Zombies on Parade

Here's a little something from last year, to put us in the mood!

Hi there, arm-chair travellers, this is your globe-trotting reporter, Zanku Kitty,with an event that should be seen at least once in a lifetime. Since it’s November, you have all probably guessed! It’s the Graves Department Store Thanksgiving Day Parade in Zombietown, MA. You’ll want to arrive early to see all the little boy and girl zombies line the parade route to see the big show. It’s an event to share with your nearest and dearest, as all of the zombies who have it more or less together ride in open- top hearses down Main Street, showing off their nearly-perfect physiques. Everyone crowds to see the Mayor, the Honorable Bob C. Twin, and his life- er death-partner, Chompers, heading down the street with all the fanfare the high school band can provide. Last year Chompers lost his wedding ring hand, and a contest was held to find the right stray hand along the parade route.
As you can imagine, the band also has a tendency to lose parts as they march, particularly the percussion section. There is always a pool on who would lose what and at which intersection, as in Bobby Jean at the corner of First and Cemetery. And the winner of the pool will get to be Grand Marshall in next year’s parade.
No worries about being over the hill in this forward-thinking village! This is probably the only town in North America that celebrates Thanksgiving with the ancestors that founded their town in 1693. Due to their extrme age and fragility, these pillars of the community ride inside padded coffins, placed upright so that they can see their descendents as well as be seen by them. It’s jolly good fun! The Founder’s Floats are one of the most highly anticipated parts of this exciting exhibition.
Everyone who is anyone is here , because after the parade passes, they all join to march along toward the village square and Town Hall, where the feast will be held. The kindlly inhabitants of this bucolic township are encouraging me to follow the parade with them, and share in the bounty that awaits.
I’m told the schoolchildren and Guild of Dead Florists gets together to decorate the hall every Thanksgiving, and I can’t wait to see what they came up with this year. It’s said to be quite spectacular, with gorgeous china and silver that are dusted off and polished up each and every year, and floral displays unlike any ever seen at a Thanksgiving Dinner. We’re almost there now, and when we get inside I’ll try to describe what I expect to be a bounteous feast.
Everyone looks very eager, and a little girl just grabbed my hand to pull me along. How sweet of her! She is hurrying me along, no doubt so that I won’t miss out on the festivities and yummy goodies that await. The lady to my left looks so excited, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear she was drooling. It’s all so exciting! I wonder what is on the menu?

~Kate Richards