April 30- Crawlin’ with the Zombies (Not the Old ‘60s Group!)

One of my co-workers, Kristen, told me about a fun event that she attended last weekend- a “Zombie Pub Crawl!” Now, granted, almost any weekend, you can find people walking around like zombies from bar to bar, but that’s more due to being over-served than partaking in a themed event.
I remember a viewer telling me about a similar event that happened in Milwaukee a while back, and, evidently, the trend is growing-much like the zombie population in any decent zombie flick! This one, of course, took place in Chicago- sponsored by a theater company-and one of the first things they did was apply make-up to participants, to make them truly look like zombies!(Kristen said she had only gotten last-minute notice from a friend about doing the pub crawl, so she was not able to actually dress in “zombie-wear” as many of the participants had.) Then, the zombie group visited three pubs, complete with a screening of “Night of the Living Dead!” Kristen even brought me back a souvenir- a button that said “I (picture of a brain) zombies”-get it? A take-off on all those buttons, bumper stickers and t-shirts that say “I (heart) something”-but paying tribute to the zombie’s love of brains (as a meal or a snack!)All in all, it sounds like a fun event-and Kristen said she got a lot of attention, so she must have made one attractive zombie!
Speaking of zombies (just kidding), I believe today is the birthday of Mr. “It’s Your Dime, It’s Your Dance-Floor”- the one and only Chet Coppock. I know many old school fans of the original Svengoolie recall Chet on the show as a newscaster, with the original Sven, Jerry G. Bishop often introducing him with such misnomers as “Chet Carpet” or “Chet ColdCuts”- plus, a few cameo appearances on the show. Chet also did roller derby announcing at the time. I first met Chet back then, and he was always very kind to me (even as I was this skinny kid, still in college, hanging around with Jerry and gradually becoming a part of the show!)Chet also made appearances with me in my “Son of Svengoolie” days, both on telethons and as a guest on my show. Big Chet, along the way, took a cue from the Roller Derby and WWE (with which he also did some work) book, and started to play himself as a character, amplifying his own personality. At this point, I guess people either love him or hate him, but he certainly has been a bombastic personality in Chicago broadcasting. Whether wearing a yellow plaid sport jacket (back in the ‘70s) or a full-length fur coat (in any era you choose)- Chet has always been one of a kind. Happy Birthday, Chester!