New Commercial Features Jane Lynch On Moline’s Celebration Belle

A brand new commercial spot is set to start airing for the State of Illinois that features a local favorite and a high-profile actress.

The new spokeswoman for Enjoy Illinois, Jane Lynch, has starred in enough film and television shows to become a household name, especially in her home state.

Lynch was born in Evergreen Park, Illinois, near Chicago, and would go on to star in dozens of movies and TV shows. She's been seen in productions like Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Wreck-It Ralph, and possibly her most recognizable role as Sue Sylvester in Glee.

The Illinois State University alum will be starring in her self-directed 2023 summer ad campaign series for Illinois, Middle of Everything.

“It’s been an absolute joy to bring to life the ‘Middle of Everything’ campaign in new and exciting ways,” Lynch said in a press release. “Being able to share my passion for all things Illinois comes naturally, and getting to meet and work with so many inspiring people and unique businesses across the state is an honor."

The ads will air in 22 total media markets, including the Quad Cities, which sees a short feature through the Celebration Belle, Moline's own steamboat, operated by a local family as it has been for multiple generations.

"We had a full afternoon/evening reserved for the commercial shoot. From arrival process for set-up, filming, and tear-down and pizza after, the process took about five and a half hours. Crew started to arrive at about 3 pm and we were heading for home between 8:30-9 pm," Susan Yarolem told 97X.

"We were all set and ready for their arrival, decks were set up as needed, so once their crew arrived, they were able to start doing what they needed to," Susan said. "This whole process was seamless and their crew were all really amazing! It was such a pleasure to be a part of this from start to finish. The only difficult part was we had to keep quiet about all this fun we were having until the commercial was released."

As far as working with Lynch, it was a pleasure.

"Jane is a super nice person, very friendly, and was very personable with everybody there. She made sure she said hello to everyone," she said. "Was definitely a fun day for all involved."

Nearly 60 crew members were involved with the shooting of the commercial segment.

Watch the commercial here, and check out more photos below.

The ad campaign's target audience is international, domestic, and local visitors to show what the state has to offer. Last year's campaign led to an additional 2 million visits to the state - equating to about $1 billion spent at Illinois restaurants, hotels, small businesses and more.

Jane Lynch Commercial Shoot On Celebration Belle