Horseman to ride through village's Halloween event
Halloween will be arriving in Sleepy Hollow a little early this year.
Halloween in the Hollow, the annual fall event sponsored by the Sleepy Hollow Service Club, is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The rain date is Sunday.
This is the day Sleepy Hollow can really call its own because its very name conjures up visions of the old New Amsterdam that Washington Irving wrote about, only with a slight Illinois accent.
The very names of the some of the streets -- like Van Tassel, Beau Brummel, Katrina and Crane -- all remind us, as that very famous tale of the Headless Horseman is now a part of Halloween history.
One of the memorable parts of the tale is the wonderful party at the home of the Van Tassels, where food and fun played a big role. The food will be plentiful in Sabatino Park, just east of Sleepy Hollow Road on Thorobred Lane, in the heart of the village.
Slices of apple and pumpkin pies will be available, along with chili (with and without bread bowls) hot dogs , hot and cold apple cider, hot chocolate and water.
People can show off their culinary skills in the pie contest (pumpkin or apple) or the chili cook off. The first prize for each is $50. Electricity is available for crock pots.
Entry forms are available through Sleepy Hollow Elementary School, the village hall or the Service Club Web site, SleepyHollowSC@gmail.com.
You can send your pie and chili entry forms to Jay Bjork at jcbjork@merrillat.com by Wednesday.
The evening's family fun begins with pumpkin decorating, games and a hayride. The costume parade starts at 4:30 p.m., with costumes judged in various age categories and prizes awarded.
Later in the evening, as dusk settles in the Hollow, families can gravitate to the giant woodpile that has grown to staggering proportions thanks to all the fallen branches gathered during the year.
The Rutland-Dundee Fire Protection District supervises the lighting of the spectacular bonfire. As its flames rise, they summon up the spirit of that ghostly figure, the Headless Horseman who gallops out of the dark creating a ghostly silhouette as he rides back and forth in front of the blaze.
Only the weather can affect the timing of the bonfire and ride of the Horseman.
What could be more fun thanks to the hard work of the Sleepy Hollow Service Club, which consists of volunteer residents. Its efforts on behalf of the village have resulted in a variety of benefits to the village, its park and police and fire departments.
Donations are the club's sole means of support, as no village funds are used to finance the club's efforts. It is always on the lookout for new members and meets at 8 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month at the Village Squire Restaurant in West Dundee.
Free movie showing
Halloween, after all, is a contraction of All Hallow's Eve, or the day before All Hallows (Saint's) Day, so it seems only fitting that there should also be a "Saint's Day" event happening.
Saint James Episcopal Church in West Dundee invites area families to a complimentary viewing of the popular movie "Joshua" at 7 p.m. Friday at its church, Washington and Sixth streets, West Dundee. Popcorn and light refreshments will be served.
"Joshua" was filmed at St. James Episcopal Church and had other scenes throughout the Fox River Valley, including Carpentersville and East Dundee. The film is about a mysterious stranger who arrives in town and makes a positive difference in the community.
United Way fundraiser
All of the villages in Dundee Township are part of the Far Northwestern United Way, which also includes Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates.
The Brooks Brothers Store at Woodfield Mall is celebrating its first anniversary by sponsoring a special shopping event Thursday to benefit our United Way.
You are invited for refreshments, and between 5 and 9 p.m. you will receive a 10 percent discount on whatever you purchase.
Plus, Brooks Brothers will donate an additional 10 percent of sales that evening to our local United Way. RSVP to (847)619-8346.