Staff from the local brewery traveled to the set of NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” in the fall. The restaurant has been featured throughout the show’s seven seasons.
“It’s a lot of fun for us because we probably notice it a lot more than anyone else,” Upland marketing director Andrea Lutz said.
Upland employees were invited to Los Angeles, where the show is taped, for a three-hour long visit.
Before the show aired in 2009, people involved in creating “Parks and Recreation” reached out to Upland to ask if it could be featured on the show, Lutz said they were looking for a brewery that represented small-town Indiana.
Characters on the sitcom frequently visit Upland after work.
Props from the set include a neon sign that is seen in Bloomington’s Upland bar and three beer tap heads.
Lutz said that Upland staff frequently sent updated props to use on the show.
On their visit, Upland staff watched three scenes from an episode taped and received a tour of the set.
“I’m an avid watcher of the show, so walking down the halls of City Hall was really cool,” marketing assistant Andrea Heck said.
Cast member Chris Pratt, who plays character Andy Dwyer, came out to talk to the Upland staff on the visit. Lutz said Pratt said he was a fan of craft beer and asked a lot of questions.
“He told us if he weren’t acting, he’d be in the beer industry,” Heck said. “We told him he could have a job at Upland.” Lutz added that the staff watched the taping from Pratt’s character’s shoe-shining chair.
Lutz said they were scheduled to be on the set Nov. 14 for taping, but then were rescheduled to the previous day because the show’s series finale was being taped that day.
“It was top-secret,” Lutz said. “Some of the cast members didn’t even know what was in the script.”
Parks and Recreation’s final episode airs Feb. 24. Though Upland may be losing their branch in fictional Pawnee, Ind., Lutz and Heck said they really enjoyed their experience.
“It was just really cool that everyone was just familiar with our brand and what we do,” Heck said.
