More Details About Saving A Piece Of Horror Cinematic History

This has been a whirlwind week. It started off with the great Undead Festival in Asbury Park, worked through all of my check-out procedures, and I now I settling in for my official retirement ceremony Monday at 1 o’clock. It is hard to believe that 21 years have passed by so quick and as of Monday (well, really December 31 as I have two months vacation) I will be done with my Naval career. On to bigger and better, right? Well, As I was sitting down tonight searching for more information on the potential West Virginia University move to the Big 12 (Let’s go Mountaineers!), I stumbled upon some more information about the Save the Chapel movement that I blogged about earlier in the week. 

This information was taken directly from their facebook page and stands as a historic look at the chapel that George A. Romero made the world see and a look at how the weather has taken a toll on the future of this iconic horror landmark.  Erected in the 1920s as a chapel (used for one funeral), its cultural status lives on. Unfortunately, a few years after construction, the idea for the chapel changed and it was basically a high-priced storage shed. Over time, the chapel has fallen into a state of disrepair. The windows are shuttered. The roof is leaking. Time and the elements have battered the exterior. Cemetery officials estimate it will take $50,000 in cosmetic improvements to return the structure to its former glory. Fortunately the original sound engineer on Night of the Living Dead, Gary Streiner, created this grassroots effort designed to restore the chapel and as he states, this more than a local project, it is a project that can benefit zombie and movie fans young and old.

“The cemetery is so iconic in the whole zombie-horror world,” he says. “If fans knew they could come to the chapel and see it as more than just a boarded-up building, it would draw a lot more people. It would be nice to see it become a ‘Night of the Living Dead’ museum.” Though the organization has until next fall to get the restoration ball rolling, it is clear by the initial response that the goal can be reached and the vision can become a reality. Fans are already creating zombie walks, movie viewings and art shows to benefit the cause, but there is always room for more, as they are looking for individuals from every walk-of-life or skill set to help.

The organization is building a website and will soon have a Paypal account to aid fundraising efforts, but until then, anyone interested can make donations ICO Fix the Chapel at:

Checks made payable to “Fix the Chapel” can be sent to:
NexTier Bank
P.O. Box A
Evans City, PA 16033