NEW YORK CITY – Movie makers took home a permanent reminder of their time spent shooting “The Final Season” in Iowa.

After the movie screening, many in the audience attended an after party and picked up specially-designed gift bags made to look like “The Final Season” baseball jerseys. Several eastern Iowa businesses and individuals donated the items inside, including CDs by eastern Iowa artists, organic foods, Iowa minor league baseball caps and lip balms.

Looking down the aisle at the premiere of “The Final Season,” you could see some familiar eastern Iowa faces. Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Lee Clancey; Convention & Visitors Bureau President & CEO Tim Boyle; and Chamber Director of Marketing & Communications Amy Johnson Boyle watched the movie and helped to organize the after party for filmmakers.

Bimm Ridder Sportswear donated 50 hats each from the five minor league baseball teams in Iowa. Other businesses and individuals that donated items for the event included Raining Rose, Frontier Natural Products, Temptations Fine Candies, Red Cedar Chamber Music, the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra, Liar's Theater and several Iowa musicians.

The Cedar Rapids leaders say they threw the event, not only out of pride for "The Final Season," but also in an effort to show other filmmakers that they are eager to have more films made in Iowa. Within the next few weeks, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver is expected to sign film legislation to offer production companies tax incentives to make movies in the Hawkeye state.

Celebrities at the event included some of the film's stars, like Sean Astin, Powers Boothe, Rachael Leigh Cook and Iowa native Tom Arnold. The real-life Norway coaches, Kent Stock and Jim Van Scoyoc, and their families mingled with the film's director, David Mickey Evans, and producers Tony Wilson and Steve Schott.

Alex Band of the band “The Calling” also attended the event. He and Mitch Allen wrote the end credit song for the film called "Coming Home." He performed that song among others for an audience of actors, film makers and guests. Several other Iowans attended the screening and after party, from investors to some just interested in seeing the movie made in their home state.

Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce

Cedar Rapids Convention & Visitors Bureau