Thursday, October 16, 2008

Hallowe'en at Greenfield Village

On the 11th of October, I took my two youngest children (ages 12 and 7) to the Hallowe'en event at Greenfield Village. They both wanted to dress in colonial costumes - Rosalia as the American Girl doll Felicity, and Miles as a colonial boy (not authentically dressed, mind you, but good enough where everyone knew what they were).
Wow! Did the Village do a spectacular (or is it "spook" tacular?) job! Walking around the Village at night is in itself kind of creepy, but add to that the Hallowe'en touch and it becomes scary fun.

No, you don't enter the houses but throughout the Village they have different scenarios taking place. For instance, over at the Edison Machine Shop, a mad scientist scene unfolds as colonial dressed characters shout to the crowd of the missing monster who went "toward the covered bridge!" as they attempt to capture the mad scientist.

You may catch a glimpse of his monsterous creation peeking through the windows of the shop - keep your eyes peeled.
As for the covered bridge, it was misty and very dark on the inside - my daughter loved it (as long as dad was around!). In another scene, a mournful bride sat atop a balcony at one of the houses, moaning in her hideously scary voice for her missing beau;

the headless horseman rode around on his horse, looking for his head; the Grim Reaper sharpened his blade, pointing to his next victim;

a graveyard with a freshly dug grave and its caretaker;

"ghosts" of Henry Ford and the Wright Brothers...and then there were the goody stops along the pumpkin carved pathway where one can meet a knight in shining armor, the Spider Queen, and even Little Bo Peep (the little girls loved this one!), handing out treats to the little ones.
I have barely touched upon all of the goings on. There was much more.
It was scary in a totally fun way - enough for the younger ones to wonder, but "just enough."
If I had one complaint it would be that it was very crowded. It was packed! But, it is a very popular event, and seeing all the little ones dressed up (and even some of their parents dressed in costume) was quite a sight to see.
I would love it if the Village would have an adult-themed event scarier than the children's - maybe taking place later in the evening, say, 10:00, and really give us older folks a good fright. Wouldn't that be cool?
Another very fine holiday event done in a traditional way by Greenfield Village.
Great job!

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