BY SPENCER BEEBE
A group of zombies rose from their graves and shambled down to the Queen’s Square Library in Cambridge on Oct. 26 to show everyone that being dead is no excuse not to groove.
The not-so-lively group of choreographed corpses had come to participate in the Zombie Infestation event held at the library at 1 North Square, which featured face painting, comic book giveaways and a zombie flash mob where the decaying dancers stepped in time to Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
Visitors to the library were greeted with spooky sound effects and eerie fog. Tables were set up where makeup artists put face paint on people of all ages, and booths were set up to give information about different organizations that had contributed, including the YWCA and Halloween Comicfest.
“We have seasonal events for kids every year,” said Karen Murray-Hopf, the cultural programs and special events planner for Cambridge Libraries, who was wearing her own zombie makeup.
“This is the first year we’ve done a zombie infestation.” The YWCA was heavily involved in the event along with Michelle Hopkins, owner and instructor of Morph, a local dance and fitness academy that brought together the talented students who danced along to the popular pop song.
“We worked with their academy, we advertised this to them and they jumped at the opportunity to join in a flash mob,” said Kristen Feduck, a YWCA representative.
Her partner, Kate MacLaggan, said the event was a great way to raise some visibility for their organization.
Kurt Hvorup was at the event giving visitors information about Halloween Comicfest, an event held every October across Canada at participating stores, which had comic giveaways, a costume contest and a guest artist to show kids how to do character drawing.
“It’s an event to promote literacy,” he said, jokingly adding that they’re promoting comics and that nothing could go wrong. Once the clock struck 12 – in the afternoon, not midnight – a group of zombie dancers stumbled into the library from every door, growling and clawing at the mass of people who had come to see the event.
When the last of the crowd of cadavers had shuffled into the main entryway, they froze – only to re-awaken and begin dancing in time as the familiar tune of Thriller began playing. The zombies followed the song’s dance movements, twirling and tapping their toes to the rhythm.
They may not be breathing, but every participant – both living and dead – agreed that the zombie infestation was a spectacularly spooky and entertaining time for all.
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