Sue Webster of Decatur went to a whopping nine film shoots while "The Informant" cast and crew was in Decatur. She ended up having numerous encounters with the stars of the production.

First up was Matt Damon, of whom she met while they were filming at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel.

"I live close to the hotel, and every evening on my way home from work, I would look and see if they might be shooting there," she said in an e-mail. "One evening I got lucky and they were blowing snow so I knew they were going to film there."

Arriving at the hotel at 6 p.m., it wasn't until 12:30 a.m. that she and the rest of the crowd was greeted by Damon.

"He was the nicest man and was very friendly to us," she said. "He made sure he was looking into the correct camera, so we all got a good shot of him."

Subsequent times she got pictures and autographs from Joel McHale, Scott Bakula and Melanie Lynskey.

By the time she was finished, her copy of the book "The Informant" was signed by Damon, Bakula, McHale and the director of the movie, Steven Soderbergh.

"I have had the best time following the film crew around and meeting the stars," she said. "I can't wait for the movie to come out and see the finished product. I can sit there and say, 'I was there when they filmed that.' "

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Melissa Ryan of Decatur said she wasn't one of those people who followed the "Informant" movie cast and crew around from set to set, but she was able to catch the filming of the movie twice.

The first time was during filming at the Econolodge hotel, but at that time, she didn't get the celebrity encounter she was hoping for.

"The second time I went was on Saturday at the (Macon County) courthouse," the last day of filming, she said in an e-mail. "I got there at 9 a.m. and there was a small crowd."

She said the crowd was sent across the street as barriers were put up. She eventually saw the director and set people come through, as well as stars Scott Bakula, Joel McHale and Dick Smothers.

"We were all waiting for Matt (Damon), but they took him to the back door in his Tahoe," she said. Several hours later, "Matt's bodyguard told us he would bring out Matt if we would not push since there were kids in the crowd ¦ He then brought out Matt and most people seemed to cooperate with his instructions.

"I cannot imagine a cast or crew that is nicer than the one working on 'The Informant.' They seemed mostly patient with the crowd outside and were joking with the crowd every time they would walk by.

"One man walked by with a plate of food and asked, 'Would you like to take a picture of my sandwich?' "

Ryan got pictures and autographs with Bakula, McHale and Damon.

"By the time I got done, it was 4 p.m. I was tired and sunburned, but it was worth it," she said.

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Due to the "The Informant" cast and film crew staying and filming at the Decatur Conference Center and Hotel, two weddings scheduled at the hotel at the time received the butt of the deal of being in the same building with movie stars.

Andrew Cox of Decatur can attest to one of the weddings.

"I know for a fact that one of these weddings also had a rehearsal dinner at this business and had anywhere from 20 to 40 rooms booked at the same place," he said in an e-mail. "However, they were kind of pushed aside and almost looked over by the staff."

There was to be a rehearsal dinner at J.R.'s Steakhouse, but was moved to another banquet room that weekend. Plus, the wedding couple was bumped out of their suites and put into standard rooms at the hotel, he said.

"Also, on the way to the reception, nobody was allowed into the hallway because the crew was filming," he said. "Well, in order to get into the wedding reception everyone had to go through the hallway. So they and their guests were held up."

He believed the couple and their families did not receive a fair warning time of the changes that were made.

"OK, it was my wedding," Cox confessed, "but once everything got going it was a blast.

"My point is, we are from Decatur, we provided them with a lot of business that weekend, and we were kind of put on the back burner so they could cater to this film. I just didn't like the fact that we were not even consulted about any of (the changes).

"I met some of the cast and crew and they were all great people, so this is not a knock on them. I just find it funny that so many people and businesses in this town are so star struck and worry so much about catering to these people that they forget about their own."

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I HAVE PHOTOS

Sandy Stiverson and her husband of Decatur found fun in the adventure of the hunt.

"I've been retired for seven years, and this is the most fun my husband and I have had in Decatur in years," she said in an e-mail. "We were lucky enough to have them in our neighborhood once."

Stiverson and her husband also were able to catch them on Merchant Street and at Firestone Complete Auto Care on North Main Street.

"One thing for sure, if you wanted pictures or autographs, you were given many chances," she said. "These movie stars are truly very caring people. Not once did I hear any of them turn anyone down for a picture or autograph. I have an album full."

Stiverson said she made new friends with locals as she waited around at the filming sites.

"I want to thank everyone that helped bring this crew to Decatur and (giving) us something to chase," she said. "Yes, I do have other interests, but this was a wonderful experience."

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Co-workers Angie Donnell of Decatur and Stephanie Johnson of Mount Zion received a phone call that would wind up being their ticket to meet Matt Damon.

Johnson's mother lives along Hawthorne Drive, and one day her mother noticed an abundance of police cars in the neighborhood.

"She said, 'You won't believe what's going on here,'" Johnson said of her mother.

"(Johnson's mother) thought it was a drug raid," Donnell said. The co-workers knew it was the film crew.

They left work and went to Hawthorne for "a long lunch," they said.

"We were getting ready to leave and he drives up in his Tahoe," Donnell said. "It was a chance meeting."

Pictures were shot and Johnson, a big Damon fan, couldn't help but gloat about their picture with Damon.

"She said, 'He's not even touching you. He has his arm around me,' " Donnell said of Johnson.

"She looks like she just accidentally got in (the picture)," Johnson said with a laugh.

Because of Donnell's presence in the photo, Johnson made copies of the picture for her friend and herself to never forget their star encounter.

"It was one of those things you weren't interested in until you get involved with it," Donnell said. "We can't wait to see the movie."

The Herald & Review is looking for reports of your encounters with the film. E-mail your story to Alicia Spates at alicia.spates@lee.net.