In Sleepy Hollow, the home of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman, the locals say that "Halloween is our Christmas."
The little town 25 miles north of New York City was immortalized in Washington Irving’s 17-page short story, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," written in 1819.
Every year, as the fall foliage reddens, it draws tourists interested in the bucolic and/or the macabre.
But the Fox TV series "Sleepy Hollow" is making this year one for the books.
Tourists say the show reminds them of their childhoods, and they are bringing their own kids — some dressed in their own headless Horseman costumes — to see the sites.
There’s an 18-by-18-foot sculpture depicting the climax of Irving’s story, a haunted Horseman’s Hollow at an 18th-century mill and performances of the "Legend" at the Old Dutch Church.
A TV ad says Sleepy Hollow "isn’t all about horror," but the characters include the Grim Reaper and a disembodied head.
The debut episode of "Sleepy Hollow," meanwhile, was Fox’s most successful fall drama premiere since "24" in 2001, and the series has been renewed for a second season.
One thing that’s not here is the Fox production crew. The show is actually filmed in Wilmington, N.C.
By Cheryl Rosen
