The Dead Rise for Zombie Kickball VII

The weather was perfect for today's annual Zombie Kickball game which took place on the Eastern Prom.  When I arrived the field was covered with zombies, but there was some confusion as one of the dugouts held a kids baseball team waiting to use the field.  But zombies have a way of triumphing over humans even when they aren't eating their faces.   The zombies had reserved the field.  So after watching the blood covered dead stumble around for awhile, the kids baseball team eventually wandered off.

The zombie turn out was smaller this year than in previous years, although there was a large crowd of spectators.  Not sure whether the lack of zombies had anything to do with being scheduled on the same day as the Old Port Festival or not, but both teams were fairly small and play was mostly in the infield.  There seemed to be a larger contingent of younger zombies.  Also it was good to see some familiar faces from previous years.

If you missed out on the fun, here are a few photos.

Zombies aren't the best kickers.

Some familiar faces from previous years get into a zombie skirmish.

Angry Ref zombie - another familiar face from previous years.

The littlest zombie whose eye makeup reminded me of Paul Stanley from Kiss.   Later on she almost devoured Monkey.

The Aviator zombie

Gas mask zombie 

The soccer zombie had some disgusting looking blood on his shirt.

A spectator helps Monkey with his Monkey Safety Vehicle, while Monkey comes to the realization that the vehicle has one major flaw - the entrance leaves his tail exposed to zombie bites.

Photos (c) Chris Wallace

Zombie Kickball 2010 Report

On World Zombie Day, October 10, hordes of the living dead staggered to the Eastern Prom for the 5th Annual Zombie Kickball game. While the zombie turn out was smaller than last year, there was still plenty of action for the large group of spectators that turned out to see the dead stumble, growl, and try to kick the ball.

Photos by Chris Wallace, video by Monkey

A zombie is thrown into a state of confusion when he sees Monkey.
Zombies attempt to climb the fence so they can gorge on the living.
The sight of Monkey makes a child zombie go crazy.
This young zombie spotted Monkey and decided to eat Monkey's brain. Good thing Monkey had his biohazard helmet on.
Zombie Michael Jackson treated the crowd to moon walking and a brief version of the Thriller dance.
Mother and daughter zombie make it safely to third base due to confusion on the playing field.
The littlest zombie works it for the crowd.
This is the zombie idea of a picnic - a comfy blanket to sit on and a bag full of human limbs.
Scout Master zombie has a marshmallow on a stick in his brain.
Zombie competition causes chaos on the field and zombies chase each other.
It's never good when a zombie has green gunk spewing from her mouth.
Zombie Jesus gets in on the action.
Monkey receives a banana from a thoughtful zombie.
See how Monkey survived the Zombie Kickball game.

Once again, another fun day of Zombie Kickball in Portland. Can't wait for next years game!

Zombie Kickball is on!

WHAT: Zombie Kickball IV!!!
WHEN: June 28th, 2009, 2:00pm
WHERE: Carter Field, Eastern Promenade, Portland, Maine
COST: Free! Bring a non-perishable food donation for the Good Shepherd Food Bank to the game if you would like to keep humans alive.
FMI: www.myspace.com/zombiekickball
AFTERPARTY: Masses of the walking dead will be contained at the Space Gallery at 4:30pm! Covered in Bees, Lost Cause Desperados, and Ghosthunter will play to throngs of zombies. This is an all-ages after-party. Club opens up around 4, show gets going about 4:30pm. Cover is $5.
RAINDATE: We've been asked several times if there is a scheduled rain date for our event. There is no alternate day for our game. But there is rain predicted for this weekend - with scattered thunderstorms likely on Sunday. Please plan ahead and dress accordingly on game day. Clearly, we will all have to modify our costumes a little bit. And we may even have to modify our game. So let's keep our fingers crossed for a break in the weather!

The Good Shepherd Food Bank will be collecting cash and non-perisables, regardless of the weather, at both the game on the Eastern Prom and the show at Space.

You can watch video of past Zombie Kickball events on YouTube! Here is the historic first ZK Video, followed underneath by the 2008 game last year, as reported on by our own favorite Monkey, and then again by the Lewiston Sun Journal.

Zombie Kickball III Report

Group photo by Cat Krupsky.

Well, it's been about a week since the brain-loving brouhaha that is Zombie Kickball happened. Enough time for more reports to trickle in, for people to collect their various body parts and figure out what happened on that crazy afternoon. Lucky for us, there were plenty of folks, zombie and non-zomb, to document the occasion and help us figure out what the heck happened. Photo of zombie Polaroidist by Michelle Souliere.

Here are a few of the things we have found (although nothing quite as sweet as our dear Monkey's video correspondence on the matter)...

Justin Ellis' NXT blog sports a nifty, well-edited video clip which gives a great overall impression of the event, which aptly captured its ridiculous sense of wonder:
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/mondaymag/ellis/

The Lewiston Sun Journal was so kind as to send staff writer M. Dirk Langeveld all the way down here to cover the event, which resulted in an article which contains my favorite quote from the event:

Matt Cargile and Katie Maloney of South Portland made up the ultimate odd couple. Though the two were dating, Maloney was zombified, while Cargile, carrying a special lobotomizing tool, played a zombie hunter who was the last member of his elite Special Forces unit.

"We sleep in separate beds," Cargile said.

"He has to keep his door locked, or I will kill him," added Maloney. "Who knows what our children will be."

You can read the full Sun Journal article here.
Photo of Matt Cargile, Zombie Hunter, (see right) by Michelle Souliere.

The Sun Journal's foray into Portland zombie fanaticism also resulted in a short but sweet video clip:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wwdVQSnc3C0

Bill Griffith's YouTube video clips aren't as polished, but definitely retain the drooling, brain-eating, shambling charm of the event:
Clip #1
Clip #2

Even Monkey Brains Aren't Safe from the Zombie Horde

If you missed out on the zombie kickball game last weekend on the Eastern Prom in Portland, you can view some of the shenanigans and zombie action in this hilarious film by Portland's beloved Monkey. If only Monkey had realized that even monkey brains aren't safe when zombies run wild.

If you're not in the mood for video entertainment, check out the undead hijinks below or check out the whole set of Zombie Kickball photos
photos (c) Chris Wallace

Neither rain nor brains... ZKIII update!

Dear zombie lovers-- today is the day of the 3rd Annual Great Zombie Kickball Game! It is rainy. The ground is soggy (not unlike our undead limbs). BOY IS THIS GOING TO BE FUN!!!

Make way for muddy zombies!!!

See you there. 2:00pm, Eastern Prom. There is no alternate day for the game. Please dress accordingly!

Got mud?

It'll just make the brains -- oops, I mean -- It'll just make the game tastier.

Photo by Michelle Souliere (c)2007.

Zombie KB III Tips!

From the ZKIII MySpace blog come these helpful tips (click here to go to the Zombie Kickball site):

ZKIII - How to Help
Current mood: stoked

Zombie Kickball has been swamped with friend requests! Our inbox has been flooded with messages. So many friends of ZKIII have proclaimed their affection for the event, and pledged their undying devotion to the team! A lot of you have even offered to lend us a hand… or an arm… and a leg… in wrangling the undead hordes for the game.

Friends of ZKIII can do a couple of things – right now – to help us in corralling the zombies for game day.

Tell your friends about Zombie Kickball! Everyone is welcome at this event - participants and spectators alike.

Think about your role! Will you be documenting the event? Will you be playing kickball? Or will you be involved in the game in some other capacity – do you want to be a coach, a team captain, an umpire, a cheerleader, a marching band member? Will you be a spectator? Will you be cheering from the bleachers, or waving a banner or sign from the behind the fence? Will you be sitting on the lawn?

There will be a "refreshment stand" at this year's event. We will bring a table and drinks (water, iced tea and lemonade, along with cups and napkins) to the game. Maybe you'd like to bring some snacks?

We would like there to be a "first-aid tent" this year, as well. If somebody hurts themselves, we will (of course) call 9-1-1. But if somebody's make-up runs, we can send them to the "medic" for a touch-up. Maybe you'd like to bring your skills?

Think about your character! Are you an infected civilian? Are you an uninfected civilian, or a zombie survivalist? Or are you a re-animated corpse? If you're a zombie, what were the circumstances of your life, and death? Where were you when you died and re-animated? How long have you been undead? Are you a new zombie that is still relatively human-looking, or are you an old braineater that barely looks human anymore? How do you move? What do you sound like? How do you act in the presence of humans, and how do you relate to other ghouls?

Think about your costume! Do you have the clothes for your battered and bloody costume? Do you have the theatrical make-up to complete your bloody and grisly look? Do you know how to apply that make-up? Do you need to make any props?

If there is a first aid tent at this year's event, and you don't know how to apply theatrical make-up, perhaps you can have your make-up done by a medic prior to the game.

You can also do a thing or two – in a few weeks – to help us in herding the boils and ghouls on game day. We will post some more information here as it becomes available, and shortly before the game.

And remember… Nobody owns Maine's Zombie Kickball – it belongs to Portland's community. Feel free to message and comment as you like – all of your suggestions are welcome.

Thank you for all your support!

Make the time! Zombie Kickball III is on!

Portland's third annual Zombie Kickball event is working itself up into a feeding frenzy right now...

Hordes of the undead will overrun the Eastern Prom and infect Carter field on Sunday, June 29th at 2pm!

The field is reserved from 2 to 4pm.

This event is fiercely infectious... Masses of the walking dead will also plague Space Gallery at 4pm!

Covered in Bees, Man-Witch and Confusatron will play to throngs of zombies. This is an all-ages after party. Club opens up around 4, show gets going about 5pm.

For more information: http://www.myspace.com/zombiekickball

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!! So much FUNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!

BREAKING NEWS: Zombie Kickball III for 2008!

Yes folks, it is going to happen. ZOMBIE KICKBALL III!!! The frolicking of the happy undead on the Eastern Prom will take place sometime very soon. I have spoken with the top secret Representative Zombie and I have been assured that all we are waiting for is a field reservation.

Once we have this exciting information in hand, dear friends of zombiedom, we will assuredly let you know!!!

Plans are in the works for an Undead Lemonade Stand to provide much-needed refreshment for the languishing teams in the heat of their sportsman-ish-like competition. We are hoping the cheerful band of zombie musicians will be there once again, doing their own special brand of rabblerousing and jazzing the crowd up with their unique razzmatazz whizzbang ditties!

Depending on the situation, it may or may not happen Memorial Day weekend, as is customary, so please don't show up to terrorize any Little Leaguers without the rest of the group. It just wouldn't do!
For glimpses of our coverage of past years' activity, please click here. Zombie Kickball is for all ages! Kids, parents, student, senior citizens, you name it! And if you don't feel like wearing zombie makeup and whatnot, come and cheer everyone on, or throw a "ZOMBIE FOOD" nametag on and go for it. It is the silliest of all ways to welcome summer.

Last year there were zombie nurses, zombies in wheelchairs, zombie slayers, zombie accident victims, zombie kindergarteners, zombie musicians, and many many other zombie characters too numerous to mention here. Want to see what it looked like? Click here to see my photos on Flickr! Come one, come all, and join the fun!

Zombie Kickball II Report

Well, I made it to Zombie Kickball this year. And boy, I am soooo glad I did. It was a hoot. Click on any photo here to see a larger version. Here your intrepid reporter finds herself face to face with a terrifying creature clearly wearing a bathrobe and slippers. Imagine my relief that I escaped -- I heard that earlier in the afternoon she had been documented chewing on some of the spectators' dogs, a rare variation of zombie appetite I have never seen before.

When I arrived, there were many people gathered, some zombie, more not, an ice cream truck, and some police. The police were there, it turned out, because some irate Little League parents had called them, fretting that their children would be terrorized. The cops came, surveyed the scene, including the small children who were participating in the zombie kickball teams (who were certainly not scared at all), and came to the very intelligent conclusion that there was no reason for them to do anything to stop the event -- and the fun commenced.

The teams shambled and lurched their way about the playing field. The zombies ran the gamut from not-very-zombie-at-all to terrifying. There was a woman with blue hair, crazy sunglasses and purple boots who "Arrrrrr!!!!"ed ferociously in a very pirate-like manner. There was a ballerina in a wheelchair. There was a fellow with his face all wrapped up and his legs draggling behind him. There was another fellow who was lying facedown at the corner of the chainlink fence outside the field when I arrived. Later he dragged himself onto the playing field, where he lay facedown until after the game, when two attendants hauled him bodily to the site where the group photo was being taken.

Throughout the game, a brave band of the undead rattled along on their instruments alongside each play, with surprising skill.

These are but a few of the marvels that I saw at the second annual Zombie Kickball held here in Portland. Last year's looks like it was pretty amazing too. There is video of it here on YouTube. I can only hope that there will be plenty of footage from this year's, too!

I took a ton of photos, many of which are online here on my Flickr.com site. Thanks, Zombie Kickball, for making this a truly memorable Memorial Day weekend!!!

All photos by Michelle Souliere, (c)2007.

Zombie Kickball Returns from the Dead!

Yeah, you thought it might never happen again. You glared into your mirror, pulling your hair out and grimacing, thinking to yourself, "God, how could I have missed it?! What is WRONG with me?!!" And then the unimaginable happens. The once in a lifetime event RETURNS. You, my dear friend and lover of all things zombie, are given a SECOND CHANCE.

Zombie Kickball II - Details (READ THIS!)

Eastern Prom Kickball Field.
Portland, Maine
Be in costume or be consumed!

OK, imagine it . . . Memorial Day Weekend on the Eastern Prom, sailboats criss-crossing Casco Bay . . . young lovers, lazing on the grass . . . the smell of backyard BBQ's . . . the sound of children frolicking on the playground . . . and several dozen shambling, undead converging on the Prom for a knockdown, drag-out game of Zombie Kickball!
What better way to celebrate the unofficial beginning of summer?

Sunday, May 27th, 1:00pm sharp, on the Eastern Prom kickball field!

If you don't feel like playing k-ball, you can still help fill the Zombie Bleachers. Last year we had about 30 folks show up, this year we're shootin' for 100. Sky's the limit, Zombie Cheerleaders, Zombie Drum Line, Zombie Hot Dog Vendor . . . bring it!
Now, forward this to anyone you know who might participate, the more zombies, the better ZKII will be.

Need inspiration? Read these tales of other recent Zombie gatherings around the continent:
• Zombies Mob Posh Vancouver Mall: http://flickr.com/groups/vancouver_zombiewalk_2005/
• San Fran Zombie Flash Mob: http://flickr.com/photos/ioerror/sets/685972/
• Zombies attack Austin Americal Idol auditions: http://www.tvsquad.com/2005/08/30/zombies-crash-american-idol-auditions/
• Zombies vs. D&D kids in Montreal: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pumpkin/sets/538104/

Need Zombie makeup help? Try here (or rent a George Romero movie):
• http://zombies.tomwalsham.com/costume.html
• http://www.zombiepubcrawl.com/makeup.php
• http://www.terror4fun.com

If you missed it last year's fun, you can see some of it online: Zombie Kickball 2006 on YouTube, or take a peek at Jeff Boulet's photos on Flickr.

Lurch your way on out, it's bound to be fun.

Photo by Jeff Boulet.