Duane Hicks
Just as every good zombie movie demands a sequel, the second-annual Fort Frances Zombie Walk will rise from the grave this Saturday (Oct. 5).
Ghouls of all ages are encouraged to put on zombie makeup, or dress up like a warm-blooded zombie hunter, and come to St. John’s Anglican Church at 2 p.m.
Then they’ll walk, shuffle, stagger, and crawl through town—sure to draw attention from the living.
Starting at St. John’s, the group will head east on Church Street to Armit Avenue, then turn left to Second Street East.
Once on Second, they’ll head west to Central Avenue, where the group will stop to make a mini-movie featuring zombies versus zombie hunters just as they did last year.
The group then will proceed south to Scott Street, turn east and walk through the downtown area to Victoria Avenue, and head back to the church.
Participants then will gather in the church basement to enjoy snacks (sorry, no human brains on the menu) and maybe even win a prize.
The event is free.
Organizer Allan Yerxa Sr. said he was very pleased with last year’s zombie walk, and is anticipating an even better turnout this time around.
He said he’s aware that a number of youths who didn’t know about the event last year will be joining in this Saturday—just as surely as some participants from the inaugural walk.
“I was looking at the numbers the other day and I had like 50 people last year, so it was pretty good last year,” Yerxa noted.
“And I am expecting quite a bit more this year.”
Yerxa said the first walk was pretty much funded by himself. But this time, he’s been getting donations and also is working in partnership with the Couchiching First Nation Youth Group, which will be supplying food.
“So it’s slowly building up,” he enthused.
“I am getting posters put up around town,” he noted. “I’ve got some T-shirts developed, too.
“I got a couple T-shirts that will be up for sale. I don’t think I’ll charge too much for them,” he added.
When asked why he decided to organize the initial zombie walk, Yerxa replied he, like many other people around the world, is a fan of the genre.
After watching George A. Romero’s 1978 classic, “Dawn of the Dead,” he was hooked.
“I always thought it would be cool to see a bunch of zombies just walking down the street,” Yerxa reasoned.
“Every year, I would try to get a bunch of people to go and do that but nobody wanted to,” he said. “So I thought I’d just try and stage a great big event to see if they would do it.
“Luckily, last year, 50 people came to do it with me.”
Yerxa said there will be some prizes available, including one for the best costume.
“Some of the costumes that people came up with [last year] were unreal,” he recalled. “Like a lot of people zombified different characters, like ‘Spider-Man.’
“There were a few other like that.”
Jason Gervais won the prize for best costume last year.
Yerxa stressed the event is open to anyone of any age, adding that volunteers will be on hand to help keep the group together and make sure they’re safe as they cross streets.
To keep up to date on the second-annual Fort Frances Zombie Walk, “like” its page on Facebook.
