Zombie Invasion Bring Hundreds to Grand Island

By: Sara Geake - Email

Updated: Sat 10:50 PM, Jun 30, 2012

Zombie or zombie slayer?

You can take your pick in Grand Island this weekend with two undead events drawing in hundreds to the area.

The scene has been set for a zombie invasion at the Heartland Public Shooting Park, instead an invasion of more than 300 shooters.

"There's other three gun matches but the fact that this one...is zombie themed. It was a double win," said competitor Chris Nicsinger.

It's the first zombie shoot of its kind in the Midwest region, according to co-host Hornady Manufacturing.

Nicsinger has come all the way from California to participate.

"This is awesome. If they did it again next year I would do it," he said.

Dozens joined a more 3-dimenstional zombie invasion in Downtown Grand Island.

"We just love all things zombie," said Laurie Payton, of G.I., sporting zombie make-up and contact lenses.

"I like the looks I get. It's fun to look at people and have them looking at you like - ok?" said Terri Cole, also of Grand Island and in the same attire.

It's not only brains they're after downtown, but an event with draw.

"I don't think this crowd of people would be down here," said "zombie coordinator" Brian Whitecalf. "This event is attracting a different type of person that normally doesn't get reached."

And, they're depicting, maybe, not a normal sentiment when you think of zombies.

"You can be any kind of zombie. You can be any person. There's no discrimination," said Whitecalf.

Now participants at both events hope the virus spreads.

"With zombies, there's one zombie, then there's two and then there's 200; so hopefully we can get a bigger crowd each year," said Whitecalf.

"We got to support this so they'll keep doing it," adds Cole.

The downtown zombie events wrapped ended Saturday, but the shooting competition continues Sunday.

The prize total for Pandemic 2012 now totals more than $120,000 - the largest prize table in the history of Nebraska shooting sports.

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