The teens piled into the South East bus and made their way
to the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery last Saturday afternoon. The fall foliage was in
full force as the teen adventures made their way to the historic cemetery
nestled snugly against the banks of the Hudson River. With our walking shoes on
and the sun shining overhead we set out into the vast and rolling hills of the
Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
Our tour guide told
us fascinating tales of notable people interred at the cemetery like Washington
Irving, author of the immortal tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman.
We were dazzled by hidden histories of many tombs and monuments. The tour was
also a hands on experience allowing the teens to get up close and peer through
tomb windows placed in their heavy slab of granite entrances.
Our brave collection of friends even had the guts to enter
an old “receiving vault;” a structure that’s purpose was to store the recently
deceased in the cold winter months when the ground was too frozen to dig a
grave. Once spring had arrived and the ground soft, then the bodies were
removed from the receiving vault and laid to rest. Spooky!
As we were exiting the cemetery already thoroughly spooked
we heard a faint neigh in the distance and the clip clop clip clop of hooves.
As we turned, hair standing on end, we saw coming our way the Headless Horsemen
himself!
But not to fear this must have been the Headless Horsemen’s
friendlier cousin. Instead of taking our heads he let us take pictures with him
instead.
Getting scared can really build up an appetite! The teen
adventurers found a local park, settled down, and ate a lunch in the company of
good friends with good tunes supplied by a nearby street fair. All in all a great day especially since we
all made it back with our heads!
