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zombie gras

Baltimore braces for 6th Annual Zombie Gras, April 2 at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum

Catherine Saunders-Watson
Catherine Saunders-Watson
Revelers put their game faces on for Zombie Gras 2015 held at Geppi's Entertainment Museum. Image courtesy GEM
Revelers had their game faces on for Zombie Gras 2015, held at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum in Baltimore. Image courtesy GEM

 

BALTIMORE – There are many long-standing and beloved traditions observed by Baltimoreans, but none is as creepy – or as much fun – as Zombie Gras. It’s a ghoulish one-day costume festival where the typical guest strives for that authentic, fresh-from-the-graveyard look.

This year’s Zombie Gras is slated for Saturday, April 2nd, and for the sixth year in a row, the event will take place at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum (GEM), at the historic Camden Yards sports complex adjacent to Oriole Park. Start time is 10 a.m.

Zombie Gras has grown in popularity with each successive year, in spite of times when it was held earlier in the year during cold or even inclement weather. It seems you can’t keep a determined zombie down when there’s a great party going on.

During the festival’s brief history, it has hosted extras from The Walking Dead, actors from Dawn of the Dead, a 5-K fundraiser, and more. This year’s version includes vendors, zombie make-up artists, and a pub crawl – or stagger, as the case may be.

“Zombie Gras has become a big part of our year at Geppi’s Entertainment Museum and has really been embraced as one of Baltimore’s new pop-culture traditions,” said Melissa Bowersox, the museum’s president. “We have a lot of great activities, wonderful vendors, enthusiastic creators and excited attendees every year, and we expect that this year will continue that tradition.”

 

Official logo for Zombie Gras 6. Courtesy GEM
Official logo for Zombie Gras 6. Courtesy GEM

 

Attendees are encouraged to shuffle and shamble their way to the museum rocking their best zombie gear or, for the brave of heart, a zombie-killer costume. Make-up artists Original Sin FX will again join in the festivities, so those who don’t have their makeup done by the time they reach the museum can relax and leave it to the experts.

This year the costume competition will be held at 12 noon. Categories are Female, Male, Couple, Group, and Last Zombie Standing. A special prize will be awarded to the winner of GEM’s new game “Body Snatchers.” Throughout the event, Rick Currier Photography will be on hand to capture all of the best flesh-eating moments.

The museum will offer an exclusive limited-edition issue of the hot new comic book Zombie-Proof: Zombie Zoo, available only at GEM. Creators Vincent Spencer and J.C. Vaughn will be on hand to chat about the development of Zombie-Proof, published by Baltimore County-based American Mythology Productions. It’s the story of a once-ostracized visionary who predicted the now-present zombie apocalypse.

“After watching Zombie Gras grow each year, Vincent Spencer and I are completely psyched to be a part of Zombie Gras 6. I’ve been a zombie fan since I saw George Romero’s original version of Dawn of the Dead, so it’s very exciting to be a part of this,” Vaughn said.

As in the past, a bar crawl will wrap up the day’s events, and will start at 1 p.m. Participating establishments this year include Pickles Pub, Sliders, Frank N Nicks West End Grille, Dick’s Last Resort, and Tir Na Nog. Each will provide its own “specials” concocted just for zombies (those who show their Zombie Gras wristbands will be accommodated, even after the pub crawl).

Limited edition t-shirts by NoveltyHaus will be available for just $15 and are offered in sizes from XS to XXXL in a unisex style on a first-come, first-served basis. The image on the shirt was adapted from art by Zombie-Proof artist Vincent Spencer. The back of the shirt lists all of the bars participating in the bar crawl (as well as the sponsors Alliance Games, Diamond Select Toys, Novelty Haus, and Water Taxi. Very limited quantities of shirts from previous years are available, as well, for $20 each.

 

Here’s a look at this year’s official Zombie Gras t-shirt design. Courtesy GEM
Here’s a look at this year’s official Zombie Gras t-shirt design. Courtesy GEM

 

Geppi’s Entertainment Museum is located at 301 W. Camden Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. Attendees in full zombie make-up get free admission, while for others it’s the standard $10 adult museum admission fee. Doors open at 10 a.m.

Enquiries: email GEM Sales Manager Britany Marriott, mbritany@geppismuseum.com or call 410-625-7063. Visit GEM online at www.geppismuseum.com.

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About Geppi’s Entertainment Museum

Located in Baltimore’s historic Camden Yards sports complex and only a short walk from the family-friendly Inner Harbor area, Geppi’s Entertainment Museum is dedicated to presenting the story of popular culture since the nation’s earliest days in an entertaining and educational fashion so that our guests have the unique opportunity to see that entertainment history parallels and is entwined with history as a whole. Immediately next door to Oriole Park and directly across the street from the Baltimore Convention Center, GEM is at 301 W. Camden Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. The museum is open Tuesday-Sunday 10 AM-6 PM. It is closed Mondays except for major holidays, and is closed New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. GEM is online at www.geppismuseum.com.