The young ones are the most voracious. A revenant reveler at the 2012 Rosendale Zombie Festival; photo by Debora Lyons.
Rosendale will be one dead festival town this Saturday afternoon -- the walking dead, that is. Residents and visitors will don their morbid best, gather in Willow Kiln Park, and shamble down Main Street on a collective quest for fresh brains, returning to the park afterwards for a hideous frolic at the Fourth Annual Rosendale Zombie Fest.
George A. Romero has remarked that zombies are the blue-collar monsters, and they’re much beloved in the People’s Republic of R-dale. Expect to see whole families of zombies. Senior zombies. Infant zombies. Canine zombies. Last year there was a zombie Jesus.
Flesh eaters will party to the sounds of The Miss-Tits (billed as “an estrogen-fueled Misfits tribute”), Voodelic, Pitchfork Militia and DJ Matt "The Knife" Goldpaugh. There will be vendors (hand-painted souvenir coffin anyone?) and a costume contest, and at 5:30pm, there's a screening of the 1964 grindhouse zombie film I Eat Your Skin at the Rosendale Theatre.
The ghoulish will gather at 1:30pm and stumble down Main Street as soon as they’ve assembled. Voodelic kicks off the music at 2pm, and the costume contest will be held at 4:45pm. This isn’t just gratuitous gore: An “encouraged” donation of $5 and/or some canned goods benefits the Rosendale Food Pantry.
Fourth Annual Rosendale Zombie Festival. Saturday, Sept. 28, 1:30pm-5:30pm. Willow Kiln Park, Rosendale. Encouraged donation $5. For more information, see the event's Facebook page.
