A Night with the (Days of the) Dead

I just returned from the first day of the Days of the Dead convention in Schaumburg.  It is 2 a.m., but I can’t get to sleep because I am so pumped up from the event.  I am not even sure where to begin to tell this story.

Actually, I think I should begin with Adolfo Dorta, a Chicago-area guy who started Days of the Dead in Indianapolis in July of 2011.  I was in Indy then and saw first hand how hard Adolfo worked on the event and how much fun it was.  I also went again in July of this year, but was really excited when it was announced that Days would be coming here.

My nephew Matt and I arrived early at the Marriott in Schaumburg for the first evening of Days.  We like to meet and talk to as many of the stars as we can the first night and just sort of coast the second and third days.

We immediately saw Sarah French and Joe Knetter, two of our very favorites in the horror genre.  This was our third time meeting the pair and it almost feels like we are old friends.  The really cool part is that they are like that with everyone.

Next we saw wrestling legend Mick Foley.  Mick recognized us from previous events and gave us a short interview, in which he talked about his match on Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series.

We went from one wrestling legend to another, when we met Roddy Piper.  I have met the Hot Rod many times, but Matt was meeting him for the first time.  The picture of Matt and me with Piper instantly became one of my favorites.  My late mother, a Piper fan herself, would be proud.

We didn’t stop there though.  We also met KISS drummer Peter Criss, actress PJ Soles (one of my teenage crushes), actor Chris Sarandon and actor David Keith (Piper’s co-star in They Live.

We finished the evening by attending a night of comedy with Foley and Piper, which included a surprise appearance by Diamond Dallas Page (who will be appearing at PCW wrestling tonight in Midlothian).  The crowd roared almost non-stop as Foley and Piper exchanged hilarious stories from their career.

There are a lot more great stars at the show, including actress Jordan Ladd, Heather Langenkamp, Thomas Ian Nicholas and about 20 others.  There are also many vendor tables selling all sorts of horror and pop culture collectibles and fun stuff.  If you like horror movies or just having fun, this is the place to be.

From my 2 a.m. perspective, the best thing about Days of the Dead is that I still have all day Saturday and Sunday to experience the rest of it.  If those days are anywhere near as fun as tonight (and I am quite sure they will be), we are going to have a blast (and be very tired).  I will be back here writing a full recap later next week.