End of the World: A zombie-themed downtown NA trolley hop on Friday, December 21.

Daniel Suddeath of the News and Tribune provides coverage, so get the whole explanation there.

NEW ALBANY — If some interpretations of the Mayan calendar are right, and the world meets its demise Friday, is there a better way to go than to be with friends enjoying a night of entertainment in downtown New Albany?

Better yet, how about a zombie walk and trolley hop to boot?

All that and more is in store, as 10 downtown establishments are participating in the End of the World Zombie Walk.

Matt McMahan, owner of The Irish Exit and The Warehouse Hookah Bar, headed the effort to organize the event. Two trolleys will provide free trips between the destinations for patrons from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Along with McMahan’s establishments, other downtown restaurants participating include Wick’s Pizza, Hugh E. Bir’s Cafe, River City Winery and the New Albanian Brewing Co.’s Bank Street Brewhouse.

Maybe Michael Stipe can drop in.

As observed in this space last week, it took a while for us to come around to a theme and design for Gravity Head 2011, but thanks to a bit of providential input from the Buckeye delegation last Saturday (a brief note to Pat: The chocolates were gone by Tuesday), we have already selected the motif for next year.

Gravity Head 2012: It's the End of the World As We Know It.

The 14th edition of Gravity Head will begin on Friday, February 24, 2012, and the fest will be dedicated to those Mayan and Hopi prophets who've foreseen the end of this World Age.

... The Hopi and Mayan elders do not prophesy that everything will come to an end. Rather, this is a time of transition from one World Age into another.

With the expected transition slated to take place on December 21, 2012, there's the perfect opportunity for all of us to eschew resistance and accept the inevitable change. By February, 2013, we'll be completely reborn, and thus in the ideal position to stage Gravity Head's 1st/15th "reunion" tour, during which we'll do exactly the same as before in a brand new place.

Or something like that.