Last summer, they drove a half hour north to Evans City. “We’re usually closed for maintenance during October,” Wilhelm adds, “but since we were planning to stay open, we really wanted to do something special for Halloween.”įirst, Wilhelm and her team took a road trip to see the chapel for themselves. Meanwhile, Balistrieri’s one-man campaign to add it to the Miniature Railroad benefited from good, some might even say spooky, timing. “We’re usually closed for maintenance during October, but since we were planning to stay open, we really wanted to do something special for Halloween.” –Nicole Wilhelm, Manager Of The Miniature Railroad & Village® In fact, it’s now the only building left from the movie. Reaching out to his fellow horror enthusiasts (including Balistrieri), he raised nearly $50,000 to rescue the decaying chapel.Īs a result, the setting for the movie’s opening sequence, where Gary’s brother, actor Russ Streiner, utters those eerily prophetic words, “They’re coming to get you, Barbara,” still stands. Enter the picture’s sound engineer, Gary Streiner. “It’s such a cool story,” says Nicole Wilhelm, manager of the Miniature Railroad & Village.īuilt in 1923, the stone structure was literally crumbling from decades of neglect. If die-hard fans hadn’t intervened several years ago to preserve the real chapel, this piece of movie history would exist in miniature form only. It seems the stars had perfectly aligned to bring Night of the Living Dead’s iconic Evans City chapel and cemetery to their rightful resting place among the Miniature Railroad’s other regional landmarks. Then, last year, the dead were finally given a new lease on life. Sadly, every year, Balistrieri’s hopes were ripped to shreds like so many zombies devouring their prey. At the time, it was about managing costs on a flatlining budget now it’s considered a badge of honor. Not only was the movie directed by George Romero, a graduate of Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University), but Pittsburgh-area locations took center stage, as did local residents willing to roam and moan for free. After all, the picture-which is now and forever preserved as part of the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry-is the stuff of western Pennsylvania legend and lore. ![]() So, every year for the past 20, Balistrieri would suggest that the village open its tiny doors to the 1968 cult classic Night of the Living Dead. Anthony “Nino” Balistrieri had a dream that, one day, his skills as a model builder for Carnegie Science Center’s Miniature Railroad & Village® and his devotion to horror movies would cross paths.
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