Sunday, October 28, 2012 Halloween Countdown: Weekend of the Living Dead



Saturday was the family Halloween party at my aunt's house in northeastern Indiana.  I "host" a holiday-themed quiz at the Christmas party every year and my aunt asked me to run one for this get-together as well.  But as the party didn't get really started until late (because most of my relatives are on M.P.T.), by the time I wrapped up things up I had to haul butt to make it to Nightmare on Chicago Street all the way in Elgin.

It was an awesome street party with lots of vendors and food stalls and random zombie actors and people in all manner of costumes, most of which were not appropriate for the weather.  It was really, really cold.  A lot of folks were opting for coffee and other hot drinks instead of booze, but there were still tons of really inebriated people shambling about.

So while the lines for coffee were long, they weren't as long as the lines to get into the bars.  At one point, I saw a queue of shivering teens in club gear and realized they were waiting to get into Medusa's.  I once stood in line to get into the original Medusa's on Sheffield back in my punk/New Wave days, although I got fed up and talked my friends into going to a party instead.   The more things change...

I stepped through that line to get into a used book store that was still open.  It was a neat little shop that had the TARDIS-like quality of the best used books stores and was much bigger inside than it looked.  I didn't really find anything worthwhile, however, except for a Doctor Orient paperback I was missing.

Probably the high point of the night for me was finally meeting Svengoolie and getting his autograph.  Rich Koz is an old pro and had a nice word for everyone while still keeping the line moving.  After telling him how great it was to meet him after all these years, I didn't have much more to say due to being tired and cold and naturally shy.  But Koz made some small talk while signing my card, and I made a little joke off his comments that got him and the folks behind me to giggle.  I am unreasonably proud of that.

I didn't take many photos.  When you're part of a group, taking pictures of other folks in their costumes is part of the fun.  But a middle-aged dude on his own taking pictures of young people is kind of creepy.  I did take a bunch of shots of the finale of the Miss Zombie contest at the end of the night, but I didn't realize my phone camera was on super-zoom and all my pictures came out super-blurry. Nertz.

Svengoolie hosted the Miss Zombie finale, and at one point the fest organizers presented him with a new coffin.  I think it might have actually been a surprise to Sven.  It's a bit too modern and industrial for my tastes, but I'll keep an eye out for it on the show.  Again, I crapped out on the photos of it, but Sven should have pictures on his own site soon.

Despite the worst (so-called) Italian beef I've ever had the misfortune of paying for, I had a really good time at the Nightmare and I'm looking forward to next year's bash.  It should be even more fun with friends.

I had booked a hotel room when I had still anticipated going with friends.  It was a good move.  Even though I hadn't anything to drink, it was still better to crash there than try to drive all the way home.  And the next morning I was able to explore the town in daylight.  I looked up some book stores and other points of interest on-line and hit the road.

My first stop was not on the itinerary.  I spotted a man selling DVD's out of a trailer and realized I was passing an indoor flea market.  I have a nostalgic fondness for such places. My grandmother ran a resale shop out of her garage and often bought and sold stock at markets.  As my mom was the only one of her sisters that drove, we were the ones that usually accompanied my grandma on these trips.

The market was almost entirely Hispanic.  The clothing stalls displayed yoga pants and jeans on mannikins that were so apple-bottomed that I wanted to take one home for companionship.  There was a stall that sold hand-tooled saddles and vaquero gear; there was a crowd of older gents watching a Mexican rodeo on a big old CRT television.  And there were a couple of booths selling religious icons, perhaps including one that sold dolls that looked like Baby Jesus.

Tucked in the back was a thrift store.  Right at the front was a bearskin rug in a coffin.  The bear's nose had been eaten away, for extra creepiness.  I walked in and Hank Williams was playing, and there was a big, half-finished reproduction of Frazetta's Berserker behind the counter.  Turns out the place was an art gallery as well as a resale shop.  While I wasn't 100% in tune with the artists' styles,  I liked the concept behind a lot of the pieces.  I also dug the way the stock was displayed; there were some clever dioramas throughout the store.

After the flea market, I drove in circles trying to locate the address of a comic shop.  I passed by some big-ass Victorian mansions that make even the Painted Ladies of Oak Park look like pre-fab bungalows.  Once I finally located my destination, I pretty much cleaned out the store's discount bin and came home with a lot of Bronze Age goodies.  It was a keen way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

By the way, I am such a Halloween geek that I once again wore two different costumes this year.  Saturday I wore my "real" costume, the Invisible Man.


I took it off after only a little while because it was too hot to wear inside the house.  But man, I wish I had worn it on the cold streets of Elgin.

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