As the date of the grand event draws closer, we thought it would be fun to look over what the past year has brought us,  give a sneak peek of what you can expect from the upcoming shenannigans, and take a quick look at the next year. In this first part, we look at the first year of the Cavalcade.

As we’ve already documented,  the Cavalcade started as a bit of an accident. Initially intended to be a solo zombie marathon to pass the Easter holiday, a miscommunication at the office led to an impromptu gathering with the requisite props: Friends, chips, microwave popcorn, and of course Zombies. As people were leaving the first gathering, there was a lot of talk about how much fun was had, and that we should do it again. Striking while the iron was hot, we setup another meeting for the very next month, this time werewolves. Even more showed up, and the first incling was given as to how the idea could grow. By the third month, we were an actual group:

Here it is, the official declaration of the full idea of a Monthly Creature Feature every second Saturday of the month. Think of it as a B movie book club. Hearken back to the days of the drive-in where a bunch of friends would get together, smuggle booze, and watch a metric crap-ton of some of the "classics" of cinema. This is like that, except all the exhaust fumes, sticky floors, and teenagers making out clumsily in the backseat. So the guidelines: 1) Every month will feature one particular creature. Previous events have thus far had Zombies one evening, and Werewolves the next. In each of these, we try to bridge the subject matter with a film that covers both (From Zombies to Werewolves, we used "American Werewolf in London"). 2) We try to have a themed snack. Zombies had Dead Head wine. Werewolves had Moon Pies and Blue Moon Beer. 3) The next month will be voted on at the end of the current month. Exceptions listed below. 4) People bring snacks, movies, or money to contribute to the acquisition of either. 5) Guests are welcome. Add to the invite list as you want.

We wouldn’t have a real name until the 4th month, but pretty soon people were making it part of their regular schedules, and those that missed one month would still email their votes in so they could keep up the next. By the time we hit the 6 month mark with Mummies, our rotating cast had expanded to 20 different attendees, with anywhere from 9-14 in regular attendance. Every month we would send out emails to over 40 people with invites, notes, and stories from the previous events. All working towards the idea of building a community, and it worked. Every month attendance has grown.

Eventually the amount of information getting passed each month was more than a simple email list could maintain, so we created this very site. Designed from the ground up to be as fully-featured as any commercial website, we’ve continued to add to the Cavalcade experience with trailers, forums, and yes, our own store.

While many of these features are still in their infancy, we have a very set goal in mind for each  and will continue to develop them as the next year plays out. Soon you can expect to have full Cavalcade kits for sale, with everything you need to host your own events (movies, invitations, recipes, playbooks, etc.), wherever you are.

Now as the first year comes to a close, we can look back at our extremely modest beginnings and say, “this was the start of something special”. But we’re still early in our growth and development. While the first year zeroed in on the Creature Feature, and therefore horror and science fiction as genres, the next has us eyeballing Kung-Fu, Westerns, and other genres famously tied to Grindhouse and B-Movie cinema.

But to hear all about that, we’re going to have to wait until part II.

In Part II, we’ll talk about the next year of the Cavalcade and dropping tidbits on the surprises in store for Event 12. Check back Wednsday!