From the NYT: The Headless Horseman Industrial Complex

[susquehanna]

From the New York Times: The Headless Horseman Industrial Complex;  How Sleepy Hollow and the river towns of New York State went all in on Halloween.

This is an article about the economics of "Dark Tourism."

[Jalapeñomel]

Coming back to this as I live on the border of Sleepy Hollow, and I love Halloween around here (The Jack O’Lantern Blaze is my favorite).

[susquehanna]

The enterprising venture of rebranding North Tarrytown as Sleepy Hollow followed the 1996 closing of the local General Motors plant — which had once employed 4,000 workers — that very year, a devastating blow to the village economy. The mayor of the town then, Sean Treacy, celebrated the result of the vote against the backdrop of a Headless Horseman banner: “This is now the place,” he proclaimed, “where legends are made.”

For Henry Steiner, the village historian and an outspoken advocate for the name change, the opportunity was more profound. “I wanted to see this community called North Tarrytown not labor under a lack of identity,” he said. “I wanted to seize this world-famous identity that had been buried.”

[mskitkat]

I used to live in Sleepy Hollow. The cemetery was at the end of our street, actually. Halloween was so much fun. I miss it.

[msmerymac]

My husband is from the greater Boston area and Salem definitely seems to be the same way. We were there on Halloween a few years ago (although we got there really early for a race my SIL was doing and left after lunch when it was shoulder to shoulder on the sidewalks). It's a fun mix of real history and kitsch in what used to be an old industrial sort of port area. I keep meaning to get to Sleepy Hollow, since I live about 3 hours away now.

[Velar Fricative]

I grew up in Westchester (and my mom and brother still live there) and yet I've never been. It's too late for us this year due to other commitments but I definitely should keep this on my radar for next year.