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PANAMA -- It is officially spooky season once again, and with Halloween coming up in a few weeks Panama Central School's class of 2028 is set to hold a fundraiser the weekend before Halloween, a Zombie Halloween Costume Run.
The Zombie Halloween Costume Run is a 5K set for October 24, beginning at Panama Central School. Registration begins at 5 p.m. and the race officially starts at 5:30 p.m.
"We're doing a costume zombie run through the village of Panama on October 24, so the weekend before Halloween," Class advisor Helen Keefe said. "People can show up and pay the $20 or they can register if they scan our QR code, or they can email me or Dave and we can send them the information."
Online registration is available beforehand at https://forms.gle/T4WrHBrouJFSxWB48 , or Keefe can be contacted at hkeefe@pancent.org, along with her co-advisor David Becker at dbecker@pancent.org. Keefe said they would like to know how many people are coming beforehand, because they are also planning to buy glowsticks to use at the event. People can email them for the registration link as well.
The event is being done in conjunction with the Middle School Student Council's Halloween Festival for the entire community with a lot of different things going on as well. Running from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on October 24 at the Panama Central School practice field, the event is free for the community and is set to include a variety of fall activities for students, families and community members. Activities throughout the evening include; Cemetery Maze, Pumpkin Hunt, Games and Prizes, Pumpkin Decorating, Face Painting, Live Entertainment, Food and Refreshments, and other fall-themed activities for children and families. The Cemetery Maze will provide a spooky experience for those looking for a little Halloween excitement, while younger children can take part in the Pumpkin Hunt and other family-friendly activities. Student-created games will also give participants opportunities to win tickets and prizes throughout the evening. Live entertainment will take place throughout the event.
For the run, Keefe said it is something that will be a new experience for the class.
"Dave and I wanted to do this because people like getting out there, and this is something different that we've never done before," Keefe said. "I know some bigger cities have costume 5Ks. It's just something fun to decorate the kids and have them walk the track and maybe have people chase after them if they want to be scared. We haven't quite decided if we're going to have people positioned across the cross country course or throughout the village to jump out and scare."
Keefe said they wanted to do something a little different that could provide one last outside activity before the snow comes, which she noted sometimes is that weekend. People can bring their families and there will be prizes for the top three best costumes as well.
The event will begin at 5:30 p.m., because that is when it starts to get a little bit dark, so Keefe added people should bring a flashlight or reflective gear to make sure they can be seen. The Panama Fire Department will also be around to make sure everyone is safe.
"We're just hoping that between the festival that the Middle School Student Council is going to have and the run that people can just have a fun Halloween event, most of which will be indoors," Keefe said. "In the worst case scenario, we could always do a run in the hallways or in the gym if there's a downpour or something like that. We're just hoping it will be a big day. We have a big football game here earlier in the day. It's just going to be a day where there's a lot of activities going on, and it's a way for families to get together and not necessarily be scared, but they can still go out and have fun before the snow flies."
The event is set to be a nice fall activity for families to do, as Keefe said more activities are typically seen in the summer, and most activities seen in the fall are fall festivals geared more towards adults. The goal for this event would be to provide a family oriented activity that would also be for competitive runners as well.
Keefe said people should dress for the weather, and can wear coats over their costumes, but to make sure the costumes can be seen as well. Judging of costumes will be done inside if needed. Additionally, the fundraiser is for the class of 2028, specifically for their senior trip. Keefe noted that while the trip is coming up in a year, and the class has been working really hard on different fundraisers, the cost of everything continues to go up and the class is finding expenses for the trip are also increasing.
"We're hoping people will come and support the class, because it is becoming more and more difficult," Keefe said. "It's a small class and a small school, and when you have a small group of kids, even divided evenly among everybody it becomes more expensive. The kids are really hoping we can get some registration fees plus any donations. The Middle School Student Council is the same, raising funds for different activities that they do."