On Saturday, October 24, the Mars Area Public Library is showing George Romero's Night of the Living Dead for free in its parking lot. The lot opens at 6 p.m. and the movie starts at 7. Guests are asked to bring their own chairs, coolers and snacks. The library lists a suggested viewing age of 16 and up and advises parental discretion.
Most outdoor movie nights pick a crowd-pleaser. This one is a 1968 black-and-white film whose cemetery, farm roads and bridge are all in Butler County, outside Evans City. When the opening credits roll in Mars, the audience will be watching scenery from their own county.
What the Opening Minutes Show
Image Ten keeps a page documenting the film's shooting locations, and almost all of them are on roads a Mars resident could drive this afternoon.
- Franklin Road, just outside Evans City. Image Ten says the opening car scenes were shot here. The car passes the same stretch more than once, filmed from opposite ends of the road so the drive looks longer than it was.
- Evans City Cemetery, off Franklin Road. It was the only cemetery used in the film. Image Ten's page names specific grave markers that appear on screen, including the Kramer, Blair and Cole family stones.
- The Evans City Cemetery chapel. The chapel appears only briefly, but it has a story of its own. By 2011 it was derelict and scheduled for demolition. Gary Streiner organized fans and a fundraiser that raised the $50,000 needed for repairs. The work was finished in 2014, and George Romero cut the ribbon on Saturday, October 11, 2014.
- The Ash Stop Road bridge and Kohler Lane. Image Ten says the area looks much the way it did in the film, though the bridge's overhead section has since been removed. Kohler Lane, beside the bridge, also appears on screen.
- The farmhouse site off Ash Stop Road. The original house was torn down after filming and a new house went up on the same spot. Image Ten describes the property as private farmland that now grows Evans City corn. It is not a stop for visitors.
The cellar is the main exception. Those scenes were filmed in the basement of the Latent Image office building on Fort Pitt Boulevard in downtown Pittsburgh.
During the October 24 screening, then, the cemetery on the screen is a real cemetery with a working chapel, and the road the car drives at the start is one many local drivers already know.
The Same Night, a Second Screening in Evans City
The film is also on the calendar in the town where it was made. Experience Butler County lists a Hometown Horror Night double feature, with Night of the Living Dead on the bill, at Ace & The Grocery Place, 103 N. Jackson St. in Evans City. The listing gives October 24 from 7 to 11 p.m. A vendor market of Halloween décor and pop culture collectibles opens at 5 p.m., and the movies start at 7.
The listing does not print a year, so check with the venue before planning around it. If it holds, the same Romero film will be playing on the same Saturday night in two Butler County towns, one of them a few roads from the cemetery in the movie.
The Weekend Before, at Monroeville Mall
The film's cast and fan community gather in Monroeville. The Living Dead Weekend runs October 16 through 18, 2026, inside Monroeville Mall. The event's ticket page lists photo opportunities with original cast members Russ Streiner and Kyra Schon.
The Living Dead Museum is also in Monroeville Mall now, not Evans City. The event site places it on the upper level near the George Romero bust in Romero Court. Fans who visit the convention can see the memorabilia there and then watch the film itself in Mars the following Saturday.
The Library Has Been Building to the 24th All Month
The screening is the largest of several October programs at the Mars Area Public Library. On Saturday, October 10 at 1 p.m., Mars After Dark brings in Iron City Paranormal to talk about their investigations into local hauntings, including the tools and techniques they use. That program is for ages 16 and up, and the library warns that some of the material is not for the faint of heart. On Thursday, October 15 at 5 p.m., Spooky Silhouettes is a craft session for ages 15 and up. Participants make a wall hanging from felt, lace and an embroidery hoop, with a vintage portrait silhouette as the less spooky option. Both programs, and the movie night, ask for registration through the library's adult events page.
Families with younger children have two events of their own this month. Halloween in the Park is on Saturday, October 17 at 3 p.m. at the Adams Township Community Park pavilion, 690 Valencia Road. The afternoon includes games, crafts, emergency vehicles for trick-or-treaters to explore, a parade around the park and a judged costume contest. Registration is through the township's recreation portal.
On Thursday, October 22, the Mars Area High School Student Council holds its annual Trick-or-Treat Night from 5 to 6 p.m. It is open to District children up to and including third grade, and every child must be accompanied by an adult. Visitors enter through the auditorium doors on the eastern end of the high school and leave through the main front doors. Student Council collects non-perishable food and monetary donations at the same time for St. Kilian's Food Pantry in Mars.
October and Into November, on One Page
| Date | Event | Where | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 10, 1 p.m. | Mars After Dark with Iron City Paranormal | Mars Area Public Library | Ages 16+, registration |
| Thu., Oct. 15, 5 p.m. | Spooky Silhouettes craft | Mars Area Public Library | Ages 15+, registration |
| Fri.–Sun., Oct. 16–18 | Living Dead Weekend | Monroeville Mall | Original cast photo ops listed |
| Sat., Oct. 17, 3 p.m. | Halloween in the Park | Adams Township Community Park pavilion, 690 Valencia Road | Parade and costume contest, registration |
| Thu., Oct. 22, 5–6 p.m. | Trick-or-Treat Night | Mars Area High School | District children through third grade, with an adult |
| Sat., Oct. 24, 7 p.m. | Night of the Living Dead screening | Mars Area Public Library parking lot | Lot opens 6 p.m., bring chairs |
| Oct. 24, 7–11 p.m. | Hometown Horror Night double feature | Ace & The Grocery Place, Evans City | Vendors from 5 p.m., confirm year |
| Sat., Oct. 31, 6–8 p.m. | Trick-or-treat | Mars, Adams Township, Middlesex Township | Per ButlerRadio's 2026 list |
| Sun., Nov. 22, 3:30 p.m. | Chili Cook-Off fundraiser | Mars Area Public Library | All ages |
The October 31 times come from ButlerRadio's 2026 trick-or-treat list, which shows 6 to 8 p.m. for Mars, Adams Township and Middlesex Township. The station collects these times from municipalities as they come in, and the borough and township websites had not posted 2026 times when this was written. The same list shows Evans City trick-or-treat from 3 to 5 p.m. that day, which does not overlap with the evening hours in Mars.
After the Season Turns
The library's fall programs carry on after Halloween. The library calls the Chili Cook-Off on Sunday, November 22 at 3:30 p.m. its second chili cook-off fundraiser. Drinks, baked goods and other food will be for sale for anyone not there for the chili, and the cook-off page explains how to enter or attend. The library's November adult programs also include a Cork and Felt Leaf Coasters craft on November 19 and a talk on November 21 by Mars Area author Rodney Phillips about his first book, Dissension.
For a quick dinner before the October 24 screening, the newest option along Route 228 is Chick-fil-A at 600 Holden Drive. The Butler Eagle reported it opening to the public on October 1. Downtown, Capone's House of Pasta opened in May at 200 West Hook Street, just off Grand Avenue.
Mars Applefest drew 205 vendors to 145 Grand Avenue on October 3, and its festival site now lists the 2026 event as finished. The library screening is the October event left on the calendar, and Image Ten's location list shows how close to Mars the film was made.
Shelley Wood knows Butler County well, from Franklin Road and the Evans City Cemetery to the Route 228 corridor. If you're thinking about moving within Mars or Adams Township, or listing your home there, request your complimentary market consultation.
