By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
LAKE ORION — Creatures will crawl forth from every tomb in Lake Orion on Sept. 21 when the zombie horde prowls the streets of the Village of Lake Orion in search of nourishment.
The 11th annual Ed’s Broadway Gift & Costume Zombie Walk begins at 8 p.m. Any ghoul who wishes to participate can meet in front of Ed’s, 2 S. Broadway St. on the corner of Broadway and Flint streets.
The Lake Orion Zombie Walk began as the brainchild of Lloyd and Cathy Coe, and is a fundraiser for the Orion Lighted Christmas Parade Group.
“My wife, Cathy, asked one year what I wanted for my birthday and I said, ‘A Zombie Walk.’ So, it started off as my birthday party,” said Lloyd Coe, owner of Ed’s Broadway.
Zombies will depart Ed’s and move as a herd to three other locations in downtown Lake Orion: Fork n’ Pint, 313 Pizza and the American Legion Hall on S. Broadway Street.
There is a $10 donation to participate in the Zombie Walk, plus an additional $10 to take part in the optional adult Poker Run. Zombie children are welcome to tag along for free.
For the Poker Run, participants will collect a card at each of the participating locations. The winning hand will be determined at the American Legion Hall, the final stop before the winner returns to the grave to slumber with half of the profits.
Zombies can purchase drink specials and (non-human) appetizers at each of the locations.
Proceeds from the Zombie Walk and Poker Run benefit the nonprofit 2024 Orion Lighted Christmas Parade on Dec. 7. The Zombie Walk usually raises around $1,000 for the parade group.
Participants can come dressed as a zombie, but there also will be a makeup artist outside of Ed’s Broadway who will transform anyone into the walking dead for a fee. Coe recommends that anyone who needs to have their makeup done arrive early, beginning at 6 p.m.
“You can get creative: I’ve seen Elvis zombies, zombie Supermen, zombie anything you can think of,” Coe said. “It’s meant to be a fun thing and if we can support the Parade Group, great.”
The Orion Lighted Christmas Parade has been a Lake Orion tradition for more than 25 years and has the distinction of being one of the largest lighted Christmas parades in Michigan.
Online: orionlightedparade.com and www.edsbroadwaygiftandcostume.com.