Shocktober!

Traditional Irish jack o' lantern
from the turn of the 20th century

October is the time of year when the ancients believed that the veil between the land of living and the land of the dead was at its thinnest. This belief was so prevalent, that they carved sinister faces into root vegetables and placed them on their doorsteps to ward of evil spirits, and that is where we get our modern day tradition of carving jack o’ lanterns. If you’re like me, you enjoy this spooky time of year, and try to milk as much out of it as possible. Three are SO many things to do around the region. Here are a few.

Elms Family Farm

Go to a spooky theme park. The Great Escape and the grounds of the Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo, NY transform their grounds into haunted houses and scary fun. Elms Family Farm in Ballston Spa and Liberty Ridge Farm in Schaghticoke have family friendly corn mazes. I’m told the Double M Haunted Hayrides in Ballston Spa are a lot of fun, but the Headless Horseman Hayrides in Ulster Park has been featured in magazines and on the Travel Channel for being one of the scariest attractions in the northeast.

Capitol Ghost Tours

Embrace your local ghost stories. All month, you can take a haunted tour of the NYS Capitol (you need to register in advance on the office of general services website). Ten Broeck Mansion in Albany has events going on all month. Beardslee Castle, in Little Falls, NY, has been featured on the ScyFy Channel show “Ghosthunters,” and they have a huge party on the 27th. Albany Trolley Tours is holding haunted tours of the city all month, including a night time tour of Graceland Cemetery (you will need to register in advance through the Albany visitor’s center).

Yummm!

Relive your childhood, with or without your own kids, by carving pumpkins and toasting the seeds. Make a night of it by inviting your friends over and watching scary movies (if kids are present, I suggest the Disney cartoon, "The Adventures of Ichabod Crane,” narrated by Bing Crosby. It was a favorite of mine as a kid, and Washington Irving was a Hudson Valley boy). Throw some cider in a crock pot and add some spices, and you have a tasty warm beverage to keep the ghosts away. If this is an adults-only gathering, applejack would also make a nice addition to the cider.


Dress up! Have fun! This only comes once a year, and it’s one of the few times looking like a total weirdo is socially acceptable. Go to as many gatherings as you can.