Brothers Gene and Jim Schopf grew up in Mountville and were raised on a farm by their parents, Ed and Annette. Following in their parents' footsteps, Gene and Jim continued to grow and sell produce, founding Schopf Bros. Farms in 1984. They maintained the farm, even when they furthered their education at Millersville University to study secondary education. While there, Gene specialized in industrial technology, which he taught at Conestoga Valley High School, and Jim focused on mathematics, which he taught at Lampeter-Strasburg High School.

Gene and Jim have always enjoyed all things frightening. "Scarily enough, it came naturally," said Jim. "I blame my mom." Growing up, the brothers attended Youth for Christ's Scream in the Dark event, where one of the leaders transformed his barn into a haunted house and at the end gave a message about attending youth group. They also listened to an LP of Disney's "Haunted Mansion," and their mom would play different roles and try to scare them. "She's always had that way about her that she would play the role," stated Jim.

As a kid, Jim recalls having several bags of masks in the house. He and Gene would put the masks on, run around, and try to scare each other. "We didn't have a TV, so maybe we were just entertaining ourselves," explained Jim. The brothers were always looking for ways to help pay for college, and their childhood prepared them for their next move.

It all started in 1993 with a Haunted Hayride in a field at Schopf Bros. Farms, hence the name Field of Screams. The Den of Darkness was added in 1995, the Frightmare Asylum opened in 2002, and Nocturnal Wasteland was finished in 2013. Jim handles the business side, and Gene oversees the construction.

Field of Screams truly is a family affair. Gene's wife, Sandy, is the admissions manager and their daughter, Kerri, is the pumpkin princess at Corn Cob Acres, which provides fun for kids who are not yet ready for Field of Screams. Their older son, Kyle, runs Corn Cob Acres, and their younger son, Tanner, works full time as the head of staff and actor services. Jim's wife, Andrea, is a graphic design artist, their daughter, Sydney, handles the pig races at Corn Cob Acres and manages the Den of Darkness, and their son, Sutton, is a photographer. Annette was one of the actors at Field of Screams until she retired two years ago, and Ed is an unoffical food taste-tester. "Both of our families have been involved since the inception," said Gene. "It's been quite the journey."

For 10 years, the brothers ran the Schopf Bros. Farm, taught high school, and managed Field of Screams. "Against my dad's wishes, I quit teaching," stated Jim. "I mean, teaching's great, but I can't do both. We thought we had something going here, so I went this direction." Today, Field of Screams has received national recognition.

The ninth annual 5K Zombie Fun Run will return on Saturday, Nov. 13. The course goes through Field of Screams, which will allow participants to run through the attractions, climb over obstacles, and crawl in mud. Some of the proceeds from the run will benefit the PA Breast Cancer Coalition. Since its founding, the PA Breast Cancer Coalition has been able to donate $4.3 million to various programs, studies, and medical institutions for breast cancer research. To learn more about the 5K Zombie Fun Run, visit https://thezombiefunrun.com.