Parade of Zombies to march down Kirkwood Avenue

’Tis the season for B-grade horror movies with moaning, stumbling, rotting, flesh-eating zombies and screaming victims.

And an annual Bloomington tradition brings these movies right to the middle of Kirkwood Avenue.

The zombies will march again at 10 p.m. today. They will gather at the Sample Gates to march down Kirkwood, attacking passersby, cars and businesses as they roam in search of brains and human flesh.

Participants get the chance to dress in their best zombie attire, while onlookers risk being eaten by one of these gruesome creatures.

The zombie parade tradition started six years ago as a birthday celebration that included a few people who dressed in costume and lurked around the Rose Well House on campus, said Crystal Sullivan, long time zombie parade participant. Now the parade stops traffic on Kirkwood and includes dozens of participants and spectators.
A wide variety of zombies participate in the march each year.

“It’s not just your run-of-the-mill zombie these days,” Sullivan said. “Last year, there were was a Jesus zombie and a Harry Potter zombie.”

To be a zombie, you do not have to come up with a crazy costume, but there are some items that are a must for a proper zombie costume.

“You have to look like you just ate someone, and if you look like your flesh is rotting off, that is a plus,” Sullivan said.

Sometimes the clothes are not as important as the makeup when creating a zombie costume.

“Some black-and-white face paint can do a lot to zombify you,” said senior Justin Searle, a past participant in the zombie parade.

The zombie parade is expected to have a big turnout again this year, Sullivan said. There will probably be a high number of political zombies, zombie brides and IU zombies.

Even if students do not want to participate in the parade, they are encouraged to come and watch.

The real fun, some say, is in acting like a zombie.

“Its the coolest thing. You are walking around growling, screaming and terrorizing Kirkwood, and there are 100 other people doing it with you,” Bloomington resident Jenni Johnson said.

If students are hesitant about being a zombie for a night, they are encouraged to give it a try.

“A lot of people come out and watch. It’s a bunch of zombies trying to eat you,” Sullivan said. “It’s really entertaining.”