Well, the big day is finally here. I have to admit to a non-fan such as myself, this day seems to have popped out of its boundaries on every side. It seems that there are various versions of Halloween parties, Zombie Walks and Runs and all types of costumed variations for weeks, but maybe that’s just me. It certainly has extended well past a single night.
The Zombie Walk pictured here happened two and a half weeks before Halloween and, I suppose, had nothing to do with the date. I heard there were zombies on Market Square, and while they don’t do anything for me, I figured some of my readers might be interested, so I walked to the square and shot some photographs. I had no idea the magnitude of Knoxville’s devotion to zombies. I also had no idea a popular show (The Walking Dead) had captured the imaginations of so many people. I’d never heard of it before that day.
The idea that a group of people would be into zombies didn’t really surprise me, after all, we are a large and diverse people, right? What did shock me was the fact that so many people would be so into it that they would a) Find a site promoting a walk on Facebook, b) Have all the decorative necessities to join such a thing and c) be motivated in such huge numbers to attend. It’s all true.
The walk is actually an annual event, but I’ve somehow missed it before. It benefits charity, meaning that the participants also bring a canned or other non-perishable item as a donation to local hunger efforts. Billed as a “family-friendly” event, I had my doubts. The actors involved are pretty scary. Some drop character for photographs while others stay in character the entire time making them a pretty ominous presence.
Our plans for the evening included dinner at Blue Coast Burrito to celebrate Urban Daughter’s birthday. The worry revolved around Urban Girl and the possibility of the lingering un-dead. Sure enough, they milled about the square and enjoyed dinner at outdoor tables all along the length of our walk to Blue Coast. We continually distracted Urban Girl and made it into the, thankfully, zombie-free environment of the restaurant.
The problem with after-dinner involved the fact that Urban Girl loves nothing more in the world than to dance outside on the Market Square Stage and, having spotted it, asked if she could do so after the meal. What’s an Urban Guy to do? Let her do exactly what she wants to do, of course. So, we let her at it and hoped she wouldn’t notice any weirdness about. Naturally, she immediately noticed a deranged and bloody clown, among many others.
So, what did she do? Burst into tears? Run and hide? Vow never to return to the city? Not exactly. She pointed. She laughed. She waved. To her it was a big dress-up parade or it blended in with the strange sights we always find in the city. Just another evening on the town with her peeps. Maybe zombies are family friendly, after all.
Happy Halloween, everybody.