Unfortunately, the current economic fallout has effected Zombie Fest in a number of ways. Many of last year's local business participants were unable to offer their services this year due to negligent bills and the like. Additionally, we were unable to find a venue that could safely provide for the 400+ attendees we were expecting on a date that did not compete with other local businesses during the holiday season.

For the meantime, the event will be cancelled indefinitely.

Currently, the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen is in dire need of your help. We will be exploring other avenues to raise money and food donations for the needy during the season. We will post additional blogs containing any information related to such events.

I urge all of you to keep giving during these tough economic times. Here's how:

Food donations and other supplies can be brought to 311 Temple Street, Monday through Thursday, between 1:00 and 6:00 p.m. For more information, contact:

Jeanne Marie May
Phone: 203-809-8770
Email: JeanneMarieMay@aol.com

Additionally, financial donations can be sent to:

Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen
P. O. Box 1478
New Haven, CT 06506-1478
Phone: 203-624-6426
Fax: 203-624-6426

For more information, email Diana Richter at dianamrichter@aol.com

The Pantry before Zombie Fest (photo by Diana Richter):


The Pantry after Zombie Fest (photo by Diana Richter):


Thanks to all of you who participated in CT Zombie Fest, we managed to stock the shelves of the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen with over 1,000 pounds of food items! This also includes the substantial financial donations provided by Bottega Lounge that came from your copious amounts of drinking.

* * * * *

I urge all of you to keep giving. Here's how:

Food donations and other supplies can be brought to 311 Temple Street, Monday through Thursday, between 1:00 and 6:00 p.m. For more information, contact:

Jeanne Marie May
Phone: 203-809-8770
Email: JeanneMarieMay@aol.com

Additionally, financial donations can be sent to:

Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen
P. O. Box 1478
New Haven, CT 06506-1478
Phone: 203-624-6426
Fax: 203-624-6426

For more information, email Diana Richter at dianamrichter@aol.com

* * * * *

Have a safe, happy Halloween! And thanks again for coming out for a good cause!

~Jeff Glagowski

Show up at Bottega before 10PM (in costume): No cover. Suggested donations. Bring canned goods or be eaten alive. *Please*

After 10PM: $7 cover charge OR $1 off for every food item you bring.

And no--bringing more than 7 cans will not net you a profit, but we encourage you to give as much as possible. Your heartless zombie soul requires it.

Additionally, you can shuffle into any of the following locations dressed as a zombie for Magic Hat specials!

• Anna Liffey's - 17 Whitney Avenue
• BAR - 254 Crown Street
• Black Bear - 124 Temple Street
• Café Bottega - 910 Chapel Street
• Christopher Martin's - 860 State Street
• Christy on Orange - 261 Orange Street
• JP Dempsey's - 974 State Street
• Playwright - 144 Temple Street
• Richter's - 990 Chapel Street
• Sidebar - 259 Orange Street
• Temple Grill - 152 Temple Street

Cover charges and specials may vary between locations, but we encourage you to visit your favorite haunts or stick around, wander around or eat some brains between pints of Magic No. 9!

__________________________

www.myspace.com/ctzombiefest/

What to buy?

As of October, the "most-needed" list includes:

• Family-size cans of sweet potatoes
• Chicken broth
• Cans and packets of turkey gravy
• Adobo
• Sage
• Powdered chicken bouillon (preferred in jars)
• Cans of green beans
• Butter
• Stuffing
• Cans of cranberry sauce
• Garlic powder
• Mayonnaise
• Cereal
• Cans of meat and tuna
• Soups
• Powdered milk
• Beans (dry or canned)
• Oatmeal
• Pasta
• Rice
• Peanut butter
• Jelly
• Boxes of crackers

Note: We prefer generic food brands, and no fresh produce, please.

CT Zombie Walk 2007 CHECKLIST

• Horde as many canned and non-perishable food items as (in)humanly possible. See our blog for acceptable food items.

• Zombification Supplies: makeup, fake blood, fake flesh, this may require a trip to Costume Bazaar (locations in New Haven and Orange). See our blog for details.

• Zombify yourself as much as possible before Zombie Fest.

• Pick a designated driver for the evening to ensure a safe trip to and from Zombie Fest. Zombies never say die (kinda like Goonies).

• Consider bringing multiple forms of ID. Bartenders won't know how long you've been dead.

• Bring a camera. Afterwards, upload your photos to our CT Zombie Fest Flickr Group at www.flickr.com/groups/ctzombiefest/ OR email CTZombieFest(at)Gmail.com the results.

• Practice walking like a zombie, moaning like a zombie and eating brains like a zombie. And remember--REAL zombies don't run or walk single-file...and they almost always travel in packs.

• Prepare for mayhem, legions of the walking dead, and a damn good time.

• Be at Bottega Lounge, Temple Plaza, New Haven at 8PM with your canned goods.

• Party. Enjoy the show. Roam the streets. Save the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen.

Our friends over at Costume Bazaar would like you to know that for every costume sold, $1 will go to benefit the Hayley Petit Foundation, organized by Miss Porter's School in Farmington, Connecticut.


Hayley Elizabeth Petit (1989-2007), Michaela Rose Petit (1995-2007), Jennifer Lynn Hawke-Petit (1958-2007)

Click here to read more about the July 23rd tragedy in Cheshire, CT, and the Petit family.

______________________________________________________

the Costume Bazaar
1-800-Halloween

Two Locations:
1593 State St
New Haven, CT 06511

190 Boston Post Rd (inside JungleJim's)
Orange, CT 06477
Haunted Maze (Orange store only) begins Oct 11!

______________________________________________________

Special thanks to our volunteer makeup artists:

Jamie Arabolos (makeup team organizer)
Ort (from Costume Bazaar)
Lana Ivan
Gary Meade
Maya Szatai
Sara Scranton
Page Thornber
Joe Wilson

PLEASE REPOST!

Soup kitchen in danger of having to close its doors
See the original WTNH article here.


* * * * * * * * * *


My fellow zombies,

It has come to my attention that due to the "drastic shortage of canned and non-perishable food items", the New Haven Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen is in danger of closing it's doors before winter.

YOU CAN HELP!

It's very simple: Before you get your costume ready for Connecticut's first ever Zombie Fest, take a moment to run to your local grocer and pick up as many canned and non-perishable items as you can muster. See our blog for a list of acceptable items. When you arrive at Temple Plaza on October 20th, 8PM, we will have volunteers collecting these food items.

Additionally, financial donations can be sent to the following address:
Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen
P. O. Box 1478
New Haven, CT 06506-1478



* * * * * * * * * *


Please take a moment to consider the following facts and see how your donation can positively impact your community:

FACT: Over 80% of Food Pantry requests are for food items for children. Unfortunately, children are the single biggest new population that DESK serves on a daily basis.

FACT: In 2006, 4,939 families with children were served by the Desk Food Pantry.

FACT: $100.00 can supply food for 250 evening meals or 100 weekly pantry bags of food or 120 bag lunches for the working poor.

See also: The Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen website

Bored? Need a distraction? Inspiration?

Here's a list of some online Flash zombie video games to satiate your hunger for braaaaaaaaaaains:

The Last Stand

The Endless Zombie Rampage

BoxHead: More Rooms

Zombie Horde III

Autumn War

De-Animator

Divine Intervention

Project Validus: Survival

Zombie Grinder

Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Zombie Survival SM

Zombie Inglor

On October 20th, shuffle into any of the following locations dressed as a zombie for Magic Hat specials!

• Anna Liffey's - 17 Whitney Avenue
• BAR - 254 Crown Street
• Black Bear - 124 Temple Street
• Café Bottega - 910 Chapel Street
• Christopher Martin's - 860 State Street
• Christy on Orange - 261 Orange Street
• JP Dempsey's - 974 State Street
• Playwright - 144 Temple Street
• Richter's - 990 Chapel Street
• Sidebar - 259 Orange Street
• Temple Grill - 152 Temple Street

AND DON'T FORGET: We kick off the evening at Bottega Lounge in Temple Plaza at 8pm! Bring the listed non-perishable food items to benefit the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen!

MISSION OF DESK:

The mission of the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen (DESK) is to provide free nutritious meals for homeless individuals and families, and the working and non-working poor of the Greater New Haven area. To this end, DESK provides hot evening meals, bag lunches, weekly food pantry bags, and an emergency food bank for people in crisis.

On October 20th, we're asking all zombie participants to bring non-perishable food items to Bottega Lounge to benefit the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen. A successful food drive will help nourish New Haven's needy into the cold, winter months and ensures a bigger and better event in subsequent years.

Please collect some of the following items before arriving at Bottega Lounge, October 20th, at 8PM. Volunteers will be on hand to collect your donations and box them up for transport to the DESK facility.

Food Items most needed:
• Tuna & Other Canned Meat
• Peanut Butter
• Chunky Soups & Beef Stew
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Spaghetti & Sauce
• Rice, and Dry & Canned Beans
• Canned Vegetables & Fruits
• Powdered Milk
• 100% Fruit Juice (Cans, Bottles, Boxes)
• "Sugar Free," "Low Sodium," & "No Salt"

Personal Care Items most needed:
• Shampoo, Toothpaste, Toothbrushes
• Diapers, Detergent, Deodorant
• Shaving Cream, Razors, Hairbrushes

PLEASE! No fresh fruits or vegetables. Non-perishable items only.

If you have any question or concerns, please contact ctzombiefest@gmail.com