CAVE CITY — Zombies will invade rural Arkansas in October. These aren’t just any ordinary zombies — these guys are armed with laser guns.
Throughout the month of October, Carey and Colby Markum and Jason and Crystal Burns of Cave City will hold Zombie Apocalypse 2012, which is an interactive hayride. Participants will have an opportunity to help alleviate a growing “zombie infestation.”
For $10, participants will be a part of the action and will be met by “members of the military” who are trying to get a handle on the zombie invasion and protect the citizens of Sharp County. Each rider will be issued a laser gun, and there may be a bloody, or at least a laser, shootout with crazed zombies who pop up out of the woods.
“It’s going to be a little scary for the younger kids,” Carey said. “I’ll leave that up to the parent.”
This is the first year for zombie hayride in Cave City. Carey said she got the idea from a similar event in Fayetteville, and she said she thought she would take that idea and bring something unique to Cave City.
“My son will be 17 on Oct. 7, and he’s going to be a zombie on his birthday,” Carey said, laughing.
Some of her son Travis’ friends will also be zombies.
The Markums aren’t strangers to hauntings. The couple founded the S.C.A.R.E.D. Team, which stands for Sharp County Arkansas’ Researchers of Entities and Demons. Carey said she began experiencing unexplained occurrences at an early age, and she and Colby started seriously investigating paranormal activities in February 2008.
She said Colby was a skeptic at first until the couple went to a cemetery one night, armed with only flashlights and a digital voice recorder. Colby became a believer when they listened to the recording and heard a woman’s voice responding to something one of them said, so the investigations continued.
The hayride will begin at 149 Wire Lane in Cave City.
“We can get about 15 on a ride, and we will be giving up to three rides every 15 minutes. The rides will begin at 7 p.m. each Friday and Saturday in October and on Oct. 29, 30 and 31. Tickets will be available each night of the ride until midnight.
For more information, visit www.zombiehayride.iconosites.com or facebook.com/ZombieHayride.
Staff writer Jeanni Brosius can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or jbrosius@arkansasonline.com.