ZombieFest, Food Truck Fair Come To Woodstock

WOODSTOCK, GA -- The Georgia ZombieFest and Food Truck Fair is back for its fifth year. Formerly known as Cherokee ZombieFest, this year's event will descend onto downtown Woodstock from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21.

The move south is being celebrated with the addition of a vintage carnival theme, or CarnEvil. There will be carnival games for all ages and zombie themed creepy carnival acts, including a fire breather, stilt walkers and much more. Traditional Georgia ZombieFest sights and sounds will be back, including the Zombie Response Unit show, which are tricked out zombie themed vehicles competing for prizes. Visit each one and vote for your Crowd Favorite!

While you’re in the area, be sure to visit the Zombie Transformation Station and for only $5, you, too, can join the walking dead. A Little Zombie Zone will be available where kids will have a monster good time on the inflatables and eating rott-, er, cotton candy (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app).

At the Northside Hospital-Cherokee Amphitheater you’ll find vendors with everything from clothing to collectibles, so be sure to bring your wallets with you. Music acts will take the stage beginning at noon, and will continue entertaining the crowd throughout the afternoon and evening.

Bring the kids early, so they can be a part of the show and hit the stage for Enzo’s Dance Party and Halloween Parade. Children of all ages can dress in any costume they would like and dance on stage, parade across the stage or enter the Georgia Zombie Fest Kids Costume Contest.

Later in the evening, the adults will have a chance to show off their favorite zombie, cosplay or other imaginative costume in the Georgia ZombieFest Costume Contest. No need to be in a costume if you want to enter the 5th Annual Brain Eating contest (OK, it's just Jell-O). If you aren't in the mood for this squishy stuff, you can patronize food trucks peddling more traditional bites.

The Georgia ZombieFest is an annual event organized by the staff and community volunteers of Cherokee FOCUS. The entry fees for the festival are $5 for adults. Children age 11 and under are free, and the family package is $20 for up to 6 members.

A nonprofit organization, Cherokee FOCUS uses the proceeds to support their programs and initiatives, including Cherokee FOCUS Collaborative, Cherokee Youth Works program, Drug Free Cherokee, Cherokee Youth Council, VolunteerCherokee.com and the Hotel to Home initiative.

"The funds raised by this event have helped us to give a hand up to so many youth, young adults and families," said Cherokee FOCUS Executive Director Sonia Carruthers said. "Being able to provide gas cards to a young person to get to their new job or temporary shelter to a youth living in a car or a family that just needed that one small deposit to be able to move into more permanent housing helps us all build a stronger more stable future for our community. Often it is just that one thing that can make a difference in someone’s life, while providing what they need to make it to the next level in their education and goals for college, a career pathway, employment and the life skills they need to help them become lifelong healthy, contributing members of the community.”

Visit GeorgiaZombieFest.com for more information about the upcoming event.

Image via Patch Editor Beth Dalbey/Patch file