Comedian Will Ferrell, on the road, drops in on Iowa City bar to film a documentary
Iowa City Press-Citizen Paris Barraza
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Iowa City Press-Citizen
What can rival an Ashton Kutcher appearance in Iowa City?

Comedian and movie star Will Ferrell showing up on a random Wednesday at a downtown bar.

The Deadwood was the place, and it was buzzing when Ferrell arrived in a vintage wood-paneled station wagon ― Twitter images appeared to show a well-preserved, old-style Jeep Wagoneer ― with a producer and a filming crew in tow.

Bar manager Carlos Amaya said the production crew had called the day before, telling him they were filming a road trip documentary and that the producer used to frequent the bar and wanted to use it as a setting.

He wasn't clear on the name of the producer. But Andrew Steele, now Harper Steele, a frequent production partner of Ferrell and a "Saturday Night Live" writer during Ferrell's years on the show, is an Iowa City native. Steele made an appearance at her alma mater, Iowa City High, with Ferrell earlier in the day, according to a Facebook posting from the school district.

More:Andrew Steele pays tribute to Kirk Walther, whose passion made Record Collector legendary beyond Iowa City

Amaya said Ferrell, the star of cult comedies "Anchorman" and "Elf," spent a couple hours playing pool and drinking a few beers while being filmed. He didn't interact with the patrons, Amaya said, but he drew a big crowd.

Ferrell sightings also were reported Sunday and Monday in Indianapolis and Tuesday in Pekin and Peoria, Illinois. Amaya said he wasn't sure, but he believed Ferrell's next stop might be Nebraska.

"At one point, we had a full bar," he said.

Taber Squibb, a recent University of Iowa graduate and an employee at The Deadwood, was still there more than an hour after Ferrell’s departure, even though she was off the clock.

“I thought it was awesome,” Squibb said, a wide grin on her face.

She said she’d been sitting in a booth when the “Step Brothers” actor entered and headed over to the pool room. She described him as “personable,” though she didn’t get to speak with him.

She knew he was coming because of her employment at The Deadwood, and she toted roommate Samantha Farr along with her.

Farr, also a student, skipped class to see Ferrell. She said she told her professors about his expected appearance and they encouraged her to go meet him.

The Indianapolis Star reported that Ferrell filmed in the parking lot of a Walmart in Beech Grove, an Indianapolis suburb, then made an appearance at an Indiana Pacers game, where rapper 50 Cent, a regular presence at the NBA team's home court, greeted him.

The Peoria JournalStar reported that Ferrell visited Maquet's Rail House in Pekin, then another bar, The Basket Case, in Peoria, where a customer reported he sang karaoke.

This isn't the first time Ferrell has nfilmed in Iowa. In 2011, the comedian appeared in four ads for Old Milwaukee beer in Davenport.

The "Talladega Nights" star sat on a log fishing in the Mississippi River in one ad. In another, the actor goes "hand fishing" in the Mississippi. "Haven't caught any catfish yet, but I did catch this piece of America — Old Milwaukee."

In the third ad, which only ran in the Quad Cities, he wears a blue T-shirt that says Iowa and uses the letters in Davenport to describe why he loves Old Milwaukee.

In a fourth ad, Ferrell drinks Old Milwaukee at a bar called the Cedar.