Ligonier streets take on period look, with movie cameras set to roll for 'Hershey'

Portions of Ligonier’s central Diamond and adjacent West Main Street will take on a new old look in the days ahead as the crew of “Hershey” arrives to shoot footage for the independent film about the founder of the Pennsylvania chocolate company.

During the location shoot, which begins Wednesday and continues through Friday, borough officials are planning street closures to accommodate the production. Some affected downtown merchants are modifying their operations and hours.

Initial preparations have included removing benches and parking meter heads that were in the way, according to borough Secretary-Treasurer Jan Shaw.

“I think it’s going to be a good thing for the town,” she said, indicating filming at the Diamond is expected to focus on the northern half of that central crossroads. “It’s exciting that we can be a part of this, seeing our town in the movie.”

Several merchants on the affected section of West Main Street, between the Diamond and Fairfield Street, agreed.

“We’re all really excited,” April Kinzler, manager of the Paws on Main pet supply shop, said about the filming. “It will definitely be fun. The hope is, by having a movie shot in Ligonier, that it’s going to draw more people to the town in general.”

She said the production is compensating the store as it will be closed for filming Wednesday and Thursday.

“We’re offering free shipping that week to help accommodate any sort of business issues,” she said.

Tree House in Ligonier, a children’s clothing store in the same building, indicated through social media that it will be closed most of this week, with plans to reopen Saturday.

Next door, the My Honeybee gift shop will close its doors Wednesday through Friday but will accept online orders.

Owner Brenda Shaffer said she may use those days to take care of chores inside the store or might just take a brief vacation.

“I think it’s a good thing,” she said of the film shoot. “Anything to bring attention to the town that’s positive is good.

“I think it’s going to be very exciting to see the town transformed. They’ll take some people’s awnings down and make everything look a little bit different.”

My Honeybee posted social media images last week showing some modern business signage had been removed to make way for potential facade modifications in advance of filming.

Merchants on that section of Main learned from a film representative that mulch will be spread to simulate the look of an unpaved street from an earlier era.

Director Mark Waters has said the film will focus on the love story between Milton Hershey, founder of the Hershey Chocolate Co., and his wife, Kitty, and on the school they began in 1909.

The Milton Hershey School is dedicated to educating orphans and children of underprivileged families. Today, it has an enrollment of about 2,000 students. The Hersheys left their fortune to the school; in 2021, its endowment was valued at more than $17 billion.

The “Hershey” cast includes Finn Wittrock (“All My Children,” “American Horror Story”) and Alexandria Daddario (the “Percy Jackson” films, “The White Lotus”) portraying the Hersheys, along with Alan Ruck (“Succession”), Richard Kind (“Only Murders in the Building”), David Costabile (“Breaking Bad”) and Helene Yorke (“The Other Two”).

The film is slated for release in 2026.

Across Main Street from Paws on Main, owner Dan McMaster is planning to close Ligonier Outfitters from Tuesday through Friday.

“It’s good they picked here to film,” he said of Ligonier. “It should be good for the town. It will be interesting to see what props they bring in.”

Betsy’s of Ligonier, a nearby women’s clothing store, will be closed Wednesday through Friday.

Owner Debbie Sarault called the closure a “bump in the road” for the retail shop during a peak time for business.

“It’s fine,” she said. “We’ll recover. For our little bit of fame, it’s all good.

“We contemplated redirecting our customers to come in the back, and then we just said, ‘No.’ We don’t want to be a problem” for the film crew.

“Hershey” cameras are supposed to stop rolling in time for a popular Antiques on the Diamond vendor event, scheduled for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Sarault plans to have her shop’s doors back open that day and is hoping curiosity about the film and its temporary changes to the look of some buildings will increase customer traffic.

“They may not get all the (temporary) facades down by then,” she said. “I think customers who do come that day will find that interesting and that will cause a buzz.”

To avoid any potential problem, vendors for the antiques event will be set up on the southern half of the Diamond and along East Main Street — areas away from the main focus of filming.

“It’s easier and safer,” said Amy Beitel, executive director of the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the antiques event.

The chamber office is in Ligonier’s Town Hall, on the northeast quadrant of the Diamond.

“I get to see movie magic happen right outside my window,” Beitel said.

Some affected Ligonier locations are planning to continue operations during the filming — with modifications.

The Ligonier Valley Library, on the northwest quadrant of the Diamond, alerted patrons through social media it intends to maintain its regular hours. It advised that access to the library’s main entrance may be intermittently limited, at which times the side entrance between the children’s wing and patio will be used.

The Post and Rail Men’s Shop on the Diamond posted it will remain open, with customers directed to a rear entrance.