If you're a fan of
George A. Romero or the television show (and/or comic book)
The Walking Dead, then you're probably no stranger to the horrors that a zombie apocalypse can bring.
If you're in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, however, you may not feel that zombies roaming the streets is a bad thing at all. In fact, it's all happening for a good cause.
Across the bridge from our own little slice of Sault Ste. Marie are a bunch of Canadians. And, come 4 p.m. Oct. 22, there are going to be a bunch of zombies, too. That's when the undead will start to gather at the Grand Theatre, located at 641 Queen Street East, and will invade the downtown area.
Don't worry about locking your doors, getting your shotguns and protecting your brains (but not your eyes, thankfully)--these zombies are bringing canned food items to support the
Algoma University Student Food Bank. This is the third year the food bank, along with the Arts Council of Sault Ste. Marie & District, has hosted the event.
Last year's event saw an impressive 200 participants. Blood, brains, fake skin, face-paint and non-perishable food items were all a part of the fun.
If you're not interested in being a member of the undead fraternity, don't worry--you can hunt zombies, too! The Zombie Resistance will be "hunting" zombies marked as participating in the interactive portion of the Zombie Walk.
Make sure to dress your best, however. Mark Primavera, a professional photographer, will be out and about with his portable studio so he can snap Zombie Portraits for interested parties. As the Soo Zombie Walk flier notes: Eating brains doesn't improve your memory, so make it last on film.
For those interested in joining the festivities, drop an
email to the Arts Council to join their mailing list or simply visit
their website for updates. Sign-up sheets are available at the Arts Council offices, as well as the Sault Youth Association Office and the Algoma University Student Union office.
You can also enlist as a Zombie Recruiter to gather a group of people interested in becoming the undead to participate in the walk and, of course, the food drive. And, don't worry, you don't actually have to bite anyone to recruit them--even though recruiting via tearing flesh is what zombies do best.
What's great about an event like this is there's a lot of fun to be had and its all for a good cause. It would be nice if some of the local colleges and universities took note of the success the Soo Zombie Walk is having and consider throwing that kind of party themselves. After all, nothing says food drive like zombies in the streets, right?
Sam Eggleston is managing editor of U.P. Second Wave and a full-time freelance writer. He was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula. While he's never had to hold of a zombie attack in real life, he's confident his years of playing Resident Evil and watching zombie movies will keep him safe during the apocalypse. He can be reached via
email.
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