It’s that time of year again, when zombies step out from the gutters of Adams Street to crawl through the UpTown bars. On October 25th Bretz, The Attic, Manhattan’s, The Ottawa Tavern, and Wesley’s will be infested with thousands of zombies looking for two things – brains and booze! This is the fourth year of the zombie crawl, and with 3,000 participants anticipated, it looks to be the biggest one yet.
The story of how this Toledo event came about is remarkably simple. Ryan Bunch, coordinator for the Arts Commission, and some friends, created the idea back in the summer of 2010. It came to them during a Saturday morning ‘hangover’ brunch, where they were discussing simple and inexpensive ways to entertain themselves and others in the community. Little did they know, this one simple idea would become the busiest night of the year for Adams Street bars. According to Bunch, “The Facebook event floated around for about two full months and when the event day came, around 700 people showed up, all in costume. It was amazing!” In 2011 they did it again and the number of zombie patrons doubled. Last year those numbers nearly doubled again, as an estimated 2,500 thirsty zombies made it out to Adams Street.
They’re bussing ‘em in
The initial idea for the zombie crawl was so straightforward and simple that the bars weren’t even consulted about it. However, all of them were incredibly receptive, creating their own themes and drink specials. This event has gotten so big that out-of-towners are expected to travel to Toledo to party with the UpTown zombies. Last year Bunch met people from Detroit, Cleveland, and Philadelphia – all drawn to Toledo because of the zombie crawl. This community-building event has certainly given a boost to the Adams Street corridor. “I wanted to help create a happening that would promote the district and give the bars a chance to make some bank. I wanted the people to have something free and accessible that’s a little off-kilter and out of the norm. That’s how people stay connected to the community… It’s kind of an experiment, we’ll see how long it lasts, but for now, it has brought me immense joy. And it all started with a hangover and a silly Facebook event”, says Bunch.
This year the event is on October 25th and begins at 8:30pm, with a meet up, followed by a brief zombie rally at 9:30 at Wesley’s. At 10pm the Walking Dead March of Death down Adams Street will take place. Manhattans is hosting a Zombie Beach Party. Undead Portraiture via PhotoBooth Live will take place at The Attic, along with showings of horror films on the big screen. In the lot next to The Attic, the UpTown Association is hosting a “bloody beer bath.”
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