BANGOR, Maine — Trick-or-treaters in Downtown Bangor Saturday afternoon and evening beware — a horde of imitation undead will stumble down Main Street while you’re filling your bags with candy.
More than 20 downtown businesses will open their doors to young trick-or-treaters from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, an annual event sponsored by the Downtown Bangor Partnership.
“It is a positive and safe way for families to come out and enjoy the downtown,” said George Kinghorn, president of the Downtown Bangor Partnership and director of the University of Maine Museum of Art.
The event started three years ago as a way to give kids a fun, safe place to trick-or-treat during daylight hours. Last year, about 400 children took part, according to Kinghorn.
Halfway through the trick-or-treating event, however, the Bangor Zombie Walk will begin on Railroad Street. Starting at 4 p.m. the mass of not-so-undead will proceed down Main Street, then loop through the downtown area before ending at the Sea Dog on the waterfront about two hours later, according to an event posting on the Bangor Daily News website.
A few concerned parents have contacted the Bangor Daily News in the past week, saying they hadn’t been aware that the two events overlapped and children might be frightened by the sight of people dressed in tattered clothing and smeared in artificial blood walking the streets acting like zombies.
Kinghorn said he wasn’t aware of the Zombie Walk or the fact that the two events are overlapping.
“I don’t see it to be a major concern,” he said. “It’s Halloween.”
Philip Smith, organizer of the Zombie Walk, said he knew the trick-or-treat event would be going on at the same time, but that he hopes his event will only serve to add to the enjoyment of the day.
“I am aware of the overlap, as it happened last year as well, with little to no problems,” Smith said Thursday.
The zombie group, which held a similar walk last year, announced on Oct. 13 that it had received permits for the Oct. 27 walk.
Kinghorn said parents concerned that their children might be frightened by the sight of zombies shouldn’t be discouraged from going trick-or-treating downtown. Rather, he said, they might want to explain that some people like to dress and act like ghouls on Halloween and that it’s all part of the fun.
“We are a group just looking to put some spook back into Halloween,” Smith said. “After all, this is the home to Stephen King, right? I can see where parents are coming from though.”
“I hope the parents understand, and we can both have a little fun this Saturday,” Smith said.
Just that day, Bangor always has zombies walking through it
Small children will be terrified by the sight of the walking dead. You can’t explain away the costume factor when the image is so clear and realistic to them.
Ur Funny It’s HALLOWEEN!
Do you have children? Reason doesn’t work so well on young minds.
I have a trick that might help you that I used for my oldest when he thought bears would get him if he went outside. I told him that if any bears get to close to him, he should kick them in the nuts. Worked like a charm, until his younger brother got the nickname “Bear”.
Anyone dressed up like a zombie that sees a scared kid should get kicked there if the approach said kid.
I do, I have done the Downtown trick or treating and don’t have any problem with the zombie walk folks.
I was a participant in last year’s Zombie Walk, which also crossed over, time-wise, with the downtown trick-or-treaters. While this was probably somewhat unexpected by the families of trick-or-treaters, there were no unusual incidents that I witnessed, nor heard of after the fact.
I attribute this to the fact that we (as zombies) generally did not engage with any persons that did not engage with us first, thereby respecting the wishes of those who did not want to be involved with our Walk.
This “rule of thumb” also led to a fun and incident free Zombie Pub Crawl that occurred last summer in the downtown area.
I know that several of Walkers this year are parents themselves, and some are bringing their children who want to play along as young zombies.
As long as every one remembers the spirit of fun that this season is about, and that everyone is in costume and pretending, there is no reason Bangor’s downtown can’t accommodate all the groups celebrating Halloween
If parents think their children will be scared then they shouldn’t take them downtown. Pretty simple.
We as zombies do not tend to bring fear to anyone. We are a group of people just bringing some fun back to Halloween. We are no difrent then what your children will see themself on halloween night. In fact there most likely to see worse on halloween night.