Help Save The Evans City Cemetery Chapel

I know that this isn’t the first time we’ve shown you a post where someone (that’s not us) is asking for money. Usually it’s for a movie looking for funding, occasionally it’s for a good cause. This one is for a cause that almost everyone that reads this site should hold close to their still beating hearts. (Or cold undead hearts if turned into one of the walking dead already.)

The Evans City Cemetery Chapel should look familiar to you. It’s from a ‘small’ film that may have had an impact on your life: Night of the Living Dead. Sadly the chapel is going to be demolished if they can’t raise funds to restore it to it’s original glory. It’s going to take a decent amount but they’ve made a lot of progress.

This one is where the current era of zombies started ladies and gentlemen.

Thanks to George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, Evans City Cemetery chapel will stand forever on film. In reality, its future is uncertain. Used for decades as a storage shed, the building has fallen into a state of disrepair and cemetery officials estimate it costing $50,000 to restore the structure to its former glory.

Night of the Living Dead fans are banding together on Facebook and at fundraisers to help breathe new life into the cinematic landmark. Gary Streiner, leader of the grassroots effort, believes restoring the chapel will generate income for the 120-year-old burial ground through the sale of engraved brick pavers, tours and vow renewal ceremonies to be held onsite.

Streiner, who worked as a sound engineer on the original film and organized Living Dead festivals in 2008 and 2009, is a regular on the horror convention circuit. He’s met hundreds of ghoul enthusiasts who want to visit Evans City Cemetery. “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.”

Streiner put the word out on Facebook. The response from fans, he says, was instant and overwhelming. Fundraisers such as Night of the Living Dead screenings, monster-themed art shows and zombie walks are taking place nationwide. “We’ve had people from all over the country offer to come and help,” Streiner says. “That’s the power of Night of the Living Dead.”

You can find all of the details as well as donate at Fix The Chapel.