Zombie March

Posted on by Thor

At the last minute I was told by Paula Large that there was going to be a zombie march in broad daylight on International Drive. The starting spot was at Uno’s pizza right across from Ripley’s Believe it or Not. Driving down International Drive the sudden appearance of hundreds of zombies wandering around the Uno’s parking lot was unsettling. I drove around the block making my way back to the mayhem. My pulse quickened. I parked at the Indian restaurant next to Uno’s.

As soon as I walked into the crowd, I was surrounded by pale, lifeless, brain eating zombies. A stage was set up at one end of the parking lot for a band that I assumed would be playing later. I was immediately drawn to this Hurst parked in the corner of the lot nearest the street. I stood on a small island covered with dried out dead vegetation. Little Red Riding Hood seemed out of place until I saw that she had slit her wrists. A young woman in a tight black leather dress had a cross tattooed between her shoulder blades she walked with a limp. With her nose ring and studs, I suspect she wasn’t really in costume. She must live Goth.

Loud music blasted from the two speakers strapped to the roof of the Hearst. A guy in a black leather vest got on the roof of the Hearst and shouted into the megaphone, “Do you want to see some blood?!” He fired up a chainsaw and the crowd of zombies went wild. one zombie never broke character, he just swayed side to side with his eyes rolled back in his head. A foam manikin was thrown on the roof of the Hearst and he started cutting off limbs to the roar from the crowd. When he thrust the chainsaw blade into her chest blood began to fly and spill everywhere. A pizza was delivered from the restaurant . He began attacking the pizza with the chainsaw with shards of crust and tomato sauce raining down on all the zombies. He threw large chunks of pizza into the crowd where I assume they were devoured.

0n the sidelines citizens with signs protested the march, demanding that the undead return to the graves they came from. When the march began I stayed behind frantically throwing blood red washes onto my drawing. The Goth girls limp must have been real since she remained behind as well, seated in one of the two wooden chairs near the Hearst. A female zombie asked to see my sketch. Her eyes had a strange metallic blue shine. She complimented me and thanked me for sharing with a sweet voice that seemed very out of place since her skin had decomposed rather horrifically. I am sure the party would continue late into the night, but I had to get to class back in the world of reality.

Orlando Psycho City Derby Girls

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I rushed from an art opening in Winter Park to the Universal Entertainment Skating Center (866 S. Goldenrod Road). I managed to arrive just moments before the match began. Admission was $13 which is pricey for me but I had never experienced a whole derby match before so I fumbled for a $20 out of my wallet. On the entry door to the rink was a poster for the movie “Whip it.” Three steps into the rink and my hiking boot got stuck to the floor thanks to a wad of bubble gum. I circled the perimeter of the rink counter clockwise searching for my vantage point. I ran into Carl Gauze, a writer for the Orlando Weekly, and he explained I could sketch from anywhere so long as I stayed outside the bright green rink line. I setup on a table at the far end of the rink. Skaters were warming up doing leisurely laps.

The Bellevue Bombshells were competing in a rematch against the Sunnyland Slammers . Players were announced one at a time and they did a lap around the rink soaking in the roar of the crowd. Skaters names are part of the reason roller derby is so fun. There was, Anita Priest, Phoenix on Fire, Ellen Rage, Hit Girl, Sister Mary Mayhem, Brooklyn Deck Her and On ya knees.

I honestly don’t understand all the rules and through the first half, I concentrated more on the sketch than on any jamming, blocking or scoring going on. At the half Sunnyland in the blue and gold had the lead of 62 to 26.

A fan who wanted to check out my drawing, explained some of the rules and the game started to make sense. Each team had a girl with a stripe on her helmet called the pivot. The pivot’s job was to set the pace of the pack, no one could pass the pivot. Each team had a skater with a star on her helmet called the jammer. The jammers job was to make her way through the pack to get points. Skaters were blocking and falling down constantly. Number 187, Ellen Rage took a very nasty spill and she lay on the rink floor. Team mates skated up to her getting on their knees. After an agonizing wait she managed to get up and the fans clapped and whooped.

The announcer let everyone know there was just 30 seconds remaining in the match and suddenly all the players skated full out. “Little mini Poo Poo made a hole for cup cake!” The announcer screamed. Then skaters were ramming into each other and there was a huge pileup. A skater barreled into a referee knocking her down. “Everyone is down, it is a free for all!” The buzzer sounded and even though the match was over, arms flailed and bodies smacked to the ground. The final score was Sunnyland 124 and Belview 76. Roller derby is in Orlando you really have to see it to believe it.

Zombietoberfest

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You know Halloween is approaching when zombies roam the streets of the Audubon Garden district. As Terry and I approached late that night we noticed a few zombies stumbling down Corrine Drive. There was a large crowd of zombies outside Park Avenue CD. We arrived at Stardust Video and Coffee around 11pm. When we opened the door, a loud pulsing rhythm shook us as a band played angrily. Decomposing bodies around us writhed to the beat. Terry clutched my hand as I searched for the right sketching vantage point. Rather than committing to a sketch of the band, I decided to search the other rooms for zombies.
The food and drink order counter had a line of zombies that stretched out the door. Chad Bruce and Dana VanZandt were seated at a small corner table and they waved us over. Chad’s sweatshirt was thickly spattered with blood. Dana was dressed as a huntress. When asked about their outfits, they demonstrated their method of hunting zombies. Dana had a human brain that she dangled from a fishing line off the end of a stick. Her job was to lure a zombie close using the brain as bait. Then Chad would unholster the golf club at his hip and strike the zombie down with swift blows to the head.
A zombie was checking his iPhone as he waited in line. A female zombie held a human brain on a plate. When she turned to me I noticed the bullet hole in the center of her forehead. She said she was one of the models at a Boudoir Bombshells photo shoot I sketched several months ago her name is Tamarie Lang. I tried to recognize her but couldn’t get past the blood and bruising. When the quiet demure woman in the red kimono finally turned around, her face wash ashen and blood was dripping from her lips. It was hard to notice if there was blood on her red kimono. Doug Rhodehamel stopped in front of me, frozen mid-stride in his walk. It took a few seconds for me to notice him and I laughed out loud at his attempt to get in the sketch.
When the sketch was done I considered going in the loud room full of writhing zombies, but Terry was tired so I decided it was a one sketch night . My zombie hunting was complete. The event was supposed to end at midnight anyway so I didn’t have time for another sketch.

Pumpkin Brigade

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The first sign of fall for me this year came when I was driving north on Apopka Vineland Road and I spotted this pumpkin brigade. I was heading out to another sketching location but when I got to the next corner I had to turn around. The 18 wheeler was parked in the grass behind Saint Luke’s Methodist Church. I walked around for a bit and peaked inside the truck to see the hundreds of pumpkins both large and small. I noticed bags of granular ant killer scattered here and there. I considered leaning against a tree but there was a huge fire ant mound at it’s base with granules sprinkled on top. Pallets were arranged in neat rows and the line of adults and children stretched from the back of the truck to the pallets. I chose to lean against a chain link fence that surrounded an electrical power generator.
Halfway into the sketch a man and woman approached me and asked what I was doing. Before I explained, the woman said, “We provide a safe zone for the children.” Wow! She thought I might be a sexual predator, a stalker, a menace! She checked my half finished sketch with little interest, then turned toward the truck and said, “So you find this inspiring?” I countered back with, “Yes, of course how often do you get to see a pumpkin brigade?” I gave her my card and told her to check out the blog. Then she said, “Are you a member of Saint Luke’s?” “No” I replied, “though I have sketched quite a few churches in town.” I doubt I will be going to a service at St. Luke’s anytime soon since the first member I met seemed less than welcoming, perhaps a touch paranoid. Regardless I am happy I stopped and didn’t let this rare moment go unsketched. I am left wondering what moral lesson can be learned from carving pumpkins.

Haunted Yard

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Driving back from Lakeridge Winery and Vineyards, Terry and I discovered this amazing Victorian haunted house. We drove past at 45miles an hour and I shouted, “Stop the car! We have to go back.” Terry did a three point turn and parked in the grass across from this amazing display. It is located on Oakland Avenue just west of Avalon Road, west of downtown Winter Garden. I didn’t sketch that afternoon since I knew Terry wanted to get home. It was two days later when I returned alone to sketch. I set up my portable stool on a grassy center median, leaned back against a huge old Live Oak tree and started to sketch. I really needed a bigger sketchbook since the display is so vast. I squeezed what I could onto the pages.
The Live Oak tree’s trunk took up most of the width of the median so I was just a few feet away from the cars that rushed by me. Once in a while a large pickup truck with its knobby mud tires buzzing would honk in appreciation or annoyance. While I worked SUV’s driven by moms would park and children would pile out and begin exploring. A boy shouted, “Look a jar full of eye balls!” The kids loved the place. Soon the mom would round up the kids and the SUV would roar off.
The owner pulled into his driveway and as his daughter went inside he placed the skulls he had with him around the yard. His name is Joseph Williams and his daughter who also helped with the display was named Josette. This display began on a much smaller scale in 1977. Each year he changes the theme of the display. This year “Pirates of the Caribbean” is the theme. The entire porch is planked to look like the broad side of a ship and dead pirates are everywhere. 20 or so of the figures are animatronics. Joseph was nice enough to walk me around demonstrating the figures that moved. The inside of the house is also elaborately decorated. The house is only open on Halloween night. Each year, two to three thousand people walk through. Joseph gives away glow stick bracelets as well as full sized candy bars, no mini bites here!
Joseph walked me inside even though work still needed to be done to finish the decorations. The first room was my favorite. It was Egyptian themed with a gorgeous gold king Tut mask over the fire place. There was a huge sarcophagus and two sinister mummy’s guard the room.
Across the hall Hannibal Lecter strapped to a gurney is threatening in his snakelike oily way. Also in this room Jason threatened with a machete. A butler breathed heavily in the hall with a python coiled around his neck. In the kitchen Dracula stood overlooking a blood fountain. Here guests are offered a beer or soda before heading to the graveyard behind the home. A ton of ice is shipped in for all the drinks. A garish autopsy room on the side of the home was created entirely by Josette. Marie Antoinette cradles her own head on the back porch and this is just a small taste of the horrors to come as you walk out into the darkness.
On the night of Halloween cars park all along the length of Oakland Avenue for two miles or so. In all of the 33 years the display has been put up there has never been an accident. Joseph said that only once was an item stolen. His cell phone disappeared and he simply dialed the number and asked the person to leave it at the 7-11. The phone was returned. The event is free and open to the public. Joseph even refuses to accept donations since he feels it might discourage people from coming out. I certainly hope to return Halloween night.

Interview with Robert Hill

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Mark Baratelli invited me to come out and sketch an interview he was having with Robert Hill, the Artistic Director of the Orlando Ballet. The interview took place at the Orlando Public Library. Mark kept the interview entertaining and funny. This is Robert Hills second year as the artistic director and he is on a mission to make ballet relevant to the world we live in by providing audiences with contemporary choreography, music and subject matter while continuing to preserve classical ballet that have stood the test of time. The Orlando Ballet’s 37th season begins with Giselle which is one of the timeless classics. For the holiday season, Nutcracker will return to the stage and in February Battle of the sexes hits the stage for a second time. The season will close with Carmen based on the opera.
Questions were fielded from the audience . A man stood and asked, “With a stage filled with dancers, how do we know where to look?” Robert said, “Actually that is a really good question, If the choreography is done right, it will lead your eye.” Mark asked a question which bought a laugh from the audience, “Do you let your dancers eat?” Robert responded by pointing out how he encourages his dancers to eat healthy foods.
Conducting the interview in a public place like the library is part of the plan to bring the ballet to a wider audience. After the interview was over, I approached Robert asking him to allow me to sketch rehearsals. He seemed enthusiastic and he said his assistant would call me. I have wanted to sketch ballet rehearsals for well over a year and it looks like I might finally realize that dream.

Amway Opening Day

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The media rushed inside the Amway Center once the ribbon had been cut. I was still putting watercolor washes on the previous sketch. I got a text from Mark Baratelli saying he and Tisse Mallon were inside. I needed to get a media sticker in order to join them. He told me to look for a media tent. When I found the tent, it was deserted. I decided to just “fake” my way to the media section. A security guard told me where the media went. I got to a passage where I was stopped and I explained that I was with the media. I was given a sticker and a lanyard. The media and assorted politicians and building contractors were seated on the floor of the huge arena.
What followed was a series of numbing back patting and self congratulating. When the speeches finally subsided, the Mayor asked everyone to shout out the three words that appeared on the jumbo tron, “I was there!” The crowd shouted and clapped as all the lights in the arena blazed brightly in vibrant blue and white. When the ceremony was over, the media stayed behind for a guided tour of the facility.
The first stop on the tour was the Mercedes Lounge where paintings by local artist Tracy Burke were mounted everywhere. This unexpected abstract work was well integrated with the space. The liquid blue tones perfectly matched the room. Gernagin’s Restaurant recovered some of the magnificent stained glass from Church Street Station. This restaurant has three tiered levels where people can eat dinner and have a great view of the game. Reservations are required.
There is a children’s play area where kids can shoot hoop at baskets hung at 3 different heights.
The highlight at the end of the tour was the Sky Bar. Located at the top of the iconic tower, Sky bar offers stunning views of all of downtown Orlando. Light plastic seats are located all around the bar. I will be going to the Eagles concert next week and I can’t wait to see this brand new arena in action.

Amway Center Ribbon Cutting

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The opening of the Amway Center to the public resulted in a sizable crowd assembling in the street for a ribbon cutting. Just to get into this area, all bags were searched. The security officer joked with me about having so many pens and notebooks. Seems most media folks are all digital. Mayor Buddy Dyer spoke about the long road that had to be traveled to get to this point. He pointed out that a major feature of the building was its transparency. A practice basketball court can be seen from outside the building from Division Street. He felt that the tower and beacon wodld be known years from now as an iconic Orlando feature. A great consideration is that the building offers great amenities to everyone, not just the Box seat season ticket holders. The $5 seats offer great views of the game. Rainwater is captured from the roof saving an estimated 8000 gallons of water a year.

The Center houses an art collection with work from 25 artists with 300 pieces in the hallways and suites. The open wire mesh that was used in the construction of the tower was produced by a metal worker in Parramore, just a few blocks from the Center. Rather than trying to get a glimpse of the ribbon getting cut, I focused on the media that were on hand to record the cutting. Once the ribbon was cut, fireworks exploded out from the Amway Center letters. Then as I was rushing to put on some watercolor washes, the crowds rushed into the huge open space.

World’s Largest Smiley Face

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On the morning of the opening of the Amway Center, hundreds of people gathered on the roof of the parking garage adjacent to the Center to set a Guinness World record for the largest group of people to assemble to create a smiley face. When I starred the sketch the crowd was rather thin but slowly people arrived. Each person was given either a bright yellow or a black poncho. The previous record was 250 people who stood for ten minutes assembled to look like a smiley face. Over the loudspeaker an announcer said, “As soon as you enter the smile zone we want to see those pearly whites.”
Mayor Buddy Dyer addressed the assembled crowd along with Brian Dirk the chief operating officer of Smile Train. This organization is responsible for helping get operations for children born with cleft pallets. The organization was given a check for $19,825. One area of the parking garage had hundreds of note cards lying on the pavement arranged in a circular pattern. This was the smile zone. People were given note cards with numbers and letters on it. They needed to locate the matching numbers and letters in the smile zone to know where to stand. When they were in place the announcer said, “Everyone, please put the hoods of your ponchos up.” At the last minute volunteers put on yellow ponchos and squeezed in to fill in any holes. Several children who had cleft pallet operations then joined in.
The photographers on the lift verified that a smile was formed. Three helicopters hoovered noisily above the garage and the assembled crowd waited for ten minutes to set the record. Mark Baratelli who took over as the announcer shouted, “Anyone need to use the bathroom?” A few hands rise. “No! Welcome to Orlando!” Everyone was instructed to shout out “Orlando makes me smile!” Finally the clock countdown indicated the record had been set. A bullhorn blast sounded. People started to walk away and the volunteers shouted out, “Go back, Go back!” Morgan from the Guinness World book of records took the stage and announced that the record had been broken with 500 people. Many of the participants came from around the country because they won a competition by answering the following question, Why does Orlando make you smile? One contestant wrote, “It makes my wife smile and what makes her smile makes me smile even more.”

Paws for Peace

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I drove towards downtown Orlando with the sun rising with a glorious orange glow from behind the skyscrapers. I parked behind the Day building near Panera’s. There was already a small crowd of people gathered on the east lawn registering for the dog walk around Lake Eola. Bright purple bags were handed out to each dog owner who registered. With all the frantic butt sniffing action and the occasional threatening barks, I decided to focus less on the dogs and more on the hard working volunteers. Former Democratic State Representative, Dick Bachelor spoke to the gathered crowd but the microphone cut out so I didn’t catch much of what was said. I knew that funds raised would go to help victims of domestic violence. 0ne speaker asked each person in attendance to tell five friends about how rampant domestic violence is. Three out of every four women will be victims of a violent crime during their lifetimes. Slightly more than half of female victims have kids under 12 in the house. Scattered all along the dog walk route were signs relating facts abowt domestic violence.
When all the dog owners and their pets were out walking, I decided to look at the colorful T-Shirts which were hung on clothes lines. The Women’s Resource Center supplies the shirts to Art Therapy courses at the Women’s Residential Counseling Center, the Howard Philips Healing Tree, the Victim’s Service Center and Harbor House. Harbor House helped organize the days event. The T-Shirts were boldly painted. This is what some of them said:
Silence the Violence 4-Ever.
I am afraid, help me.
Teach love, respect and equality not violence.
Judeth Johnson, age 40 of Orlando was beaten to death allegedly by her boyfriend.
Because of his choice to beat my friend, I too, am scared for life.
I have the right to live happy – unhurt and safe.
He should fry for what he did to her.
I deserve to be loved.
Scotty raped me on roofies. He’s dead now, call it karma. I love myself again.
What didn’t kill me made me stronger. No one deserves to be abused. Real men don’t hit.
If I cried for help, if I cried rape, would you believe me?
To dad, I made this shirt for you. What you did was wrong and dangerous. You hurt Jordan and you hurt mom. Please stop drinking. Why did you do it? I love you. -Taylor and Jordan
Mental abuse hurts.
We will never die as long as we are remembered.
U deserve true love.
There is light. Faith in god will heal your wounds.
Loyalty, Oppression, Violence, Enraged. This is the love I learned from you.
As I read, I felt a wave of anger and sadness that we live in a society that looks the other way as women and children are abused. The only thing I can do is tell you, and hope you tell others. Help stop the violence.