Downtown Canonsburg is bracing for a visit from the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, a scavenger hunt, and a replica Ectomobile shipped in all the way from New York, as Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop rolls out a two-day Ghostbusters-themed weekend starting Friday. The festivities run from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16, and from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 17, turning the borough’s main drag into a pop-culture playground for families.
Costumed Characters and a Car From Out of Town
The hours for this weekend’s event come from Observer-Reporter, which reports that the Steel City Ghostbusters will descend on downtown with costumed characters, a scavenger hunt, activities scattered throughout Canonsburg, and a replica Ecto-1 car that organizer Christopher Beers had shipped in from New York. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man — the towering menace from the original film — is also set to make an appearance over the two days, according to the same report. Nineteen local businesses are participating, Beers told the outlet, folding the event into the fabric of downtown rather than confining it to a single storefront.
Worth noting: not every listing agrees on exact start times. Pittsburgh Magazine likewise reports the festivities running from 5 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 16 and 2 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 17, matching the Observer-Reporter’s hours, while a Downtown Canonsburg event listing separately lists special Ghostbusters event hours of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The discrepancy between those sources hasn’t been resolved, so attendees may want to confirm timing before heading out.
A Scavenger Hunt and a Fan-Built Ectomobile
CBS News, which first flagged the event with its report, Who you gonna call? Canonsburg is calling the Ghosbusters!, described it as Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop bringing a two-day Ghostbusters-themed weekend to downtown Canonsburg. The event is presented by Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop and CECI, according to GhostbustersNews.com, which also details a Ghost Hunt scavenger hunt during Saturday’s festivities. The fan site reports that the car on display, the Ecto-1 NJ, is a fan-built Ectomobile replica, and that fans will have a chance to get up close and snap a photo with it.
Pittsburgh City Paper’s events roundup lists Ghostbusters Weekend at 4 W. Pike St. in Canonsburg, noting it is free and open to all ages, a detail that should ease any hesitation for families weighing whether to stop by. Participating merchants will also be offering specials and discounts during the event, per Pittsburgh Magazine’s report, giving shoppers extra incentive to wander between storefronts while the scavenger hunt unfolds.
The Weekend Wraps With a Classic on the Big Screen
The family-friendly weekend will culminate at the Canon Theatre with a screening of the original 1984 Ghostbusters on Saturday at 7 p.m., according to the Observer-Reporter’s report. It’s a fitting bookend for two days built around the franchise’s most recognizable imagery, from Stay Puft’s looming silhouette to the boxy, siren-topped Ecto-1 parked downtown for photos.
Beers said the event is meant to do more than entertain for an afternoon — it’s designed to bring families downtown, support local merchants and attract visitors from outside the area, he told the Observer-Reporter. Pittsburgh Magazine frames the weekend as part of Grandpa Joe’s Candy Shop’s growing lineup of experiential events designed to bring families into downtown Canonsburg, a strategy the company has leaned into as it has expanded to 23 locations across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, West Virginia, Minnesota and Texas.
It’s not the first time Grandpa Joe’s has turned downtown Canonsburg into a stage for an oversized stunt. Last year, the shop rolled out thousands of rubber ducks around town over four separate phases, a spectacle that built toward nearly a dozen inflatable ducks standing 14 to 20 feet tall, according to Pittsburgh Magazine. If that effort is any indication, this weekend’s ghost hunt and marshmallow-man cameo are the latest chapter in a strategy that keeps finding new ways to pull people into town.
