Allendale patriot and Founding Father John Fell routed his Tory competition in the Allendale 5K Halloween race today.

"The lily-livered Loyalists ran scared," Fell said after the race.

Fell placed second in the 60+ age group, and first in the 290+ age group.

He also placed second in the costume contest, even though he tried to tell the judges it was not a costume.

John wore the manacles as a reminder of his time in a British prison in New York City during the Revolutionary War.

The famous secret diary John kept in prison now belongs to the Brooklyn Historical Society, and he no longer harbors much of a grudge.

Lots of hawkish screaming over the Celery Farm yesterday -- went to investigate and saw two Red-shoulders and a young Red-tail flying around. 

Red-shoulders disappeared into the tall evergreens by the Fell House, the Red-tail cruised the skies nearby for a few minutes. After the Red-tail left, so did the Red-shoulders.

Could not see a band, but it was most likely Laura and her mate.

We hear the Red-shoulders calling just about every day at the Celery Farm, but never this kind of hell-raising.

Photo above is the young Red-tail. The Red-shoulder is tucked away on a branch below.

Next month, I'll be giving five free readings of my new ghost story, "The Drownling" -- set in Allendale on Halloween Night, 1944 -- plus other cool topics. 

The spooky tale is featured in the latest issue of Autumn Years. ("The Drownling" starts on Page 48.)

Here's the schedule of my appearances, all free and open to the public:

Thursday, Oct. 22 @7pm,  Worth-Pinkham Memorial Library in Ho-Ho-Kus: I'll read "The Drownling" and present a slide show and reading of my ghost story “Phantoms of the Ramapos,” set in Mahwah, Ho-Ho-Kus and Allendale in 1938. 91 Warren Avenue.  hohokus.bccls.org

Monday:  Oct. 26 @7p.m., The John Fell House: I'll read "The Drownling" and give a slide show and talk about Founding Father John Fell and the historic Fell House. 475 Franklin Turnpike, Allendale. celeryfarm.net.

Tuesday, Oct. 27 @7pm, Ridgewood Public Library: I'll read "The Drownling" and present a slide show and talk on Allendale's Celery Farm Natural Area and historic John Fell House. 125 N. Maple Ave., Ridgewood. ridgewoodlibrary.org

Wednesday, Oct. 28@7pm, Mahwah Public Library: I'll read "The Drownling" and present a slide show and reading of my ghost story “Phantoms of the Ramapos,” set in Mahwah, Ho-Ho-Kus and Allendale in 1938. 100 Ridge Rd, Mahwah. www.mahwahlibrary.org

 
Thursday, Oct. 29 @7pm, Franklin Lakes Public Library:  I'll read my new story and present a slide show and reading of my ghost story “Phantoms of the Ramapos.”  www.franklinlakeslibrary.org/

The Fell House recently received an unusual donation -- three small boxes of Ilford Lantern slides -- glass black-and-white transparencies that could be viewed in a special viewer for a 3D effect.

I used a flatbed scanner to digitize several of them. Here is a sample.

More about them here.

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Marsh Warden Mike Limatola writes:

"I was doing some work around the barn at the Fell House last Tuesday when I heard this awful screaming sound near the rhododendron bushes by the front of the driveway. 

"I looked over and saw an adult rabbit charging at a Red-shouldered hawk that was on the ground right near the bushes.  The hawk jumped up as the rabbit approached and a baby rabbit, that the hawk had either caught or was right near, ran into the bushes. 

"The hawk landed a few feet away and the adult rabbit went after it again.  The hawk flew up and went into the bushes and the adult rabbit went right after it again.  "The hawk flew up into one of the hemlocks by the spring house and was jumping from branch to branch.  I went and got my camera and started taking pictures of it. 

"It called repeatedly and then flew into the back yard.  When I got home and loaded the photos, I saw a silver band on its right leg." 

The silver band means that it was Laura, our resident female Red-shoulder.

(Thanks, Mike!)