Yesterday started out normal enough. We were just hanging out with Jeremy’s sister, Taylor, and our niece, Meryl, in downtown Fort Wayne.
There were some Fright Night festivities going on, and we thought we’d see what they were all about.
We stopped into the Botanical Conservatory to walk through their Pumpkin Path exhibit, but unfortunately arrived a few minutes too late. It was okay, though, because Meryl walked away with these fancy ghost glasses and a very glamorous (magical) spider ring.
We continued on to the library, where, on the plaza, Fright Night goers were getting ready for the parade. We stopped inside first, though, to see what the “not-so-scary” family-friendly fun was all about in the Children’s Services area of the library.
Meryl was obsessed with the giant globe and kept asking where each of us lived. We also spent some time in the play area and hanging out around the aquariums where she just couldn’t stop looking at and talking to Patrick (the starfish) and Nemo (the clownfish.)
We finally talked her into going back outside, and got to hear a bit of the Snarks‘ performance.
It was getting close to time for the parade, so we decided to find a spot to stand and watch. Not before grabbing some warm drinks from Fortezza and checking out these fun pumpkins, though!
Then, things got real scary, real quick…
This was no parade, this was a Zombie Walk! I REPEAT, THERE IS A ZOMBIE OUTBREAK IN FORT WAYNE!!!
We should have been running away, but all we could do was stand there, frozen in shock…
I’m not sure how we did it, but we made it out alive.
The stress of seeing so many zombies at once can definitely leave one feeling shaken to the core, and very, very hungry.
So, we stopped and grabbed a few slices of pizza from Pint & Slice before making our next move. We sat outside battling cold winds and dodging a few straggler zombies. It was the scariest of dinners.
In between asking whether zombies *had* to eat brains to survive and if zombies were usually clothed or naked, Meryl kept looking up at the buildings and treetops saying, “They’re so boo-tiful, they’re just so boo-tiful, we should take a picture.” And so we did.
From there, we walked over to the Ghostly Gala at the Grand Wayne Center, where there was music and a dance floor for the kids, and lots of arts and crafts. We spent some time coloring and making ghosts from tissue and lollies.
Our last stop of the night was the Old Fort, where we listened to some spooky local stories around the fire while we waited to go on a lantern-lit tour through the historic buildings.
Our tour guide told us there are over twenty ghosts that linger around the Old Fort – some who continue to cry for help, and some who were driven mad in life and continue to make their madness known today…
And thankfully, once again, we made it out alive!
Whew! We’re still a little spooked this morning. We’re hoping Fort Wayne has returned to its normal state. However, I’m a bit concerned that we might be in for a rather rocky rest of October because…
…someone lit that candle and the Sanderson Sisters are back!
xo, Aly