by Noella Noelophile®
Remember Ichabod Crane, the hapless schoolmaster? His failed courtship of heiress Katrina Van Tassel? And his fateful ride, pursued by the Headless Horseman?
Anaheim’s Museum of Make Believe does.
On Saturday, October 31st they’ll be celebrating the bicentennial of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” with “Headless Horseman’s Hallows’ Eve” at Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center in downtown Anaheim, from 3-6pm!
And the order of the afternoon, is magic.
Visitors will cross a covered bridge to enter a spellbinding exhibit, which celebrates 200 years of the spine-tingling fable.
With an “abracadabra”, according to the event link, the guests will get to learn to craft their own miniature keepsake book of the tale. The “Green Witch” may charm you, while giving you a spell to cast. And there’s more fun a-brewing, with special crafts for children and a chance to learn to create your own bubbling “magical potions” and take home your own personalized potion bottle!
Magical practitioners, ghosts and goblins of all ages are encouraged to come in costume. You may just scare up the costume competition grand prize! Live character photo experiences, Halloween treats, and a surprise satchel, for each guest, are all in the cauldron, as part of the $30 admission price.
Now, due to the fact that COVID remains much scarier than any ghost story, protocols are in place. If you go, please be sure to observe these.
Masks will be required indoors, at all times. (Sorry, not the “Halloween” variety, but here’s your chance to decorate your safety one with something fun!).
A limited number of ghosts–er, guests–can attend. Activities will be spread out throughout the facility. (Social distancing, please–just pretend anyone you don’t live with, can turn you into a frog.)
And the refreshments. including drinkable “potions”, will be served outside. (And, of course, if you feel like you may be coming down with a cold, please stay home.)
A fun note–initially, this event was scheduled for 4 to 6 pm on “All Hallows Eve”. But, in order to give the smallest ghosts and goblins a chance to trick-or-treat, the celebration’s been moved up, to start at 3 pm. If your little witches, wizards and superheroes are bubbling over with the idea of their usual Halloween foray, they’ll have time to go to their favorite “haunts” afterwards.
Now–full disclosure.
I would normally be onsite to see this, faster than you could say, “Boo!”
However, we’ve been self-isolating, out of an abundance of caution. (We have older family members who’ve had some health issues.) So I can only be there “in spirit” this Halloween. If that’s you, too. let’s hope, together, to get a chance to experience the fun and magic of the Museum of Make Believe at some time in the very near future.
Meanwhile, in response to my inquiry, Museum of Make Believe has messaged back that they haven’t yet figured out a good way to add a virtual component to “Headless Horseman’s Hallows’ Eve”. But, if they do conjure up a way to do that, they’ll give me the heads-up, and I’ll let you know faster than you can say, “Abracadabra!”
And stand by, as Museum of Make Believe comes up with more virtual and onsite events, for Christmas season and beyond, that may just keep you enchanted!
“Headless Horseman’s Hallows Eve” runs from 3 to 6 pm, Pacific time, Sunday, October 31st at Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center, 241 South Anaheim Boulevard (at East Broadway) in downtown Anaheim. Tickets are $30 per person, and capacity is limited. Here’s the link for information.