It's on! Zombie tag game will invade Ghent on Friday night

NORFOLK

Whitney Metzger thought a zombie-themed game of tag in Ghent on Friday would be fun, so she hung a few fliers and invited about 100 Facebook friends.

"We thought," Metzger said, "we would be lucky if 100 people or so would want to come."

Now, more than 7,300 people on Facebook say they plan to attend Survive Norfolk, and more than 5,700 people have clicked "maybe."

Her simple game of tag has escalated to a "special event" that requires security and insurance and could cost about $5,000. She also needed a city permit, a process that can take months. On Monday, Metzger met with city officials to see whether they could make it happen in five days.

"We didn't think it would turn into this crazy thing everyone would want to do, but they do," Metzger said.

As of this afternoon, Metzger had met all requirements. The city, she said, approved the permit. The game is on.

Metzger, 26, was surprised by the response. Her cousin, Cameron Purser, helped organize a 600-person version of the same game Oct. 1 at the North Carolina State University campus in Raleigh.

Purser and his friends were inspired by the volunteer-organized Survive DC 2010, which was held May 15 in Washington. Of those invited to Survive DC 2010 on Facebook, 800 said they would attend; descriptions of a 2009 event said about 650 people showed up.

After Metzger posted the Ghent zombie tag invitation, the number of those "attending" grew by hundreds of participants every few hours.

Metzger contacted the Norfolk Police Department. The city learned of the event last Friday, Assistant City Manager Anne Odell said. City staffers told Metzger she would have to apply for a permit. The process typically takes anywhere from 30 to 60 days for a small event to nine months for a larger event such as those held at Town Point Park, Odell said. Events with more than 1,001 people require a permit request five months in advance.

No one is sure yet into which category Survive Norfolk falls It's the city's first zombie event request.

The city worked with Metzger to get her permit in place, but it comes with stipulations.

She's required to hire nine off-duty police officers for traffic and crowd management, and she must buy an insurance policy that adds the city as an insured party, held harmless from claims. Master Police Officer Chris Amos, a police spokesman, said the department is "very aware" of the race and that off-duty officers will monitor it, primarily on bikes.

Metzger's simple game had grown a costly price tag. The permit and fees cost $110; insurance, $332; and the crew of police officers, $1,660. Today, she received the final estimate for the traffic cones and barriers. It came in at $950. She saved money by rounding up about eight volunteers, including people from her family's business, Davis Interiors, to help set up the barricades.

So far, Metzger hasn't had to reach into her own pocket to make Survive Norfolk happen. She has 60 volunteers. A dozen restaurants and businesses have donated prizes and other items, such as signs, banners and armbands for participants. She plans to rent the road-closing equipment and call on Davis Interiors, her family's shipboard interior design business, to help with transportation and labor.

Metzger again used Facebook, this time to appeal for donations. The first 600 runners who donated $5 or more online were guaranteed armbands - that threshold has already been met, according to the event site. The armbands - of which there are only 1,500 - distinguish runners from the original 15 zombies. (Runners who are tagged by zombies become zombies themselves.)

She also raised $3,100 in donations through PayPal as of Wednesday.

Local artist Charlie Restless offered 100 percent of the sales from his Survive Norfolk T-shirt to the event. AltDaily.com's Jesse Scaccia, Jesi Owens and Hannah Serrano have organized two fundraising events - one at Colley Cantina and the other at The Taphouse in Norfolk - and Metzger will reserve another 200 armbands for attendees. Any proceeds over the event's costs will benefit Hope House, D'Art Center and the Hermitage Museum.

Metzger talked with the Ghent Neighborhood League to address worries about parking, safety and crowd control. On Wednesday, league President Joan McEnery noted that games held elsewhere, including D.C., were run in a seven-mile radius. Ghent's version would be contained in about seven blocks. According to her research, Metzger's zombie tag nationally would be the largest game of its kind in the smallest area.

Parking on any Friday night in Ghent can be difficult, McEnery said. If even 10 percent of the people promising to attend actually show, she fears parking will become "downright ghoulish."

Still, the league is impressed with the community effort and all the people who want to attend, she said.

"It may take an even more extraordinary community effort to ensure that the evening is one that is safe and enjoyable for participants, spectators and those who call Ghent home," she said.

Deb Markham, (757) 446-2105, deb.markham@pilotonline.com

Janie Bryant, (757) 446-2453, janie.bryant@pilotonline.com