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Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Houses

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Headless Horseman Hayride and Haunted Houses
Company typeHaunted attraction
IndustryTheatre
GenreTheatrical/Interactive
FoundedSeptember 20, 1992
FounderMichael and Nancy Jubie
Headquarters
Ulster Park, New York
,
United States
Area served
National
ServicesEntertainment
OwnerMichael and Nancy Jubie
Number of employees
350+
WebsiteHeadless Horseman Hayrides

The Headless Horseman Hayrides and Haunted Houses (or H5) is an outdoor haunted attraction in the Hudson Valley area of New York. It's located in Ulster Park, about 6 miles (9.7 km) from Kingston, New York. This haunted attraction covers 65 acres (260,000 m2) and includes a hayride, corn maze, and five haunted houses.[1]

Background

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Michael and Nancy Jubie opened the hayride for the Halloween season in 1992,[2] stemming from a disguise business Michael Jubie developed during his time as an undercover police officer, and inspired by the couple's love of Halloween.[3] As of 2015, it featured twelve distinct attractions and employed over 350+ people during the season.[3] H5 is located on a 65-acre (260,000 m2), 200-year-old farm.[4]

Attractions

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Hayride

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Storyteller dressing to guide wagon riders on the hayride

The hayride takes place on a wagon which holds 25–30 people, and is facilitated by a "storyteller," an actor who is on the wagon for the ride. Each year the hayride has a different theme, and the storyteller narrates a tale and interacts with other characters.

Corn maze

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Numerous actors are hidden in a one-way maze to scare passersby.

Haunted houses

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Several haunted houses, each updated annually with a new theme, are also part of the attraction.[5][6]

The Creature

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Appearing in 2007, the Creature was a 150-foot (46 m)-long inflated attraction that appeared to be a sleeping dinosaur or dragon. Customers passed through the mouth and walked past internal organs on their way through to the back.

Other activities

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H5 includes four eating establishments (Croaked Crow Café, Evil Eatery, Witch Hazel's and Deadly Doughnut) and four gift shops (Magic Moon Gifts, Ghoulish Gifts, Phantom Photos, and Scare wear).

Charity benefits

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  • 2013 & 2014: Hosted Bark-for-Life event to raise money for cancer.
  • 2008: Profits from opening night were donated to the Children's Annex, an autism services provider in the Hudson Valley.[7][8]
  • 2007: A behind-the-scenes look at the hayride was used to raise money for The Queen's Galley, a Kingston, New York-based food bank.

Frosty Fest

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In 2007 the owners relaunched Frosty Fest,[9] a Christmas-themed event that had originally been conceived and attempted early in the attraction's run.

References

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  1. ^ Lindsay Pietroluongo (October 2, 2008). "Make Halloween memorable: Hang out at the Headless Horseman". Poughkeepsie Journal. Archived from the original on July 6, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2008.
  2. ^ Katie Young (September 16, 2006). "The fright stuff: Headless Horseman keeps up its scare tactics". FreemanOnline.com. Daily Freeman. Archived from the original on December 7, 2006. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  3. ^ a b Kalet, Beth (September–October 2015). "The Monster Maker". Ulster Magazine. Times Herald-Record. pp. 16–19.
  4. ^ Hoevel, Ann (October 31, 2006). "'Haunters' work year-round to scare up Halloween frights". CNN. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
  5. ^ "Why is fear fun? - PoughkeepsieJournal.com - Poughkeepsie Journal". poughkeepsiejournal.com. October 4, 2008. Archived from the original on October 4, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  6. ^ Tomcho, Sandy; Wells, Kristina (October 5, 2007). "Local Haunts Reviewed". RecordOnline.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  7. ^ "Autism Press Release" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 28, 2008. Retrieved August 24, 2008.
  8. ^ Bonnie Langston (August 29, 2008). "Fall show helps Annex arts". FreemanOnline.com. Daily Freeman. Archived from the original on August 2, 2009. Retrieved October 12, 2008.
  9. ^ "Museums and Attractions in Ulster County NY". ulstertourism.info. October 6, 2007. Archived from the original on October 6, 2007. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
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