DAYVILLE – The Dayville Community Hall was the place to be, thanks to Dayville School, for two evenings of live theater.

The students recently treated the community to a presentation of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Primarily a production of the high school, elementary students also participated, filling out the cast as townspeople of Sleepy Hollow.

The musical adaptation, based on the short story by Washington Irving, takes place in autumn, in the early 1800s. The quiet and ordinary lives of the townspeople of Sleepy Hollow, a small town in upstate New York, are disturbed by a newcomer, school teacher Ichabod Crane.

Soon after landing in Sleepy Hollow, Crane (Cody Flower), stumbles into romantic entanglements with a farmer’s daughter, Katrina Van Tassel (Rachel Sagaser). Van Tassel however already has another suitor, strong and handsome Brom Bones (Cody Gibson). The story culminates in a party at the Van Tassel’s with a tale told by Old Man Blackwell (Hunter Powell), a legend about “a headless horesman” who haunts the graveyard by night.

The students’ enthusiasm on the stage was matched only by the audience’s enjoyment in the rest of the hall as clapping, cheering and laughter filled the community hall.

Extra chairs were needed for the packed house at the Thursday night show, and there was nearly a full house Friday evening, too. Attendees were also treated to snacks and a display of student artwork.

Leading the students was Rebecca Bogardus, a para-professional at Dayville School. Bogardus, in her first year organizing high school music curriculum, brings a wealth of musical expertise to the students of Dayville. She also points out that the high school class, numbering only about 20, took on a task usually considered only by much larger schools.

Bogardus and the entire music class would like to thank the many individuals and the whole Dayville community for their generous support and participation in this huge project. With the proceeds, the school is acquiring new instruments.

This is the first time the high school has had any type of formal music program for about 10 years, and they are hoping this will be the first of many musical events for the school and the Dayville community.