The walking dead are moving to Semiahmoo Park.
But Ron McCall and Carl Sutherland are preparing for the fight – set to take place for two months on First Nation land bordering the City of White Rock – with a stockpile of weapons, namely paintball guns.
The Zombie Combat Zone co-owners have collaborated with Semiahmoo Chief Willard Cook and band councillor Joanne Charles to bring the zombie-themed paintball game, Zombie Combat Zone: The Legend of the Wendigo, to the waterfront park, near the baseball diamond, for its upcoming season.
“They thought it was a great idea and a great way to contribute to the band, and also a way to use the popularity of the game to champion some of their causes,” McCall told Peace Arch News Monday.
“Last year, we had no luck. We tried to work with a bunch of different townships, but the amount of red tape that you have to go through, I would say it’s almost impossible to get land out here.”
In its inaugural year, the combat zone was held on a 57-acre site at 19022 16 Ave.
Citing their more than 30 years of combined film and television experience, McCall and Sutherland promise the new apocalyptic-style military base will be more explosive.
“The game is going to be a lot more intense this year. We hardly put out anything before, because we were on someone else’s land. This year, we don’t have to worry about anyone else, and we have a huge surprise for the finale – something no one has ever done before,” McCall said.
There will also be a new breed of “undead” – controlled by cybernetic technology mixed with paranormal native legend – as well as faster, tougher zombies; merchandise; and food and drinks, courtesy of the SFN.
“We based the finale of the game on the legend of this creature called the Wendigo, and it’s a native-American mythological creature. So we’ve kind of taken a spin on it and evoked that into the storyline this year. So it’s sort of half paranormal, half cyber technology,” McCall said.
Booking for the new season has gone live on the duo’s new website, www.zombiecombatzone.com, with tours beginning Oct. 1.
Attempts to reach Charles for comment were unsuccessful.
Access to the park has been restricted since December 2010, when the SFN began erecting chainlink fencing; work that was expanded the following month to surround the entire park. At the time, Charles explained the move was driven by safety concerns and lack of respect for the land by dog owners. It was done “to preserve and strengthen our ownership of the land,” she said.
Special events were to be permitted, and have included Spirit of the Sea Festival and the recent RCMP Musical Ride performance.
