Don’t you just hate when you’re quietly enjoying your Saturday afternoon and a horde of the undead takes over downtown? It’s enough to make a person lose their brains!
And by brains, we actually mean the word “brains,” because where else but Sioux Falls, South Dakota, would you find a zombie walk organized by a group of 80’s-themed Roller Dollz? That’s right, not only are these zombies mobile, they’re also stylin’ and nostalgia-inducing.
This Saturday, October 28th, downtown Sioux Falls is set to once again walk into the ever-unyielding, rigor mortis embrace of the annual Sioux Falls Zombie Walk. Embrace that decade of big hair and bigger synthesizers, because this year’s theme takes us back to the 80s.
Who’s up for a zombified moonwalk or some ‘Material Ghoul’ running down the street? Madonna, Prince and Michael Jackson themed zombies are not only expected but highly encouraged.
But fear not, dear citizens, the Sioux Falls Zombie Walk isn’t just about unleashing the undead for a day of terror (and fabulous 80’s attire). There’s a heart behind this heart-throbbing spectacle – metaphorical, of course. The brains behind the operation, the Sioux Falls Roller Dollz, are rallying the zombie troops in support of the Sioux Falls Area CASA program, a non-profit that advocates for abused and neglected children.
In an unexpected twist, Saturday might just have the zombies reaching out for your hearts instead of your brains.
Speaking of hearts, Stacey Tieszen, the Executive Director of the Sioux Falls Area CASA program, and her 9-year-old daughter will be ambling among the zombies as well. They’re allegedly practicing the Thriller dance, blending seamlessly into the shambling hordes. Or, at least, as seamlessly as one can when they’re wearing leg warmers and a neon windbreaker.
If you’ve been dying for a chance to walk among the preternaturally reanimated (or just want to show off your radical 80’s wardrobe), you can participate in the parade with the purchase of a $5 button. Oh, and the kids? They walk free, because we all know that child zombies are the most terrifying of all.
The pre-parade festivities kick off at 12 PM, where you can pay to have your face transformed from vibrant living into visages of the damned. By 4:00 PM, when the parade begins at Remedy Brewing, Sioux Falls will once again bow to the might of the undead. So tease up that hair, zip up that jumpsuit, and prepare to shamble. If you’re going to dance with the dead, you might as well do it in style.