Zombies have been busy dragging their undead selves across the pop culture landscape for more than a few years now. There was that movie “Shaun of the Dead,” that flash mob thing where crowds would gather to do the dance from the “Thriller” music video, and, most recently, the hip comic book-turned-hit TV show “Walking Dead" on AMC. Of course, you can trace the phenomenon back decades, with the classic “Night of Living Dead” leading the pack.
My own introduction to zombies dates to when I was around 5 years old and my brother’s zombie imitation sent me running through our glass storm door (yes, I’m older than the invention of Plexiglass, and no, I wasn’t injured, though the door was never the same). You could freak out your own kids, or leave them with grandma while you escape from "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" with your spouse or friends – Saturday, March 5, by heading downtown to Geppi’s Entertainment Museum for Zombie Gras.
The event runs during museum hours, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is a play on the Mardi Gras festivities about to kick off in New Orleans, and will coincide with a Mardi Gras-themed block party in the neighborhood of the museum, adjacent to Camden Yards. Guests are encouraged to arrive decked out as zombies, and those who do will be admitted for free. For those without costumes, the entrance fee is $5. If you don’t already have that undead look naturally, makeup artists will be on hand at the museum to get you in character for $5.
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At 1:30 p.m., all of the zombies will be eligible to join an undead parade down the street to Pickles Pub for Mardi Gras-style food and a live broadcast by 98 Rock.
For those who’d rather skew their look toward the living, there will be opportunities to get made up for Mardi Gras: Face-painting will be offered for $5, hair tinsel installation for $3, masks, $5, and beads, $1 each. Kids can make a Mardi Gras mask for free.
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Guests at Zombie Gras will also have a chance to see the special exhibit ZombieNation by local artist Devin Hannon before it closes Sunday, March 27. The permanent collection on display is also worth seeing. Study the huge display of toys throughout time and see if you can spot the ones you had when you were a kid. And the archival collection of classic comic books is something you really can’t see anywhere else. It is truly one of the top collections in the country.
The Geppi Entertaitnment Museum, at 301 W. Camden St. on the second floor of Camden Station, is just a short walk from the Inner Harbor. For more information, call 410-625-7060.
