Zombies Will Converge on Winston-Salem

Emergency officials in Forsyth County want to make sure that residents are ready when disaster strikes.

This weekend, more than 40 different public safety agencies from across the state will provide demonstrations, displays and activities as part of Forsyth County Public Safety and Community Preparedness Day.

“The public safety agencies include law enforcement, fire & ems, hospitals, and rescue squads. We will also have a swat team and bomb squad. We will bring a helicopter in and land it during the event,” says August Vernon, operations officer with Forsyth County Emergency Management.

A family one mile and 5k walk/run are also part of the activities.  The event is a fundraiser for the Second Harvest Food Bank of North Carolina.

Vernon says organizers are having fun with this year's theme. People are encouraged to show up as Zombies.

“If you are prepared for a Zombie Apocalypse, then you could definitely be prepared for the hurricanes, the floods, power outages and all the other things that could happen,” says Vernon.

Vernon says, “You can come as a Zombie. If you come in your plain clothes you are a survivor. We will have students and staff from UNCSA's film school to convert people into Zombies for a small donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank.”

Vernon says organizers are collecting non-perishable food items at the event to help fill a truck for the Second Harvest Food Bank.

The Forsyth County Public Safety and Community Preparedness Day will run from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Saturday in parking lots X, W1 and Poteat Field at Wake Forest University.

The event is free for spectators. A registration fee of $25 to $30 is required for those participating in the family one mile and 5k walk/run.