10,000 Sign Up For Game of Zombie Tag in Facebook

Facebook turns zombie game into monster happening

By Alan Gomez

Whitney Metzger coordinated Survive Norfolk, a community-wide zombie-themed game of tag, which will be held Friday, October 22.

Whitney Metzger thought it would be fun to hold a zombie-themed game of tag in her Norfolk, Va., neighborhood of Ghent. She hung fliers, invited friends and hoped for maybe 100 people.

Now the mayor of Norfolk says the number could be more like 10,000.

Metzger's game exploded through Facebook. By Thursday afternoon, 7,200 people had signed up for tonight's event, and 6,000 more said they might attend.

Metzger was blindsided by the rush, forcing the 26-year-old office administrator to raise money for a permit, off-duty police and insurance.

"I'm not sure we could stop it now if we tried," Mayor Paul Fraim said. "So we're just trying to go with the flow and make the best of it."

The game is fashioned after a form of tag called Humans vs. Zombies that has become popular on college campuses. Those designated undead flesh-eaters chase the humans as they try to reach checkpoints and a finish line.

Metzger wanted to organize something fun for her friends and opted for zombie tag for a simple reason: "Zombies are awesome."

She posted the game on Facebook on Oct. 6 and was soon forced to navigate city planning and security. She agreed to limit the event to 1,500 people, although Fraim wonders whether it's possible to stop more people from showing up.

The permit cost $110, the one-day insurance policy cost $332, and the nine off-duty police officers required to monitor the event cost $1,660. Metzger was still waiting Thursday for a final price tag for closing off three city blocks that will serve as the starting point.

She started asking for $5 donations online. Community members and local businesses chipped in, hosting fundraisers and providing signs. She has collected more than $3,800 and said any extra money will be donated to three local charities.

Some people are nervous about the idea of thousands of teens and young adults sprinting through their neighborhood of century-old homes.

Alisa Landrum, a high school French teacher who lives a couple of blocks from the starting point, is concerned about the area's elderly being terrified by marauding hordes of zombies.

"I just don't think you can bring that many people into a small neighborhood without someone getting hurt and something getting damaged," said Landrum, 57.

Others are looking forward to the spectacle.

David Schinderle, 42, a physician, said Ghent has always been an "eccentric, funky, fun neighborhood" that is home to many artists and musicians. He said his house might provide a front-row seat for the event and he might make a night of watching the game.

Even Fraim, whose children went to school with Metzger, is making sure he gets a good view: "I've got a reservation at a restaurant right on the main drag, just to watch it all go by."

source : The Virginian-Pilot