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In recent years, photos and videos of Sleepy Hollow have populated social media, creating an internet sensation and unwanted attention for those who live on the road.
“There is no parking, there are no facilities. We got people going to the bathroom on the side of the road,” said Doten, who is leading the effort to change things. Last year, the road to the farm was temporarily turned to one way during foliage season but neighbors say it had little impact. This year, the selectboards in Pomfret and Woodstock agreed to close Cloudland Road and nearby Barber Hill Road for three weeks when the color is at its peak.
I live in Northern Vermont and can understand the frustration of townspeople when the peepers come to town. I realize that this is one of our main tourist attractions but it does sometimes get out of hand.
Two middle-aged women from Plympton, Mass., voiced reservations about joining the scrum of shutterbugs pointing their cameras right at a private home. But they snapped their shots anyway. “I just think you gotta do it with respect,” one said.
Not everyone was following that dictum. As I watched, a man from Connecticut flew a drone over the property and lost control of it. The drone landed on the other side of the road, where he retrieved it after climbing over a stone wall and a fence.
A woman walked around the gate at the top of the driveway and smiled for a shot with the property behind her. The “Private Property, Keep Out” signs along the edge of the road appeared to be just suggestions to her.
Mike Doten grew up as Sleepy Hollow’s neighbor and now lives across the street at Elm Grove Farm. He said he’s collected two bags of trash along the road in the past two weeks.
“It’s a little disappointing,” he said. “They’re out in a beautiful spot because it’s beautiful, and then they throw trash. I don’t get it.”
People tend to ruin whatever they love. It's fine when only a few know of a special place, but once the word is out things can degrade quickly. I think it is just humane nature.
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