Exploration Station® Special Events

A Night in Sleepy Hollow-NEW TIMES FOR 2010!!!
Centuries later stories continue of the Headless Horseman riding through Sleepy Hollow from those who have claimed to witness the ghoulish event!  Can it be just their imagination or is the legend of the Headless Horseman really true?  Only you can discover the answer.  We dare you to venture out into the dark of night into the Perry Farm Park woods and listen for the thundering hoof beats of the Horseman's stallion.  The legend will be told!  Witnesses will come forth!  You just may see it for yourself!

For 2010 we are opening an hour earlier to include some more kid friendly activities including a costume contest, monster egg hunt and more! We have also shorted the lenght the event runs to two weekends instead of three.

Age(s): All Ages
Event Date(s): Fridays & Saturdays, October 15, 16, 22 & 23
Time(s): 5:30-10:00p.m.
Location: Perry Farm Park
Fee: $6.00 per person
Children 2 years and younger are free
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Sorry, no refunds for outdoor fundraising events

For group reservations please contact the Event Coordinator at 933-9905 ext 352 for rates and details.

New Years Eve Celebration
You and your family are invited to celebrate the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 with the Bourbonnais Township Park District. Start your evening with a reception and free play at the Exploration Station, ending the evening will be a spectacular fireworks display at the Perry Farm Park. Face painting, children's entertainers and appearances by Bamboo the museum's panda mascot will be some of the evenings highlights. Don't forget to enjoy the snacks and punch and the 8:50pm balloon drop! Tickets are available at the Exploration Station...a children's museum after November 24th.

Age(s): All Ages
Date(s): December 31, 2010
Time(s): 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Location: Exploration Station…a children's museum
459 N. Kennedy Drive, Bourbonnais IL
Fee: Residents $5/ Non-Residents $7; Residents are individuals who live in the villages of Bradley, Bourbonnais or within the Township of Bourbonnais.
Museum Members are FREE!
Reception space is limited and guest must have a ticket to attend!
Max: 200 max

Children must be accompanied by an adult. Due to limited reception space, participants must purchase tickets at Exploration Station.

For more information on the New Years Eve Celebration, please contact the museum general manager Sarah Winkel at (815) 933-9905 ext 350 or send an email. Office hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 am-5:00 pm.

Remember to check out our FREE New Years Eve Fireworks at 9:00 p.m. at the Perry Farm Park on December 31!

Earth Day Awareness Fair
The Exploration Station is hosting our annual Earth Day Awareness Fair on Saturday, April 17, 2010. The fair will include a variety of environmentally friendly activities and educational programs to help preserve and improve the quality of life for future generations. Throughout the day the fair will include recycling activities, face painting, games, hay rides and crafts.

Recommended Ages: 3 years and older
Date: 2011 dates TBA
Times: 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Location: Exploration Station…a children's museum
459 N. Kennedy Drive, Bourbonnais IL

 

A Night in Sleepy Hollow-NEW TIMES FOR 2010!!!

Centuries later stories continue of the Headless Horseman riding through Sleepy Hollow from those who have claimed to witness the ghoulish event!  Can it be just their imagination or is the legend of the Headless Horseman really true?  Only you can discover the answer.  We dare you to venture out into the dark of night into the Perry Farm Park woods and listen for the thundering hoof beats of the Horseman's stallion.  The legend will be told!  Witnesses will come forth!  You just may see it for yourself!

For 2010 we are opening an hour earlier to include some more kid friendly activities including a costume contest, monster egg hunt and more! We have also shorted the lenght the event runs to two weekends instead of three.

Age(s): All Ages
Event Date(s): Fridays & Saturdays, October 15, 16, 22 & 23
Time(s): 5:30-10:00p.m.
Location: Perry Farm Park
Fee: $6.00 per person
Children 2 years and younger are free
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Sorry, no refunds for outdoor fundraising events

For group reservations please contact the Event Coordinator at 933-9905 ext 352 for rates and details.

History of a Night in Sleepy Hollow
Once upon a time there was a children's museum located in the quaint little town of Bourbonnais Illinois.  This museum, a part of the Bourbonnais Township Park District, was a favorite place for children and families to visit.  The museum, called Exploration Station...a children's museum, struggled to provide enough money to update and repair its exhibits.  The museum's director decided to host a special event to raise funds to benefit the children museum's exhibit fund.  This was to be no regular event.  Museum staff wanted it to be a great family event that was fun, recreational and educational.  
It, also, had to fit into the museum's mission to create a magical place where children can ignite their imagination.  In 1991, through the creativity of the museum director and staff, the Night in Sleepy Hollow event was developed.  The event was held outdoors on the park district's Perry Farm Park.  Over 200 visitors attended A Night in Sleepy Hollow during its first year.  The Sleepy Hollow event was so well attended that the Exploration Station staff decided to hold it every year in October around Halloween. 

Seventeen years later, A Night in Sleepy Hollow has evolved into the Bourbonnais Township Park District's most popular event.  The event is still connected to its roots as fundraiser used to support the children's museum.
Since 1991, the event has expanded from a play and hay ride that ran for two weekends, into a three weekend Halloween-like extravaganza.  The event has added several new attractions and is visited by 4,000 people annually.  For locals, A Night in Sleepy Hollow is an annual family outing in October. Some patrons, who had attended the event when they were teenagers, are now old enough to bring their own families.  

This event also gives older children and teens in the community something to do when they are too old to trick or treat and too young to see most Halloween movies or haunted houses.

Unique Features
A Night in Sleepy hollow is unique, because of its use of a natural park setting and property to produce a one of a kind production.  The Perry Farm Park makes the perfect setting as part of a living stage for the Sleepy Hollow re-enactment.

The Re-Enactment
The re-enactment could not be accomplished without use of this nationally registered historical 170 acre property and its 1800's house and barns dating from an era only 40 years later than the stories own setting in 1780.  Not only do local students act out the drama, they do so in a setting that allows you to feel and see that era.

Our own local Olivet Nazarene University each year supplies actors from their drama department to be the cast for the re-enactment of a new version of Washington Irving's story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. 
The play is set around three different camp fire locations, which the audience walks to. Each campfire has a backdrop where actors bring the audience into the story as if they were living in the time of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. 
Actors guide the audience through the story and then into the haunted woods where they cross paths with a headless horseman.  Fleeing the headless horseman, actors and participants must cross over a covered bridge to safety.

Because of the intense nature of the haunted woods we do not recommend it for young children and those with medical conditions that may be sensitive to stressful situations.

Besides our local drama students, the production would not be possible without the talented Equestrian riders, who supply their talent and their horses to become headless horseman.  These horsemen (and women) bring a level of reality to the re-enactment that would not be possible without them.

Spooky Glow Golf - New
Test your skills at this new 9 hole golf attraction that has been getting "glowing" reviews. Located beneath a enclosed tent this glow golf course is completely lit up by black lights. Each hole features spooky decorations and eerie characters.
This attraction is child friendly.

Hay Rides
The hay rides have always been a part of the Sleepy Hollow event. Originally the story of Sleepy Hollow was told as a re-enactment from the hay rides. As the event grew and more people wanted to see the re-enactment, the hay rides were changed to the walking re-enactment to accommodate the increase in participation. Now the hay rides are a separate attraction that wind around on the trails of the Perry Farm Park in the cover of darkness. See what you can find out in the woods at night!
This attraction is child friendly.

Straw Maze
Started in 2008, the Sleepy Hollow event is now featuring a straw maze for children. The straw maze is located beneath a 50' pavilion and features winding pathways through hay bales and a few spooky surprises. The activities and games are now located within the maze of straw so there are even more activities to do within the maze!
This attraction is child friendly.

Campfire Stories
Each night of Sleepy Hollow features a storyteller who spins yarns around a campfire. Stories range from very spooky to down right gross and are told by local university students. Don't forget to check out this must see attraction! Storytellers will adapt stories for the ages of the participants present.

The Movie Tent
Families love the movie tent for it's free showing of popular halloween kids shows and the free pop corn. Seating is on old fashioned straw bales and movies last approx. 15 minutes for each show.
This attraction is child friendly.

Games
The Sleepy Hollow event offers kids games and activities at no charge. Game usually include a Potty Toss, Tic Tac Toe (like with the kind on your feet!), and other ghoulish games with assorted prizes that range from fake vampire fangs to glow-in-the-dark snakes. New games are added or created each year so children can experience new activities every year they visit Sleepy Hollow. This year the games will be located within the children's straw maze under the Perry Farm Pavilion.

The Gift Shop
Stop by our gift shop for a Sleepy Hollow souvenir. The gift shop features gross novelty toys, light-up necklaces, slime, stuffed toys, and disposable cameras. The gift shop is located next to the Headless Horsemand Photo Booth so you can't miss it. All gift shop proceeds directly benefit the new exhibit fund at the Exploration Station...a children's museum!

The Maze Tent -Retired
In 2010 our haunted maze tent was retired to make way for new attractions. Special thanks go out to all of those volunteers who help create the maze over the years!

The Horseman Photo Booth
This recently added addition to the event is where your family can get up close with a real headless horseman. Photos are an additional charge of $5.00 per photo and include a protective cover. Don't forget to stop and get your souvenir photo early because the booth does stop taking photos 15 minutes before the end of the event. If you want to pick up your photo at a later date, they are available at the Exploration Station...a children's musuem front desk.

Monster Egg Hunt - New 6:00pm
The Monster Egg hunt was an idea borrowed from an old event that was held during the day callled A Day in Sleepy Hollow. Instead of running two seperate events, we combined the best of both events and made the Night in Sleepy Hollow open earlier to accomodate more kid friendly activities. The monster egg hunt is similar to an Easter Egg hunt except the eggs are orange and black and the goodies inside the eggs are Halloween themed. The eggs are said to be laid by goofy monsters that hide them is areas of the Perry Farm Park for children to find. The monster egg hunt starts right at 6:00 pm so make sure to arrive early and don't forget a bag to help collect and carry your eggs. The hunt will begin at a starting line and egg hunting is kept in designated areas only. This attraction is child friendly.

Kids Costume Contest - New 6:30pm
Calling all kids ages 0-12 years! This is your chance to show off your Halloween costume before October 31st. Every Night of the Night in Sleepy Hollow Event we are featuring a kids costume contest at the Perry Farm Gazebo. Prizes are awarded to all participants and special prizes are awared to the best costumes in each category. This attraction is child friendly.

2010 Costume Contestr Categories are
Cutest Baby, Best Character, Cutest Costume
and Most Halloween Spirit!

We Love Our Volunteers!
Because the event is a fundraiser for the children's museum, the use of paid staff is kept to a minimum. Volunteers for the event are recruited from local schools, community organizations and the local chamber of commerce.

Each night 20-50 volunteers run activities including hay rides, games, horseman helpers, gate helpers, glow golf supervisors and movie tent attendants. Volunteers also assist each night in set-up and clean-up.  Volunteers make this event possible and the Park District and Exploration Station...a children's museum extends their gratitude to all those who have helped!

Event Tips

• If there are long lines to the re-enactment or glow golf don't be afraid to check out the movie tent, storyteller campfire or hay rides first. These attractions are often overlooked early on in the evening and tend to get busier toward the end of the event.
• Fridays are typically less busy than Saturdays so to avoid long lines consider checking out the event on one of the two Fridays.
• Remember to bundle up. The Night in Sleepy Hollow event runs until 10 pm and the temperature can drop quickly from the time the event starts. Another good tip is to check out the hot apple cider or hot chocolate from the concession wagon. YUM!
• The event does take place at night so parents should be watchful of their children so they don't get lost or separated. If someone does get lost please contact the nearest park district employee or the front gate to send a lost child alert (or lost adult alert).
• If you want to get you picture with the headless horseman at the photo booth, it is recommended to get you pictures early as the photo booth typically stops taking pictures 15 minutes prior to the event closing time.

Our Night in Sleepy Hollow special event truly does create a magical place for children to ignite their imagination. This story re-enactment is like a fable for a child. Families bond together as they laugh and scream throughout this event. The learning experience and family bonding that is formed is invaluable. The knowledge and sparks for learning literature and  history will stay with them throughout their school years.