The whine of the Ecto-1′s distinctive siren filled the parking lot outside of the Fine Wine & Good Spirits store at Centerville Square in Lancaster, as fans lined up outside the door, down the block and around the back of the shopping center to meet Dan Aykroyd.
Strains of Bobby Brown’s “On Our Own” or Ray Parker’s famous “Ghostbusters” theme could be heard now and then – notably, at one point, playing from speakers build into one fan’s proton pack, a re-created prop of the ghost-wrangling beam lasso used to wrangle ghosts in the film.
The fans’ passion wasn’t lost on Aykroyd. The star and co-writer of “Ghostbusters" was also one of the original cast members of “Saturday Night Live,” where he created such memorable sketches as The Blues Brothers and The Coneheads, both of which would go to become their own feature films.
And while fans waiting in line were enthusiastic about Aykroyd’s other work - “Spies Like Us” and “The Great Outdoors” were cited frequently by those waiting in line as their favorite of his films - the brown jumpsuits, the proton packs, and the logo of the red line drawn through the ghost were by far the most prevalent items to be found.
“And there’s generations, third and fourth generations [of fans] coming in,” Aykroyd said, pausing only briefly to talk to media in the midst of signing bottle after bottle of Crystal Head Vodka. “People love comedy, and they like to be scared. And they like to come with their families and have a memorable experience that leaves them quoting lines years afterwards. And the film [”Ghostbusters"] really does come through and deliver on all those criteria, because it was the best people in the industry at the time."
Aykroyd was quick to sing the praises of his collaborators, including co-star and co-writer Harold Ramis and co-star Bill Murray. Aykroyd said that Murray, who was also one of the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players on “SNL," was “the greatest romantic leading man in the history of the industry, certainly of our generation.”
But until Murray starts selling bottles of whiskey at area liquor stores, its Aykroyd alone of the “Ghostbusters” alumni who draws hundreds of fans to wait in line for hours for a signature.
“He is committed to meeting everyone who’s here,” said Shawn Kelly, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, at about 2:30 in the afternoon. “We know Dan always attracts hundreds of fans, so we try to bring in extra bottles for every event that he does.”
All 850 bottles were sold before the guests were allowed in to meet Aykroyd at 4 p.m. At least two hundred people were in line by 3 p.m., and each had already purchased their bottle and returned outside to wait for an opportunity to meet the actor and comedian.
By 4 p.m., the line wrapping around the corner extended behind the shopping center. Many fans were too late to purchase bottles, but they remained to wait for an autograph and photo regardless. Some carried their Blues Brothers records on vinyl; some had movie posters or Ecto-1 toys to be signed.
Fans had come from as far as Tennessee and Michigan, driving eight hours or more to grab a signature from the comedy star. At least three Ghostbusters fan groups were in attendance, chatting with one another around their own re-creations of the Ecto-1 car.
Melinda Blessing of Middletown had arrived at 6:30 a.m. to wait in line. “We’re ready to go in!” she laughed.
“The weather has really been cooperative, thankfully,” Blessing said. “I like the Crystal Skulls. I have one that I’ve never opened. And we have a signature series signed by John Alexander, the artist, I wanted one of those for myself.”
Dave Metzger and his son had driven from Lebanon. The “Spies Like Us" fan had also brought along his 17-year-old son, Cade, who obviously wouldn’t be buying his own bottle. But Cade was a huge fan of “The Great Outdoors” and had a DVD cover of Aykroyd’s “Best of SNL” to be signed.
When asked if he was a big vodka fan, Metzger said, “No, not really. But I do like the way the bottle looks.”
Leading up to the fans’ entry, Aykroyd was a machine, signing bottle after bottle of Crystal Head Vodka as they were put in front of him on two tables. He took pains signatures that were smudged on the glass bottles were carefully brought back and re-signed.
When the fans were finally allowed it, it was the third and fourth generations of audience that were ushered in first. Fans with “Coneheads” DVD covers or their own child-sized Ghostbusters jumpsuits were brought to the front, where Aykroyd smiled for photos and signed Ghostbusters books.
“I am very grateful for them coming out, and I want to give every one of them a special moment and don’t want to rush the experience,” Aykroyd said. “But with so many, there may have to be some conversations cut short. I am thrilled to be able to be here, in this beautiful, classic, mid-American town, with all the old architecture and history, in a great state.”
So, why vodka?
“I went into it because I thought I could make a cleaner product than a lot of the lesser priced vodkas,” Aykroyd said. “If you open up many vodkas, I won’t name names, but lesser priced ones, there will be a viscosity there, there’s a fake oil. That’s the glyceride. if you open mine, it evaporates. I just wanted to clean up the category.”
Crystal Head Vodka has racked up its fair share of awards - and as I was assured by representatives of the Ghostbusters Tri-State Division fan group, it mixes very well with Hi-C’s Ecto-Cooler fruit drink.
“What I love about vodka,” Aykroyd concluded, “is that Crystal Head exists now, as an alternative premium spirit.”
By 5:30 p.m., the sun had set, but the fans still waited patiently to get their own bottle of that premium spirit, and pose for a photo with the actor. And it seemed Aykroyd still had a long evening of smiles and signatures ahead of him.