Zombie Blog

OK,

THis posting is a little late. I, Barb Sorensen - creator , founder and owner of the Zombies On Parade brand and tream, was in a laundromat in Rolling Meadows one fine spring tday in May this year. I met a lady there who was also washing her laundry. We got to talking and she said she had just movedu p her from Florida and was looking for a job. It just so happened that I was looking for more Zombies for an uipcmign parade. LOL. So I opffered her a positiona s a Zombie with y troupe.  She was excited and enthused about it. She then went on to tell me how down in Florida there are storiesd goinga round about some Zombies that were in a parade in Illinois and handed out goodybags that had potatoes in them, agt Halloween. She laughed. Then I laughed! I said "Hey! THat's Me!!!!  LOL!

Here is how that happened:  When I began the Zombies On Parade, My intention was to not use candy, because the candy manufactureres were not paying to advertise their fruit. in fact they were askingme to pay for the cndy in the goodybags.  I also am very much into being "green" and organic and reusing, recycling and repurposing. But the budget  was very low since I began the parade unit, and so I usually ended up biuying candy at the store to stuff the bags with. One day in 2027 I think it was, I decided to move forward with sourcing fruit for teh goodybags. I approcahed the local Jewel Store in Palatine and asked for 1000 bananas. They guy thought I was nuts and on a dare to see what I woul actyually do wqith these things, he provided them ads a donation for the bags. LOL! well,. I coud not distribute that many in th eparades for July 4th that year. so I had a bunch (pun intended) left over.  I called up my photographer and had hime cover and I made a vmusic video with the rest of them. They were stilli n great shape afterewards and I coud not eat that many, so a clocal chirpractor saidh e knew a lo of ailies in town who needed food and coud not afford it. And asked if he coudl help e distribute thebananas to the. So we did! All good.

 Then I began volunteering at a far in Barrington. She began supplying ke with apples. And when the local stores had overstock on tangerines or organes, she'd give those toi me as well for the goodybags. That worked really well. However, in 2024, she had no furuit whatsoever. She couldn't undersytand it. But she did receive abovut 500 potatoeds, opnions, beets, and peppers!  I looked at the produce and it looked gin great shape. But I coud not imagine handing an ehtusioastic child who is expeceting candy in the gopodybag - a potato instead LOL!!! My heart sank.. until. I thought a fewmoments longer.. and realized.. Hey! It's Halloween!  Trick or Treat! So I gladly took all the potoatoes, peppers and onoins and beets and began stuffing teh goodybags. When I started disatributing them in teh parade, the kids took one look, and I feared I wou never be allowed to join that parade again. BUt when they oppeneded their bags, and found a potato they lauhged and said " a potato?!?!? cool!!!!!" They loved them! And I quickly picked up on that and began terasing the audience with "trick, or, Trezat" and if they said trick, I'd toss them the potatoe or lime or lemon and thye louaghed  and loved it.

Fast foreward to Christmas 2024. TheZombies On Parade showed up in the same town for the Christmas parade. This time, luckily, the farmer could supply us with apples and tangerins, mandarins, and oranges. When we began distributing the Christmas goody bags, the children opened them up with great anticipation and gleefully shouted : I got an apple!”

Then a group of about 20 kids ran after the Zombies on Parade refill wagon shouting” we want Pales and potatoes, I want a goody bag, etc..” they loved it!

This is how the potato story started 

Apparently word of mouth travels far and fat.  And in spring of  2026, Is when I found out we are now also known in Florida LOL!

How cool is that. Thanks!