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Characters galore at fifth-annual Zombie Crawl
By Bob Jackson
YOUNGSTOWN
Elvis was there, in the flesh. Well, what little flesh there was left of him, anyway.
So were Beetlejuice, the Phantom of the Opera, Morticia Addams, a host of wedding parties, crew members from the Starship Enterprise and enough soldiers, cowboys, cops, bikers and construction workers to make up a couple of scary versions of The Village People.
They were among the throng who turned out Saturday night to take part in the fifth-annual Youngstown Zombie Crawl, which included stops at 16 venues in and around the downtown area.
Folks infatuated with the undead showed up in their bloodiest, most flesh-eaten finery to prowl the streets in search of, well, good food and lots of drinks. The attention from outsiders was a big draw, too.
“The show of it is awesome,” said 34-year-old Amy Rigby of Youngstown, explaining why she has participated in every Youngstown Zombie Crawl, as well as traveling to similar events in Columbus, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. “The looks we get from people who line the streets to watch are awesome.”
Rigby, dressed as a psycho nurse and carrying a bloody brain, said she gets a kick out of seeing the costumes other zombies wear, and interacting as a group.
“It brings everyone together, and I think that’s really cool,” she said.
Chris Costello of Campbell brought his wife and kids, including his 6-year-old son, Jacob, to be part of the fun.
“I just love Halloween, so it’s just another good reason to dress up like this and scare people,” said a laughing Costello, 34, who had a prosthetic eyeball hanging from its fake socket. “It’s just fun and it’s a good time.”
Like Rigby, Costello said he’s taken part in every zombie crawl so far.
Les Palette, 58, came with his wife, Sandy, 50, from Howland, to crawl in costume through the downtown. They’d come as spectators a couple years ago, but had never actually dressed up and been participants before.
“We just decided we wanted to get out of the house and do something fun, something different,” said Palette. “And we wanted to support the cause.”
The Rich Center for Autism will benefit from a portion of the $4 fees participants paid to enter the walk.
The Federal was among the zombie stops, and owner Dan Martini said he and his staff were ready for the fun. It’s the third time The Federal, formerly Martini Brothers, took part in the crawl.
“We always get a good crowd,” Martini said. “Next to St. Patrick’s Day, it’s probably our biggest crowd of the year.”
The Federal will be featured tonight on Spike TV’s show “Bar Rescue,” but Martini said he didn’t figure that would have much impact on how many people came into the bar Saturday night.
“I think the zombies just go everywhere,” he said, laughing.
Sisters Naomi Ducaster, 36, and Miriam Thompson, 34, both of Austintown, said this was their first year to don the makeup and haunt the downtown as zombies. They spent time earlier in the day helping organizers from the Rich Center, where Ducaster’s daughter attends.
“We volunteered, and now we’re zombified and heading out,” Thompson said.
And while they were proud of their own costumes, they got a kick out of seeing the other zombies and their elaborate makeup. And they were ready to eat. Food, not flesh.
“I can’t wait to get to Suzie’s Dogs & Drafts,” Thompson said.
Suzie’s Dogs & Drafts happened to be the last stop on the crawl route, and general manager Heather Mullins said she and her staff would be ready.
“Since we’re the last stop, we’re going to get, let’s just say, the interesting people,” Mullins said. “It’s going to be fun.”
Mullins, a native of Pittsburgh, said this was her first experience with a zombie crawl, and she couldn’t have been more excited.
“This is such a great community thing,” she said, noting that she loves the citywide theme of the event. In larger cities, such as Pittsburgh, such events are generally limited to specific areas. “This gets the whole downtown involved, and it’s great for the city. Whatever they throw at me tonight, I’ll be ready.”
Other participating bars and eateries were Rust Belt Tap House, B&O Station and Banquet Hall, O’Donold’s Downtown, MVR, Liquid Blu, Downtown Draught House, Roberto’s Ristorante, Rye’s Whiskey Bar, The Fifth Floor, Joe Maxx Coffee, V2, One Hot Cookie, Imbibe and The Royal Oaks. Shuttle service was available to cart the zombies to the various venues.