Spotlight on: Zombies of Montana!

Zombies of Montana (ZOM) are a nonprofit group operating out of Billings, Montana, formed in March 2011. Their mission is a unique one: to enrich the community with zombie-themed activities while helping support their local food bank, as well as other charities. Their events are paid for by sponsors and private donations, which are tax deductible.

I came to know of ZOM though a friend who lives in Billings. Last October, they hosted an awesome Zombie Carnival to bring in donations for the food bank.  They also host a zombie walk, zombie-themed bake sales and are working on a Zombie Prom and a horror convention for 2012.

The 2011 Billings Zombie Carnival was on October 22nd at Pioneer Park. Zombies could partake in Jell-O Brain-Eating Contests, carnival games, live music from END ever, DeadNecks, Wake the Forsaken, Plumblue, and Mandie Bradley. There were also performances by Zombie Belly Dancers and The Rimview Dance Studio Thriller Dancers. The Zombie Carnival was free admittance and a portion of the proceeds from game tickets was donated to the Billings Food Bank.

The first ZOM-organized Zombie Walk was a week after the Zombie Carnival.

The 2012 ZOM Zombie Prom will be Friday, May 18th, 2012 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Billings, MT. There will be musical performances, celebrity appearances, VIP after-party, prom photos, contests, and more! Tickets are $15.00 per zombie, or $25.00 per hungry couple. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to the Billings Food Bank. This will be an all-ages, non-alcoholic event. The VIP Party is 21 and older. There will be a Zombie Walk prior to the Prom held in downtown Billings. Further details will be announced on the web site and Facebook as they develop.

ZOM is also planning a horror convention for 2012. Keep checking the website and Facebook for more info as the details fall into place. If all goes as planned, this will be Montana’s first horror convention, freeing horror fans from an 18-hour drive to the nearest con venues. And while Seattle folks love our Montana Zombie friends coming to visit, it’ll be cool to have an event for us to travel to and return the favor! Being that this zombie is afraid to fly, it takes a certain amount of coercion to get me anywhere to visit friends and fiends.

You can find the ZOM Website here. You can also hook up with ZOM on Facebook here.

Photos in this post are (c) Zombies of Montana and their respective owners. Shared by permission. Don't steal! If you would like to use these photos, just ask them. They were more than willing to let me use them!