Grabbed your hot ticket yet?

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” tickets went on sale across the country after the latest trailer aired during halftime of “Monday Night Football.”

Flagship Cinemas Auburn opened sales online, starting with a 7 p.m. show Dec. 17. Navigation is a little tricky. Click “view show times,” then use the drop down box to pick the date, then the time.

In Farmington, John Moore is going old school. He’ll open walk-in ticket sales at Narrow Gauge Cinemas around Dec. 1.

“This one is going to go like wildfire,” Moore said. “With the digital age it’s going to make it so much easier. Opening night, we’ll be able to play it on five, six, seven screens.”

With so many seats, he doesn’t see people having to line up around the block as opening night draws near. They may not need to, but . . . 

“I think part of what people like to do, they do like to wait out there for hours and hours, although Dec. 18, I’m not sure it’s going to be as fun as it was for ‘Harry Potter’,” he said.

Toss on an extra Bantha-fur coat, you should be fine.

Building right along

Mechanics Savings Bank’s new Minot Avenue branch in Auburn opened last month and work is ongoing at what looks like a busy construction site for the new main office space next to it. It will house the commercial lending team, loan processing, some bank management and a residential lender.

A spokeswoman said the project, which costs $6 million in total, is tentatively set to wrap with a grand opening for the main office next May.

“We are pleased to see our initiative may be influencing other investors to join us in the revitalization of the gateway to Auburn,” bank President Rick Vail said in a statement. “We hope our renovation serves as a catalyst for other businesses in the area as well.”

Mad Men, Mad Women

Staff at Rinck Advertising are making the ’60s look good.

The Auburn-based ad agency was featured in Adweek online on Tuesday in an interview about founder Peter Rinck’s 94-year-old father, Larry Rinck, joining the company as a chief inspiration officer. Larry has had a long, noteworthy career in advertising.

The article also called attention to the staff’s “Mad Men”-inspired makeover on Rinck’s website. 

Kristel Wagner at Rinck said the group photo shoot took place in May in the Bates Mill. Staff were measured ahead of time and photographer Jessica Beebe worked with a wardrobe stylist and a hair and makeup artist to capture the era. Earthy tones. Scarves. Thin ties. High hair.

“I was so much fun. We had ’60s music blasting,” Wagner said.

The results? Don Draper would approve.

Hmm

Same street, more activity, more mystery: Much like the property next to Tim Hortons on Sabattus Street is being prepped in anticipation of future development, Lewiston City Planner David Hediger said it’s the same story just a few hundred feet up the road at the intersection of Sabattus and Randall Road.

Owner Derek Dube is dozing and leveling the site “in hopes of developing it in the future,” Hediger said.

Sniff, sniff

The Auburn air just got a little sweeter.

IHOP opened on Turner Street on Monday, its second location in Maine, and had an official ribbon cutting on Thursday.

Frankly, it’s just in time: Where else can children 12 and under get a free Frankenstein pancake with mini Oreo eyes, candy corn hair and strawberry jell-scar from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30?

Pancakes and candy corn? It’s happening here.

Quick hits about business comings, goings and happenings. Have a Buzzable tip? Contact staff writer Kathryn Skelton at 207-689-2844 or kskelton@sunjournal.com.

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