KC’s new Scream Club is all about getting together to let it all go
On an unseasonably cool August evening with scattered rain clouds in the area, the screams of several dozen people would soon fill the air near the banks of the Missouri River.
No, this isn’t the set for a horror movie being shot and produced in Kansas City. It’s a new social club where attendees are invited to scream their heads off.
“We are not just here to scream, we are here to form community,” says Thea Brannon, co-organizer of Scream Club Kansas City, the newly-found group meet-up where people can come together to scream at the top of their lungs as a way to release their frustrations.
The group was started last week following the explosion of the viral social media clip of a group of hundreds of people screaming into a large body of water in Chicago. The clip on @screamclubchi’s TikTok account has reached nearly a million views in just a week, with many commenting that they wanted to experience something similar where they live. Co-organizer of Scream Club Kansas City, Ashleigh Foster, saw the viral videos and was inspired to start their own club in Kansas City.
“I wanted to go to Chicago to do this, I wanted to participate. Then I was like, “no, we can do this in Kansas City,”” Foster said.
On the strength of that viral clip, Foster and Brannon came together (having actually just met, on socials and in person, last week.) and formed Scream Club Kansas City. The account pages gained hundreds of followers within days.
At the riverbank, people continue to gather as the rain clouds pass by and people of all walks of life start to come closer to each other. The organizers offer blank pieces of paper for people to write down reasons why they are screaming. Even with this part being optional, most people grabbed paper and jotted down their reasons for yelling.
“We’re here to let off a little steam with everything that is going on. Just let it out and be with community that kinda feels the same way,” says Stephanie King, who attended the event with her husband and daughter.
People tossed their notes into a bag and collectively walked down to the banks of the Missouri River where they stood in a line where the rocks meet the grass. The organizers counted down through their bullhorn and the few dozen people let out blood-curdling screams. After a collective inhale, more screams, followed by laughter, tears, and deep breaths.
Complete strangers began hugging each other and expressing sighs of instant relief. After the initial wave of adrenaline, the organizers began reading notes written by screamers about what they were screaming about. Many people shared stories anonymously, with the stories being a mix of triumphs and trauma, all between a chorus of much more subdued screaming and hollering. “We love you!” shouted people after a particularly tough story someone shared.
The group plans to meet as often as every week, with the location subject to change. Based on the viral nature of the event and the results expressed by screamer April Matusiak of Kansas City, it doesn’t seem that there will be a shortage of people ready to experience this type of release and community gathering.
“I was just letting go of all my stress from the weeks, the months, the year! It was such a positive experience. It was invigorating,” Matusiak said.
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