The Retort

From the Desk of One Baroque College Student: Day of the Living Dead

Thu November 12th, 2009 by Lou Donaldson Of The Retort Staff

A previous Billings Zombie Walk (Photo courtesy of Lou Donaldson)

It’s October once again and that means it’s time for raking leaves, carving jack-o-lanterns and eating lots of candy. Sadly, though, for the residents of Montana October also means it’s time for snow. Yes, snow; that cold white stuff that makes one groan when they look out the window in the morning. One can hope beyond hope that it will be gone before Halloween so that our costumes will not have to be once again worn over snowsuits.

Hope for a snow-free Halloween also prevails among us who will be part of the “Living Dead” that will invade downtown for the 3rd annual Billings Zombie Walk. This year the zombies will be meeting on the court house lawn at 4pm on Saturday, October 31st. This event has received a bit of attention from the Billings Gazette as well as the Billings Police Department in the past; a good Samaritan alerted the police to two wounded and bloody people walking down 27th Street on their way to the festivities.

As an active participant in the Zombie walk since its conception it makes me happy to see the crowd growing every year. The creations and costumes range from just plain funny to downright revolting, and including everything from Jesus to Michael Jackson in “Thriller.”

While Billings does host many Halloween events the options for those with children are somewhat limited. For example, there are age restrictions on shows at the Alberta Bair Theater and the Yellowstone Art Museum. Thankfully, for those of us with our own little spawns the zombie walk is family-friendly.

Readers can find more information at the Billings Zombie Walk website. It has images and videos from past Zombie Walks, the zombie code of conduct, and instructional videos on applying zombie makeup.