shoes as there is a lot of walking required, although there are benches scattered throughout to take a break.

Hershey Garden’s address is 170 Hotel Road, Hershey, PA 17033.

It is opened till late October and on selected days in November and December, closed January through March.  To see the hours of operation go to http://www.hersheygardens.org/plan_your_visit/hours.php.

I hope you enjoy this place as much as we did!