EVANS CITY — The Living Deadfest will rise again in the borough.

Gary Streiner, coordinator of all the Deadfests since they began in 2008, said the classic horror movie “Night of the Living Dead” will be celebrated once again.

The latest Living Deadfest will take place Oct. 10-12, mainly in EDCO Park. The festival celebrates 1969’s “Night of the Living Dead,” which was the first movie to feature flesh-eating zombies.

Streiner had said last year’s Deadfest was the final celebration since the actors and crew from the movie are getting older.

“I say that every year,” Streiner said on Monday. “The fans like it, so they put pressure on to bring it back each year.”

Streiner said the most exciting facet this year will be the appearance of the movie’s director, George Romero. The entire festival was planned around Romero’s availability, Streiner said.

“The toughest thing was finding a date when he was available,” Streiner said.

Romero will appear at the festival on Saturday. Streiner said it is likely that Romero has not been in Evans City since he shot the movie “The Crazies” there in the mid-1970s.

Streiner said 23 actors and crew from “Night of the Living Dead” as well as other Romero films will attend Deadfest to interact with the zombie fans. Pictures, autographs and other opportunities to hang out with the guests will be available during the weekend.

“This year, we’re diversifying because George is going to be here,” Streiner said.

New this year is a pet costume contest, which will be Oct. 11 at EDCO Park.

“That’s going to be really fun, and we hope it’s something that will catch on,” Streiner said.

Also, most of the action during the three-day event will take place at EDCO Park. Last year, participants toured the sites where “Night of the Living Dead” was filmed, but Streiner said connecting so many Romero film actors and crew with fans will be better.

“We don’t need to leave the park,” Streiner said. “The fans are coming to see all these individuals.”

He hopes to attract 800 fans at the upcoming Deadfest, up from 300 who attended last year’s event. Streiner has sold tickets to “Night” fans from the United Kingdom, Melbourne, Australia, and “virtually every state in the nation.”

“The Deadfest has proved itself to be a real destination, and that’s a real feather in our cap,” Streiner said.

He is also enjoying the borough council’s embracing of the town’s connection to “Night,” which has not been the case with past councils.

“It’s about time,” Streiner said. “We had a change in council, and they are extremely receptive to anything we have to say.”

The Living Deadfest, in addition to attracting the film’s fans from far and wide, also will coincide with the borough’s Hallo-Weekends.

Hallo-Weekends begin on the same weekend as the Living Deadfest, and will continue for the next two weekends in October.

The council is asking all of the merchants and organizations in Evans City to participate by hosting events, selling fall themed merchandise and food, holding sidewalk sales, decorating their businesses, holding parties and hosting Halloween-themed tournaments.

Council member Kim Armstrong said undecorated ghoul cutouts are being sold to businesses, organizations and community members for $50 to be decorated and displayed on Hallo-Weekends. Proceeds from the ghouls will go back into the Hallo-Weekend fund.

She said the time has come for the borough to embrace and benefit from it’s connection with “Night of the Living Dead,” so Hallo-Weekends events will coincide with Living Deadfest.

“We want to make (the movie) more of a thing that we can use to benefit the community and businesses,” Armstrong said.

During Hallo-Weekends’ final weekend, a Halloween parade will be at 6 p.m. Oct. 30 on Main Street, and trick-or-treat will be observed from 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 31 in the borough.

“We’re trying to get people enthused for the whole month of October,” Armstrong said.

Potential attractions being discussed for next year’s Hallo-Weekends include a corn maze, a beer and wine tasting and a run/walk.

The events during the Living Deadfest are listed under the “frequently-asked questions” section on the festival’s Facebook page.

Hallo-Weekends events can be found on the borough’s website, www.evans-city.us.