Beer and a Zombie

By Kyle S. Reyes, Director of Marketing for Carter Chevroletand Mazda of Manchester

Friday night, I was at a bar in Windsor.  I started chatting with another guy.  We got on the subject of the show "The Walking Dead".  
Mid-sentence...the guy cut himself off.  "Oh - SPEAKING of Zombies," he said, "did you hear about that huge Zombie party going on in Manchester next Thursday?"

Yes, yes I did hear about it.  His question made my day.
He said he saw it on Fox CT and read about it in The Hartford Courant.  Thanks, all of my reporter peeps.  You guys clearly know a good party when you see one.  People are dying to come to this one.  Well, sort of.  Or should we say un-dying.
I hope to see lots and lots of you come out for the event this Thursday.  Not just because zombies are awesome - but because the spirit of Manchester is awesome.

For those of you who missed it last week...here's the back-story about the event:

Several months ago, we were trying to drum up support and money to cover the expenses of replacing the Manchester Christmas Tree on Main Street after it was blown down by Superstorm Sandy.  
As one might imagine, flooding Manchester with Zombies was the first thing that came to mind.
So the Downtown Manchester Special Service District's Marketing Committee decided to throw this EPIC Zombie Block Party.
At first, the idea was looked at by many with skepticism.  But much like the virus that creates the "undead" in Zombie movies...the concept quickly spread through town.
Businesses up and down Main Street all jumped on board, offering discounts and promotions for the night of the event - Thursday, October 24, from 5pm-8pm.  
The videos exploded, garnering more than 40,000 combined views.  You can see them by clicking here.
The story also began to spread.  The Courant.  Fox CT.  The J.I.  Patch.  Rock 104.1.  And so many other media outlets.
Then came the blessing.  The Rotary and the Cruisin' on Main Street Committee through their support behind the event...covering ALL of the costs of replacing the tree.
The timing couldn't have been better.

Because last weekend, tragedy struck.  

The fire that took out two businesses and apartments on Main Street shook the community to it's core.
It particularly impacted our committee, which has had the privilege of working with Great Harvest Bread for years.  As a matter of fact, they were SO excited about the Zombie Block Party that they were the VERY FIRST LOCATION WE FILMED IN.
And so it's only fitting that we now throw OUR support behind the victims of this tragedy.  Thanks to the donations that have covered the cost of the tree, we're now able to contribute all of the money raised from the event to the victims.
Rain or shine, the Epic Zombie Block Party will go on.  It will be a testament to the spirit of Manchester.  It will be a ROCKIN' time.  96.5 WTIC will be broadcasting the night of the event from Carter Chevrolet, where we'll be collected money and food with MACC to benefit the victims.
There will be TONS of activity....from a Zombie Dance Party at one end of Main Street to a DJ and a zombie photo booth at the other end...and everything in between.  Click here to check out the details of the event.

You may notice that Great Harvest Bread was one of the businesses offering discounts with the ticket.  Some might argue that we should remove their name from the event flier after the tragedy.  But we're not going to.  Why not?  I believe it acts as a testament to the dedication they've had for so long to Manchester...as a statement that they WILL recover from this...and as a reminder that they, and the other victims of this tragedy, now need OUR support.
So buy a ticket here .  Or buy one the night of the event.  Or email me at kylescottreyes@gmail.com to buy one.  Can't make the event?  Buy one anyway.  All of the money goes to the victims.  

I can't think of a more worthy cause than that.