Patch Classic: When Damon Fever Swept the Village

As the winter of 2011-2012 draws to a close, we're taking a quick look back to one of Western Springs' marquee events of the winter of 2010-2011: the arrival of the Contagion film crew, including actor Matt Damon and Stephen Soderbergh, to the Village downtown on Dec. 9, 2010. The following article was in Western Springs Patch on Dec. 10, 2010:

Residents braved the bitter cold and flooded the Western Springs downtown Thursday afternoon to watch the filming of scenes from Contagion, many hoping to catch a glimpse of star actor Matt Damon.

Damon was seen leaving his trailer on Franklin Avenue early in the morning, and was believed to be filming inside the Potemkin "Gold Medal Market" constructed at the site of the former Tischler's grocery throughout the morning. He was also spotted in the parking lot of the Western Springs Baptist Church; crew members used the church as a warming hut.

In the afternoon, the actor did several takes of a scene where he drives a blue Mazda CX-7 down Burlington Avenue as extras playing looters raided a burning "McGrath's Wine and Spirits" (the empty building at 823 Burlington Ave.). He waved to spectators several times, and was later spotted briefly speaking with and posing with a few locals (including Marty Scott, Western Springs director of Community Development) before leaving the village shortly after filming wrapped at 3 p.m.

Academy-Award winning director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Erin Brockovich, Ocean's Eleven) was also seen presiding over filming from several places, including the rooftops above Burlington Avenue.

Throughout the morning, spectators were allowed fairly close to the set, even being welcomed close to "McGrath's" at one point for photos. But by the time filming of Damon's driving scene commenced, the film crew had attempted to clear all onlookers from both the 800 and 900 blocks of Burlington Avenue and Hillgrove Avenue, saying that a wide shot could include both blocks on-camera. (A few people camped inside the train station and watched through the windows.)

Despite the perpetual herding, a crew member, who did not wish to be named, said that any chaos paled in comparison to the shoot of Transformers: Dark of the Moon in Chicago over the summer, which was said to have attracted approximately 20,000 spectators.

And contrary to early reports and rumors that Western Springs would play a deserted ghost town, the crew member described the scene as more of a wild looting free-for-all, comparable to scenes in New Orleans following Katrina. (Extras were seen running amok through the streets, and one was protecting Kirshbaum's Bakery with a rifle.)

The town will stand in for Edina, Minnesota, following a worst-case-scenario viral outbreak. A sign on the Western Springs train station read "Edina Station," and a banner on the Western Springs National Bank stated that "The Edina Chamber of Commerce is closed."

Local Bob Cattlin was on the scene early in the morning, watching the action.

"I'm a fan of Matt Damon, so it's kind of fun to see him doing his thing here in little old Western Springs," Cattlin said. "It's fun to see, and fun to watch the process. It's amazing how much work there is behind the scenes, how much money is spent."

His plan if he saw Damon? "Yell out, 'Jason Bourne, I've been looking for you! You and me, let's go!'"

Rumors swirled among the crowd all morning, ranging from wild pyrotechnics, car crashes and the "Gold Medal" windows being blown out, to that Damon had already left the scene and would not return. Not quite: the pyrotechnics were simply a controlled burn that was frequently turned on and off, the car did not crash and the only smashed windows were that of the prop "McGrath's."

Donna Urbain and Susan Lindeen, who had the day off, mentioned their hope that having the buildings featured in a major Hollywood release might increase their appeal for potential tenants. But they were mostly on-scene for the fun.

"It's so out of our element to see what goes on behind the scenes of a movie; it's pretty cool," said Lindeen. "And we both didn't have to work today, so [we came!]"

With filming in Western Springs now complete, residents can now only wait for October of next year, when the finished product will be revealed. As cleanup began, one resident, Beth McLawhorn, wistfully remarked that she wished the pretty façade sets would stay up, being more appealing than empty buildings.

But she was quite happy with Damon, and the filming as a whole. "Absolutely [worth it,]" she said. "We got a wave. We got a smile. So we're alright!"

Since this article was first published, Contagion was released in September, 2011 to . The film has made more than $75 million domestically and over $135 million globally, more than doubling its $60 million budget. Recognizable images of the Western Springs downtown, including a flash of the front of Kirschbaum's, .) The film can now be rented or purchased on DVD.