New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Halloween
Mystic Seaport Museum: Hundreds of jack-o’-lanterns to light haunted trail attraction
Pumpkins, literally hundreds of them, are lining up (with some all-hands-ondeck assistance) to help Mystic Seaport Museum pivot in the face of the pandemic.
Instead of its usual “Nautical Nightmares” event — a progressive theater experience — the Seaport has come up with a “Jack-o’-Lantern Walk” that’s sure be fun, while incorporating social distancing.
Visitors are invited to stroll along some of the darker, oft-overlooked portions of the museum’s property on Monday, Oct. 26, through Friday, Oct. 30. The trail, lit by the spectacle of more than 500 jack-o’-lanterns, will be open 5:30 to 9 p.m.
When visitors reach the end, they can play a lawn game and create a fall craft, plus enjoy live music and a campfire. Those who dare can also take a spooky guided tour featuring details about the darker side of life in a 19th century seaport town.
For example, you might “glean some facts about just how dangerous the sea can be in an age without sonar, GPS or guidance buoys and, perhaps, a better insight into the ghastly stories that emerge from sailor folklore,” said Nathan Rumney, supervisor of interpretation, theater and music at Mystic Seaport.
You might also “hear a story of a tavern with secret methods for securing unsuspecting hands for captains with bad reputations, or perhaps a grizzly description of what passed for medical science of the day.”
Rumney said the plan is “to blend historical stories and legends with facts of the time to put those stories into perspective.”
Now, about those pumpkins and the need for creative carvers: Erik Ingmundson, director of interpretation at Mystic Seaport, said
they’re coming from Dzen Farms, a Connecticut-based grower, and the carving is going to be “a huge job.”
Saturday, Oct. 24, and Sunday, Oct. 25, the Seaport is holding “a big pumpkin carving event for the public in which they can carve pumpkins to be displayed for the rest of the week,” he said. “It’s going to require ‘all hands on deck’ in order to pull this off.”
The fun culminates with a socially distanced costume parade Saturday, Oct. 31, at 4:30 p.m. on the Seaport’s Village Green. All day long, kids in costume (ages 12 and under) enjoy free admission. After 4 p.m., the community is invited, free of charge, to the parade. Participants will enjoy Halloween treats when they exit.
Ingmundson said “Nautical Nightmares” just wasn’t possible this fall because it involved having people in close quarters. It was an “experience in which our guests joined an actor who served as their tour guide, and they traveled throughout the village portion of our museum campus.”
Along the way, they’d enter buildings in which different scenes with actors occurred.
The script changed every year, and the program was popular, he said. But this year it was “apparent that having large groups of visitors clustering together in various small, historical structures would pose numerous public health concerns.
“Also, theatrical performance in enclosed spaces is especially problematic right now. So we’ve pivoted to a more outdoor-based event...”
The Seaport suggests giving yourself one to two hours to enjoy this new experience. “Comfortable shoes are encouraged, as there’s a lot of walking.” Also, the Mystic area has lots of opportunities for outdoor recreation and dining, he said. “You can easily make a day of it.”
Ingmundson said costumes are welcome, but remember, masks are required for entry and a costume mask (like a rubber face mask) doesn’t qualify as a proper facial covering. Masks must completely cover the mouth and nose, and must be worn at all times.
Pumpkin carving (Oct. 24 and 25, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) is free with admission. Pumpkins and tools will be provided, and participants will receive a $2 discount coupon to be used toward admission to the walk. Carvers are encouraged to come back and find their creation among the jack-o’-lanterns on display.
Mystic Seaport, 75 Greenmanville Ave., Mystic. Tickets may be purchased at the north entrance of the museum on jack-o’-lantern walk nights, Monday, Oct. 26, to Friday, Oct. 30. 5:30 to 9 p.m. $20 adults (ages 13 and up), $15 youth (ages 4-12). Children under 4 are free. Members: $17.50 adult, $12 youth. 860-572-0711, mysticseaport.org.