Near the entrance to Liberty Square from the Central Plaza stands Sleepy Hollow Refreshments. It's a great stop for a cool drink or delicious funnel cake, but like so many things in the Disney Parks, it also has a story to tell.
Sleepy Hollow Refreshments is named for the village in the Washington Irving short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." The story was originally published in 1820 and made into a segment of the Disney animated feature The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad in 1949.
The building housing Sleepy Hollow Refreshments was inspired by Washington Irving's home, Sunnyside, an 18th-century cottage in New York's Hudson Valley:
Apart from the architectural influence, there are other references to the classic tale. The sign and menu boards for Sleepy Hollow Refreshments bear the silhouette of the legendary Headless Horseman:
And across the street is a music teacher's shop (part of Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe), displaying the shingle, "Music & Voice Lessons - by appointment - Ichabod Crane, Instructor." Ichabod, the main character in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," was known for his warbling and would give lessons to the ladies of the town in exchange for home cooking.
My first high school job was making and selling funnel cakes at Six Flags Over Texas. The building we worked in did NOT tell a story. The name of that building was 'Funnel Cakes.'
ReplyDeleteDisney does a remarkable job with storytelling. Thank you, Shawn, for sharing that with your readers.