By Mary Walton
“Hi, Mary. It’s Valerie and Flo!”
I looked closely, and behind the dripping blood, the nose rings, shades and fang-like teeth, the whitewashed faces and gore-soaked clothing, I could make out Grovers Valerie Trembly and Flo Meier. We exchanged greetings before they were quickly swept up in a swirl of maimed and mutilated zombies parading up and down the Asbury boardwalk.
I caught up with Valerie the next morning. It turned out to be the retired teacher’s first year as a zombie after two years as a spectator at Asbury’s annual Zombie Walk. She joined a group of a dozen female friends, ladies of a certain age, who call themselves the “Birthday Fairies” and celebrate their birthdays together decked out with tiaras, wands and other fairy accoutrements. These celebrations take place without menfolk. “The men don’t want to do it, unless there’s a dinner party,” Valerie said.
So on Saturday, voila!, they became the “Zombie Birthday Fairies.” (Note the wands and tiaras.)
Before the walk on Saturday the fairies assembled at the Cookman Avenue home of Colleen Meyer and helped themselves to nose rings and fake teeth, while snacking on a brain centerpiece made from a honeydew melon dripping with strawberry sauce. Also, what else?, eyeball candies.
En route to the march, they stopped at a nearby dwelling that had just changed hands. A moving truck announced the arrival of the new owners. “Welcome to the neighborhood,” chorused the ghoulish fairies to the dumbfounded homebuyers. “It’s too late. You can’t change your minds.”
And off they went in great spirits to join the huge throng on the boardwalk. They dragged their feet in the zombie walk. They grimaced with hands curled into claws. And growled.
Who knew zombies growled?
“You make that face and the sound comes out,” Valerie said. “It’s not planned. You can’t do it without the sound. It’s like the teeth are connected to the voice box.”
“There was such a sense of community,” she said of the Zombie Walk. “It didn’t matter what your politics were, or your gender. It was such fun. It was like being a kid and not caring that you look so awful.”
Note: The Zombie Walk will continue in Asbury Park this year.
THE BLOOD PLAYERS “True Blood Theme Song.”
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