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 Lindsay Gjerde | Daily Herald Chris Daughtry performed for friends, family, and fans at Northeast Academy in Lasker on Sunday. |
Although a crowd of thousands had been expected, the one that showed seemed closer to the 1,000 range and, as requested, stayed polite and well-behaved, albeit excited.
Newspaper and radio reported the gates to the event would open between 11 a.m. and noon, but many people arrived much earlier.
April Liverman and Beatrice Barnes easily won the title of first fans on the scene. The two Conway residents trudged into the wet field around 8 a.m. and triumphantly parked their lawnchairs directly behind the yellow police line used to mark out an area where Daughtry's family and other special guests could sit.
“We wanted to make sure we were here early,” Liverman said. “We thought about camping out,” Barnes said, adding that they changed their mind after driving by last night and realizing it wouldn't be necessary.
Shortly, Cheryl Wheeler appeared equipped with a three-person lawn-chair, blankets, sunblock, video games and books to keep everyone entertained before the concert started. “My daughter's a big fan,” she said, referring to a pony-tailed girl in a oversized “Chris Daughtry” T-shirt, who had no intention of speaking to the press. “This was all she talked about last night.”
The crowd grew steadily throughout the morning, and by noon, when the local band Jusluck began paying, the space normally reserved for the Northeast Academy Eagles' infield players was swallowed up by a sea of fans. Most sported some sort of “daughtrified” clothing, be it a T-shirt, poster, or in one case, straw hat with a large picture of Chris stuck inside.
The folks weren't the only ones decorated for the big event. Lasker itself, all 12 or so houses, were bedecked with balloons, banners and bows.
Cynthia Askew, who is originally from Lasker but now lives a little farther up the road, said she hung about 100 big yellow bows around the town. On Sunday, Askew had pinned a small yellow bow to her Rock Your Vote T-shirt. The bow was a reminder from when her own son, also named Chris, had returned from Operation Desert Storm. Askew knew Daughtry from when he was a child. “He was a sweet boy,” she said.
Robin Draper Handly also knew Chris when he was young. She said she and Chris were boyfriend and girlfriend for about a year when they were at Conway Middle School. She and her friend Lou Young White remembered how Chris, now known for his baldness, had a long “rat-tail” hair-do that was popular at the time.
Handly said she eventually broke up with Chris for being too nice. “I guess I wanted the bad boy,” she said.
To say she and White were shocked when they saw their old friend on American Idol could be an understatement. “I've been kicking myself in the tail,” she said.
It seemed a good portion of the people attending the event came from the nearby area. But, there were exceptions, and none bigger than Louise Robusto.
Robusto burst onto the field in what appeared to be a state of shock at around 11:20 a.m.
Turns out, she'd driven 11 1/2 hours straight from Upstate New York to come to the show. “He's so fantastic,” she said. “I couldn't wait for the Albany (American Idol) concert.”
After learning about her feat, the crowd broke into applause and welcomed her in. Barnes even lent her a lawnchair.
Robusto said she learned about the homecoming event through one of the many Web sites dedicated to Chris, mrdaughtry.com, and said she just couldn't miss the opportunity.
Alysson Callahan, of Northern Virginia, also found out through that site. She called in sick on Saturday and Sunday in order to make the trip.
Ohioan Angele Warner discovered the event via mrdaughtry.com, too, and convinced her husband to take her and her two children on a 9 1/2 hour trip to see their “idol.”
Originally billed as a meet-and-greet for local fans, the family moved the venue to Northeast Academy fearing he could be mobbed by fans. A planned autograph signing period was also canceled.
Fifteen-year-old Katie Strickland, however, did manage to get Chris to autograph her blue jeans. She and her family were at the private affair since her mother created the Chris Daughtry cake - complete with his picture, “American Idol” logo and some musical notes - for the family reunion.
Although it was somewhat last minute, school officials at Northeast Academy happily obliged the Daughtrys when they requested to use the space, and went all out making everyone feel welcome.
School Board member Ken Brown offered his flatbed truck to use as a stage, and Johnny Sykes grilled up thousands of pork chops for his famous sandwiches.
“We're just tickled,” school board member Susan Pope said of the event.
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