Give Me a Village and I Take It Over. Ghouls Yule. All Your Ghouls Belong to Us!

Dashing through the snow will take on a whole new meaning come Saturday, December 11, as the citizens of Saugerties, New York may just find themselves being chased by zombies. But have no fear, because it's all the in the spirit of good, holiday fun, and supporting the local businesses of one of the crown jewels of the Hudson Valley.

In the tradition of my smashingly successful Village Invasion zombie crawl in October, the Ghouls' Yule is an interactive, horror-flavored event which promises to take over the town and leave a trail of merrymaking in its wake. For all of you who have grown  just as tired of the commercialization of Christmas as I have, and are looking for a different way to celebrate this year, the Ghouls' Yule may be just what the undertaker ordered.

This is all about spreading some holiday cheer, with a little zombie flair and also about supporting local commerce, and I'm excited to have so many of the shops in town involved!

Many of the local establishments will be staying open late for the event, with dinner and drink specials offered

at a number of the area bars and restaurants. And since it is Christmas, expect many of the stores to be open late for holiday shopping, as well. Dave's Coffee and Wine House will feature the eclectic music of the Connor Kennedy Band (CKB).

Best of all, in keeping with the season, The Inquiring Mind bookstore will be the location for a special toy drive, in which patrons are encouraged to drop off unwrapped toys, in exchange for a free cup of coffee. The Inquiring Mind will also be hosting a special demonstration of the brand new horror strategy game Zombie Cataclysm, as well as a reading of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, by my parter in crime, Mr. Brian Solomon of The Vault of Horror.

I'm expecting people to be milling about town dressed as ghouls and ghosts straight out of the Dickens story, and am thinking Christmas, except with a certain spooky, Tim Burton-esque flavor to it. It should be a lot of fun, and I hope all of you can make this spooktacular holiday event!

You can also expect giveaways, raffles and contests, including one for the best costume. I encourage you to keep an eye on my Facebook page, (www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001295946047) and Twitter page (http://twitter.com/captaincruella ) as the time drags onward to December 11th! Viva la Zombie kitty kats--can't wait to see you all there!