A new paintball field has opened in Evergreen, and every Saturday evening in October paintball marksmen will get a chance to shoot at zombies.

That’s right, zombies and paintball have become a popular combo, said Nick Lynn, who purchased the shuttered Montana Action Park paintball business in June and renamed it Montana Action Paintball when he opened the facility July 1.

It is the Flathead valley’s only facility to use paintball and Airsoft guns with a fully equipped field offering private parties for groups of all types.

Lynn, 20, recently moved the facility to a rural spot at 3170 Montana 35, behind White Knight Janitorial. He’s been playing paintball since he was 12, growing up in Stevensville, where he later helped manage and operate a paintball business.

Montana Action Paintball is available for open play from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday; otherwise the field is booked by appointment. The facility can handle groups of 60 or more, Lynn said.

“I run it mainly by myself,” Lynn said. “Basically you need a couple of referees, usually volunteers. It doesn’t require a whole lot to run unless you have the bigger parties.”

Lynn is enthusiastic about the Zombie Trail event to be staged at the facility from 6 to 10 p.m. every Saturday in October. Participants will use low-impact paintball guns to offer the zombies a measure of protection.

“The zombies wear safety gobbles and they can dress up in full gore,” he explained. “We’ll take groups of five at a time, with two guides and will take them through a set of paths.”

The zombie events will play out with various scenarios as participants fight their way through hordes of zombies, trying to find a way to escape.

“We’re always looking for volunteer zombies,” he said. “We get to shoot the zombies, but they don’t get to shoot back or touch us.”

There will be food trucks and prizes for the zombie nights.

Admission is $15 per person. There’s no age limit, though the activity is recommended people 10 and older.

Lynn expects his business to be somewhat seasonal, although he’s open to hosting groups or parties during the winter months.

“It’s kind of an obsession for me,” he said. “This became my sport. I travel all over and play. It’s on my bucket list to play at least once in every state. A lot of people think it’s just out in the woods with a couple of buddies, but paintball is huge around the world.”

For more information about Montana Action Paintball or the zombie events, call Lynn at 406-531-3607 or go to the business’ Facebook page.

Features Editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.