10/13/2025
Long post:
A big thank you, to Jessica Dillon at the Henry County Enterprise newspaper for publishing these articles about us over the past few months!
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JASON LIVES FAN DAY BLENDS HORROR, NOSTALGIA, AND COMMUNITY FUN
October 10, 2025
By Jessica Dillon
Jason Lives Fan Day brought the eerie atmosphere of Crystal Lake to Henry County’s Camp Lee Ford on Sept. 27.
The event featured actor C.J. Graham — best known for portraying Jason Voorhees in “Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives” — who met fans, signed autographs, and posed for VIP photos in full costume. The day concluded with an evening screening of the 1986 film, where a small group of fans watched alongside Graham himself.
“It seemed like everybody had a blast. C.J. had a blast. All the fans enjoyed what we had to offer them at the camp,” said event organizer Corey Agee. He estimated that several hundred attendees came throughout the day, including many who traveled from North Carolina.
“From the time it started to the end, people were just rolling in and out all day,” Agee said, noting that the event was promoted through both local and North Carolina radio stations.
Camp Lee Ford was transformed to resemble the infamous Camp Crystal Lake, complete with props, police tape, and even a Henry County Sheriff’s Office car used to recreate a film scene. Another display behind a cabin depicted the demise of Sheriff Garris, a memorable moment from the movie.
VIP guests had the opportunity to take photos with Graham on the camp’s dock, enjoy a private dinner, and participate in a Q&A session before the movie screening. Afterward, Graham shared behind-the-scenes stories and memories about his co-stars.
“He interacts with the fans and wants to give them that full-blown experience, especially when he’s in costume,” Agee said. “He wants you to feel like you’re actually there with him.”
Fans described Graham as “charismatic,” “down to earth,” and “very personal,” praising his easygoing style and humor throughout the event.
The festival atmosphere also included several horror-themed vendors, such as Joyful Canvas Creations, Spiral Treats, Project Spirit Seeker, and Tammy’s Grill, which provided food throughout the day.
Agee said he was thrilled with how smoothly the event went and is already planning ahead. “I would definitely like to do something with him again next year,” he said. “It’s the 40th anniversary of his movie next year, so it would be pretty cool to bring him back along with some other actors from the film.”
The event was hosted by The Maskoween Project, which provides Halloween costumes to children in need each October.
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FRIDAY THE 13TH ACTOR C.J. GRAHAM TO VISIT CAMP LEE FORD
September 25, 2025
By Jessica Dillon
C.J. Graham, an American actor best known for playing Jason Vorhees in “Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives,” will attend Jason Lives Fan Day at Camp Lee Ford in Ridgeway on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet Graham and celebrate the iconic horror franchise.
Graham has not visited the area before but has attended conventions in Raleigh, North Carolina. “I’ve never been there before. I’m sure I’ve been within a 500 to 600 mile radius, but I’ve never been specifically, so it’s going to be exciting,” he said. He has looked up the location in advance to familiarize himself with the area and praised event promoter Corey Agee for generating local excitement.
“He’s done a great job his whole team has as far as exposure and getting us on the market. I mean, done anything from wrapping his own truck to billboards, radio. I mean, I’m like wow, you know, for a one-day visit, tre-mendous effort,” Graham said.
A Vietnam War veteran, Graham accidentally entered acting. While at a club, he was cast to wear the Jason costume by the Reel Effects company for a promotional video.
“Since we’re recording this for the hypnotist, he’s trying to make up promotional tape. Let’s take CJ the GM. He’s the right size, because we have Ted White’s wardrobe,” Graham said.
“They kept saying, ‘Wow, wow, ‘you know, we’re gonna cast you for Jason?’ Yeah, right, we’ve all heard that one, and guess what? We’re talking about those 39 years later. Next year, August 1st will be 40 years since 1986.”
Graham said he stayed in Los Angeles for about eight years, acting in the movie “Highway to Hell” as Hell Cop and appearing in national commercials for AT&T, Colgate, Gatorade, and Miller Beer.
He described his size as a factor in his casting. He said he’s 6-feet, three inches tall and weighs 250 pounds. In comparison, “I think Tom Cruise” is 5-feet, 8 or 9 inches tall, “so I went back to the casino in Las Vegas, where I remained for about 20, 21 years.”
Graham eventually became general manager of two casino resorts. He now lives on a ranch with several animals, including chickens, alpacas, and horses.
“It’s fun, but I enjoy doing about 12 to 15 events” annually, Graham said. He records the events he participates in to make them more enjoyable.
Graham described his favorite scene from his acting career.
“My very, very favorite scene is the very, very first scene I ever shot in a movie, in wardrobe or any other thing in my life. There’s a scene where Jason comes into side profile, and the motor home is behind. It’s moving and I turn, look at it. I tilt my head lightly and all you see is my shoulders going out towards a motor home,” he said.
He said filming movies out of sequence made the work challenging but fun. “One, two, three, four. It could be three, four, one, two, but I will tell you that it was fun. I had a great time,” Graham said.
He noted the challenges of playing a character without facial expressions.
“The interesting fact is though I have no words. I challenge anybody to look in the mirror, show anger, happiness, sadness, whatever you want to show, but you can’t give one expression in your face. Basically, you might as well just put a hood over your face because everything is body language, 100 percent.
“The second cool thing is I had never done a stunt in my life,” Graham said. “I didn’t go to stunt school. Everything was on the job training. So, when they set me on fire, or they had me chained to the bottom of a diving pool 20 feet underwater, going through walls or doors, having cables hooked onto me with a shotgun jerk black back. I’ve never done that before.”
Graham said fans of all ages tend to be familiar with Jason. “They remember watching them with their mom that they’ve lost, or with their little brother or big brother or a family member or even grandma.”
He said he looks forward to meeting fans at Camp Lee Ford. “We’re going to have fun,” he said. “I plan on having a great time.”
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MASKOWEEN PROJECT TO HOST JASON LIVES FAN EVENT WITH ACTOR C.J. GRAHAM
March 8, 2025
By Jessica Dillon
The Maskoween Project, a local charity that began in 2023 to collect Halloween costumes for children in need, is expanding its efforts with its first major event.
The “Jason Lives Fan Day” will take place on April 12 at Camp Lee Ford in Ridgeway and will feature actor C.J. Graham, best known for playing Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives.
During the first part of the event, attendees can browse vendor booths or purchase autographs and photos with Graham. VIP ticket holders will have the opportunity to take a photo with Graham dressed as Jason.
“There will be a couple of different spots in the camp set up like the movie,” said Corey Agee, one of the event organizers.
The Maskoween Project is led by Corey and Angela Agee, a husband-and-wife team passionate about horror.
“Anything horror, spooky, goblins. We’ve been like that since we were kids—raised up like that, watching all the movies,” Corey Agee said.
Their love of horror led them to attend conventions, where they connected with Graham and other actors, including Robert Englund and Danielle Harris, as well as Goosebumps illustrator Tim Jacobus.
Believing that Henry County could host its own horror-themed event on a smaller scale, the Agees chose Camp Lee Ford as the venue. While Graham charges an appearance fee, the Maskoween Project has covered the costs to make the event possible.
A special dinner and movie screening with Graham, limited to 20 attendees, quickly sold out.
“We are very proud and honored to have C.J. coming,” Agee said.
Although this event is not intended as a fundraiser for costumes, the couple sees it as a way to bring something unique to the community.
“We just want to give back to the community and just bring somebody in that I hope everybody is aware of and knows about,” Agee said.
Looking ahead, the Agees hope to host another guest appearance around the Oktoberfest celebration in Uptown Martinsville.
“We are going to try to do something from here on out. It may not be a venue like we have here, but our goal is to bring in someone,” Agee said.
Meanwhile, the Maskoween Project will continue its original mission of providing Halloween costumes for children in need.
