On October 18, the Village of Ossining will celebrate the spirit of Halloween with its first annual Haunted Kill attraction. The Village’s signature Sing Sing Kill Greenway, which travels almost a mile along the burbling kill brook and under the famed Double Arch Bridge, will be transformed into a dark and foreboding Trail of Terror.
Held in the parking lot by the entrance to the Greenway at the Joseph G. Caputo Community Center, the free event features bone-chilling monologues inspired by historical figures and events, written and performed by members of Westchester Collaborative Theater.
There will also be live music by the Sci-Flies, a mask-wearing surf punk band out of Kingston, as well as the Moon, Serpent and Bone Oddities and Curiosities Night Market. This popular traveling market, where vendors sell unique crafts and eccentricities, has developed a cult following in the Hudson Valley.
“This stretch of Route 9 from Sleepy Hollow and Croton is Halloween central, and the Village is thrilled to be contributing to the slate of spooky events,” says Village of Ossining Mayor Rika Levin. “We hope visitors to our Village will check out our local restaurants and bars and experience what makes Ossining so special.”
The Haunted Kill is a collaboration between the Village of Ossining, the Ossining Recreation and Parks Department, Westchester Collaborative Theater, and the Ossining Placemaking Committee (OPC), a new volunteer Village committee dedicated to bringing people together through public art, inclusive events, and neighborhood enhancement projects.
“The rocky walls of the Kill Brook gorge and the rushing stream provide the perfect backdrop for ghostly antics and watery graves,” says OPC co-chair Joyce Markovics. “Collaborating with the Ossining Recreation and Parks Department, which is so creative and high-energy, along with the talents and artistry of Westchester Collaborative Theater, has been a rewarding experience that we hope will result in an unforgettable event.”
Otherworldly guides will lead visitors on a 20-minute walking tour of the Sing Sing Kill Greenway’s Trail of Terror, stopping at intervals to showcase a quartet of spooky tales inspired by characters from Ossining history and folklore, newly written by WCT playwrights and performed by WCT actors. WCT’s Lori M. Myers will co-produce the plays with WCT Executive Director Alan Lutwin. WCT member Flori Doyle, a New York State Theatre Education Association board member, will direct.
While the Village has spooky-season fun for all ages, the Haunted Kill is recommended for ages 13 and up. “The Ossining Recreation and Parks Department is very excited to bring this unique and original event to our line-up of many great Halloween events we offer in Ossining,” says Superintendent of Recreation & Parks Bill Garrison. “We hope everyone comes in costume!”
The event takes place on Broadway at the Upper Arch of the Double Arch Bridge. Parking will be limited in the immediate proximity, so visitors are encouraged to park in the downtown lots and follow the Aqueduct Trail to the Joseph G. Caputo Community Center or Central Avenue, where the Sing Sing Kill Greenway comes out.
For more information, please contact the Ossining Recreation and Parks Department at (914) 941-3189.
