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‘Sleepy Hollow’ re-enactment at Greene Eagle Winery Headless horror
if you go
What: Sleepy Hollow re-enactment
When: At dusk Friday, Saturday and Oct. 28 and 29.
Where: Greene Eagle Winery. 2576 Davis Peck Road, Cortland
Cost: Free
By REBECCA S. NIEMINEN
CORTLAND
As a pale mist drifts eerily through the autumn twilight, a slender schoolmaster on horseback glances backward with nervous agitation.
Dusk has fallen, and soon darkness will envelope the rural landscape.
The schoolmaster glances backward again, and suddenly a second rider appears in the distance.
Astride a powerful steed, the mysterious horseman is broad-shouldered and clad in black, a glowing jack-o-lantern grasped in his hand.
Much to the horror of the frightened schoolmaster, the rider is headless.
Immediately a chase begins, with thundering hoof beats and flying coattails.
As the headless rider gains ground, he raises the fiery pumpkin and prepares to hurl it at the pursued.
It’s a tale of horror most of us recognize immediately: Washington Irving’s famous “Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”
This Halloween season, local residents can see the well-known story unfold on the grounds of Greene Eagle Winery at 2576 Davis Peck Road in Cortland.
Actors dressed in period garb, along with their trusty mounts, will bring the well-known narrative to life starting at dusk Friday, Saturday, and Oct. 28 and 29. Admission is free and tickets are not required.
Zach Zahuranec stars as the Headless Horseman, Corrin Calderone as Ichabod Crane, and Jim Kilgore as the narrator.
Dale Bliss, one of the owners of Greene Eagle, said the winery began hosting the Sleepy Hollow event six years ago and each year interest has grown.
“This is a family-friendly event, and every year the turnout grows larger,” Bliss said. “The crispness of fall, the color in the leaves, Halloween – and how often do you see a headless guy riding a horse with a flaming pumpkin? Add that to the coziness of our colonial winery and it’s a great night out with a show for free.”
Other fun activities, such as trebuchet firing, hay rides, pumpkin painting and face painting, will precede the Sleepy Hollow re-enactment beginning at 4 p.m. each day.
“Live music and food vendors will also be a part of the festivities,” Bliss said, adding, “We will also have a nightly 50/50 raffle with proceeds going to charity. Guests are encouraged to dress in their Halloween costumes, and we will have a costume contest with prizes for the best adult and children’s costume. Photographers will be on hand to take photos of guests with the Headless Horseman.”
Greene Eagle opened in 2009. A typical evening at the winery involves fireside sipping, live music and cheese plates, sandwiches, salads and other treats.
The post-and-beam, Cape Cod-style winery seats about 70, and during warmer months, more seating is available on the deck and outside around the fire pit.
In addition to the Sleepy Hollow event, a variety of special events crowd the winery’s calendar, including a yearly music festival; a car and motorcycle cruise-in; a dinner featuring an Abraham Lincoln impersonator; monthly book clubs and girls’ nights out; murder mystery dinners; corn roasts; and a colonial dinner in the winery’s stone house where guests are welcomed to dress in colonial clothing.
“The Stone House sits behind the winery and was assembled from old barn foundation stones,” Bliss said. “It is often booked for weddings and other events and was completed about three years ago.”
Dale, along with his brother Keith Bliss; Keith’s wife, Peg Bliss; and Dale’s former wife, Denise Bliss, own the winery, which sits in a secluded spot along Davis Peck Road. Keith, who lives behind the winery, also owns about 55 acres surrounding the winery.
The four had often talked of opening a winery and providing wine, food and live entertainment to locals who didn’t want to drive all the way to Geneva or other winery-laden locations in Ashtabula County.
In addition to the eight wines that graced Greene Eagle’s original menu, the Blisses have developed three new wines: Sleepy Hollow (named after the re-enactment), which is a dry, oak barrel aged Barolo, made from Nebbiolo grapes, with a rich, bold, oak-y, buttery finish; White Treasure, a crisp, dry Chardonnay white wine with hints of lemon, apple, pear or pineapple; and Red Treasure, a crisp, sweet red wine with a tart finish that’s also available in semi-dry.
Wines range in price from $19.50 to $29.30 per bottle and $5 to $7 per glass.
For information about the Legend of Sleepy Hollow event, contact Dale Bliss at 330-282-2596 or email dale.bliss@greeneeagle.com.