The new Aledo Movie Facebook page shared some happy and sad news on Thursday.

“Everything Fun You Could Possibly Do in Aledo, Illinois” (a comedy narrated by Aledo native country star Suzy Bogguss) will have its public world premiere in Los Angeles Oct. 14, 2023, as the closing flick in the LA Indie Film Festival.

The movie – shot in Aledo in 2022 – reunites two childhood friends from the Mercer County seat after three decades apart, and was shown in August 2023 at an invitation-only screening at Rock Island’s Center for Living Arts.

Rediscovering their forgotten bucket list from senior year of high school, the film’s friends embark on a riotous adventure to fulfill the wild dreams of their youth – skinny dipping in the community pool, making out with boys, and even a daring shoplifting spree, according to a synopsis. But there’s one small problem: the town’s sheriff is hot on their trail, determined to catch them in the act.

Christina Shaver – the Chicago-based movie producer and co-screenwriter – has fond memories of Aledo, where her father grew up. During her childhood, she would visit her grandmother, uncles, aunts, and cousins there. Now that her close relatives in the area have either passed away or moved away, Shaver missed her visits, she said in production notes on the film.

To commemorate her time in Aledo and as a tribute to her family’s longstanding ties to the town, she wanted to make a movie. Shaver graduated from Northwestern University with a BA in music (1997), and from the Harold Ramis Film School (2017).

She spent all last week in Aledo filming for her next film, a documentary about the Chicago painter Gertrude Abercrombie (1909-1977), who lived two years in Aledo as a child and returned often to visit.

The iconic logo for “Everything Fun…” was handcrafted by Michael Clark of Aledo. The filmmakers noted Thursday that he unfortunately passed away shortly after the private screening of the film in Rock Island.

“He was so generous with his time and very kind to us all,” the Facebook post says. “His logo is timeless, and we are grateful to have his handprint forever on our film.”

Clark, 64, died on Aug. 30, 2023, at Genesis Medical Center, East Campus, Davenport after a courageous battle with cancer. Memorial services were held Sept. 2 at the First Baptist Church of Aledo. Clark (who had four children with his wife Denise) was a volunteer Aledo firefighter and loved to share his artistic gifts through his sign business, Clark Signs, according to his obituary.

Many of his signs, logos and lettering jobs dot the countryside and towns in Mercer, Rock Island and Warren counties. His true passion was painting with the “Wall Dogs,” a group of painters that painted life-size murals for cities around the world.

Clark was a devoted Papa to his seven grandchildren and was lovingly expecting two more, his obituary said. He never missed a sporting event or the opportunity to encourage his grandchildren’s artistic abilities.

To learn more about the in-progress Abercrombie film, click HERE.