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Jamey Penney-Ritter / Courtesy Washburn Chamber of Commerce
Washburn Zombie Days
Expect a few zombies around Washburn Oct. 24-25, 2014.
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Jamey Penney-Ritter / Courtesy Washburn Chamber of Commerce
Washburn Zombie Days
High school band musicians keep the beat, even when they are zombie-fied during the Washburn Zombie Days parade.
Zombies will be running amok through the streets of Washburn in late October, but no need to run and hide. It should be a blast.
Washburn Zombie Days was started by the local Chamber of Commerce as a sort of tribute to the late local historian and film buff, Tony Woiak. Tony, who had been president of the Washburn Area Historical Society, loved to make films, including homemade zombie movies. He died in 2011.
Zombie Days has turned into a community festival for all ages. There’s a pumpkin-carving contest, and the Lion’s Club sponsors a kids’ carnival with old-fashioned games, like a bean bag toss, at Washburn High School.
“It’s very hometown-y. It’s just such fun,” says Mary McGrath, program director at the Washburn Area Chamber of Commerce.
Boo-gie Up the Hill is a 1-mile bike race up Washington Avenue, and the Zombie Walk/5K is a family event that features characters such as criminals in jail uniforms and fairies hiding along the way. High school drama students will host flashlight tours down a school hallway with spooky storytelling.
The highlight, though, just might be the Halloween parade, with many residents joining in. It features the high school band full of zombie musicians. Under the category of donating to a good cause, there’s the Give It Up to Dracula blood drive.
Zombie Days “really started when we wanted to have a fun event for the community,” Mary says, “and it was embraced from the get-go.”
Tony would be proud.
Washburn Zombie Days, late October each year. Washburn Area Chamber of Commerce. 715-373-5017, www.washburnchamber.com
