Summer in NYC is still in full swing, but that doesn’t mean we’re not already daydreaming about cooler temperatures and spookier vibes. And it looks like the Halloween season is coming a little early: The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze is set to return this September in two New York locations, along with a full slate of Sleepy Hollow-themed events.

The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze will be back in the Hudson Valley at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson for the 19th year, from September 15 through November 19, as well as Old Bethpage Village Restoration in Old Bethpage, Long Island for the fourth year, from September 22 through November 5.

RECOMMENDED: The best fall getaways from NYC, from wine tours to cozy glamping

Both experiences will feature thousands of hand-carved jack o’lanterns set up in elaborate displays: along with annual favorites like the Statue of Liberty and the Pumpkin Planetarium, you’ll find a circus sideshow, a jack o’lantern tribute to the Day of the Dead, and the country’s first-ever pumpkin Ferris wheel in Hudson Valley, while Long Island attendees can be wowed by an under-the-sea installation, including a giant pumpkin octopus and a Montauk mermaid. 

Along with the gorgeous gourds, New Yorkers can head to Philipsburg Manor in the historic town of Sleepy Hollow for a brand-new event, The Spirits of Sleepy Hollow Country: A Night of Legendary Magic, where master illusionists Mark Clearview and Nick Wallace will conjure up the legendary spirits of the town, including Major Andre and the Headless Horseman. 

And if that’s not enough chills and thrills for you, the estate of Washington Irving, a.k.a. “America’s founding father of literature,” is bringing his seminally spooky 1820 short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow to life. During the day, visitors can tour Irving’s home, enjoy a shadow puppet film and see a special Legend exhibit, while at nighttime, master storyteller Jonathan Kruk will do dramatic readings of the short story underneath the stars, complete with live music from Jim Keyes. 

Find ticket and date information at the Historic Hudson Valley website. And check out some of the Blaze’s previous pumpkin displays below!

* This article was originally published here

In what activist Sherrilyn Ifill called a crisis in which everyone needs to start treating it as such, more stunning revelations have surfaced over lavish gifts accepted and not previously disclosed by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Now, Democratic lawmakers are taking to social media to demand Thomas step down.
The calls for his resignation come after another shocking investigative report by ProPublica.

The exposé, released on Thursday, Aug. 10, delves into undisclosed luxury vacations and gifts Thomas received from affluent individuals.

The revelation has again ignited a firestorm of outrage and ethical concerns.
“Justice Thomas has brought shame upon himself and the United States Supreme Court with his acceptance of massive, repeated, and undisclosed gifts,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) tweeted on the social media platform now known as X.

“No government official, elected or unelected, could ethically or legally accept gifts of that scale. He should resign immediately.”

The damning ProPublica report exposed that Justice Thomas received a minimum of 38 destination vacations, 26 private jet flights, numerous VIP passes to sporting events, and two lavish resort stays, all financed by billionaire backers, during his tenure on the bench.

The report argued that Justice Thomas may have violated legal requirements by failing to disclose these extravagant travels and luxury engagements.

ProPublica reported that Thomas, typically “perched in the skybox at sporting events, had at least two stays at luxury resorts in Florida and Jamaica; and one standing invitation to an uber-exclusive golf club overlooking the Atlantic coast.

“This accounting of Thomas’ travel, revealed for the first time here from an array of previously unavailable information, is the fullest to date of the generosity that has regularly afforded Thomas a lifestyle far beyond what his income could provide. And it is almost certainly an undercount,” the report asserted.

ProPublica continued: “While some of the hospitality, such as stays in personal homes, may not have required disclosure, Thomas appears to have violated the law by failing to disclose flights, yacht cruises, and expensive sports tickets, according to ethics experts.”
Politico noted that at least four other House Democrats also called for Thomas’ resignation, including Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Bill Pascrell (D-N.J), Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), and Hank Johnson (D-Ga.).

“Unprecedented. Stunning. Disgusting. The height of hypocrisy to wear the robes of a #SCOTUS and take undisclosed gifts from billionaires who benefit from your decisions,” Jayapal posted on X. “Resign.”

Democrats in the Senate have attempted to push legislation that would reform the Supreme Court’s ethical guidelines to increase transparency.

That bill passed committee but is unlikely to get through a full Senate.

“I said it would get worse; it will keep getting worse,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who helped spearhead the bill, said on X in response to the report.

“The latest ProPublica revelation of unreported lavish gifts to Justice Clarence Thomas makes it clear: these are not merely ethical lapses,” Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin wrote on X.

“This is a shameless lifestyle underwritten for years by a gaggle of fawning billionaires.”
Perhaps even more significant, the pattern exposes consistent violations of judicial norms, experts, including seven current and former federal judges appointed by both parties, told ProPublica.

Earlier this year, ProPublica revealed Texas real estate billionaire Harlan Crow’s generosity toward Thomas, including vacations, private jet flights, gifts, the purchase of his mother’s house in Georgia, and tuition payments.

The new report said the New York Times also noted revelations about wealthy business people Thomas met through the Horatio Alger Association, an exclusive nonprofit.
Among them were David Sokol, a former top executive at Berkshire Hathaway, and H. Wayne Huizenga, a billionaire who turned Blockbuster and Waste Management into national goliaths.

ProPublica pointed out that The Times reported that Thomas gives access to the Supreme Court building for Horatio Alger events.

Such access costs at least $1,500 in donations per person.

According to ProPublica, Thomas once complained that he sacrificed wealth to sit on the court.

“The job is not worth doing for what they pay,” he told the bar association in Savannah, Georgia, in 2001, “but it is worth doing for the principle.”

The post Explosive revelations spark renewed calls for Justice Thomas’ resignation appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.

* This article was originally published here

New Jersey’s Happy Day Farm just announced their 2023 corn maze and let’s just say, this Barbie farms! That’s right, Happy Days will be what you could call Barbie’s Dream Farmhouse for the season. The 10-acre corn maze will be cut into the shape of power duo, Barbie and Ken, all fall long.

Each year the corn maze is complete with a new design, three miles of pathways and a lookout bridge. There are typically two paths to choose between: a shorter route (10-20 min) and a more challenging route (45-60 min).

And though the maze won’t open until September 9, the farm has already turned into a pink paradise while sunflowers, zinnias, lavender & blueberries are still in season.

Walk down Barbie Way and find endless fields of lavender, relax on bright pink furniture in the middle of a flower garden, step inside the pink phone booth, and take a photo on the pink tractor. Plus, their adored pumpkin village has been transformed into a House of Flowers pink paradise.

Current admission is $25 per person. This grants visitors access to all fields including blueberries, lavender, sunflowers, flower house & zinnias.

Once the fall season begins, activities beyond the Barbie corn maze include a bee barn, bubble cart, fun slide, giant checkers, hay maze, pig races, tug-o-war, tractor rides and more.

If you get hungry from all of the fall fun, you can fill up on cheese steaks, fries, hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken tenders, gyros, zeppoles, fried oreos, apple fritters, funnel cakes, and fresh squeezed lemonade at the food concessions.

Learn more about Happy Day Farm on their website.

The post Find Your Way Out Of This 10-Acre Barbie-Themed Corn Maze This Fall appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here