Zombie craze hits Holloman and Alamogordo communities

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Anthony M. Ward
  • 49th Wing Public Affairs
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  In celebration of "Night of the Living Dead" director George A. Romero's birthday, members of Team Holloman and the Alamogordo community took to the streets of downtown Alamogordo in the area's first Zombie Walk Feb. 4.

The Zombie Walk, which was put on by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class John Buckley, a 49th Civil Engineer Squadron emergency manager, began at Washington Park and ended at Alameda Park. Approximately 50 participants from the two communities shuffled along the sidewalks adorned in attire suited for victims of the walking dead.

The idea for the Zombie Walk came to be after Buckley made some 'modifications' to an old car he had purchased from a friend.

"I bought the car originally just to have a fun, go-cart type vehicle," said Buckley. "Some friends and I were sitting around one day trying to figure out what we should do with it and thought sort of a post-apocalyptic kind of 'zombie beater' would be fun."

Hence, the car was dubbed, "Zombie Beater," which prompted Buckley to host Alamogordo's first Zombie Walk. "Having a Zombie Walk to go with the 'Zombie Beater' seemed to go hand in hand," said Buckley.

To spread the word for the event, Buckley created a group on Facebook called "Alamogordo Zombie Walkers," and from there, a Facebook event called "Zombie Walk Alamogordo! First Ever!" He also created advertising flyers and posted them around the community and even on the "Zombie Beater."

"Once the word got out, everyone who I talked to about it seemed really excited," said Buckley. "Many of those people had never even heard of an event like this, and those who had, had never actually been to one."

The participants really seemed to enjoy themselves, according to Buckley.

"It was a great escape from the day-to-day things that we do in the Air Force," said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Bradley Biesinger, 49th Logistics Readiness Squadron, material manager. "I think the best part of it was simply applying the special effects paint to myself and some friends to make us really look the part."

Overall, the Zombie Walk was a success, according to Buckley, who is already making plans to host more in the future.

"There were more people than I had anticipated for the walk, and they all seemed to have a blast," said Buckley. "Hopefully, those who came out will pass the word on to others so we can keep this going, because I would like to do this several times a year."

For more information on the Alamogordo Zombie Walk or updates on future walks, visit Alamogordo Zombie Walkers on Facebook.