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Don't leave the premises, even if you're freezing. Be at your tent for roll call.
Sounds like Krzyzewskiville.
But this contest has nothing to do with scoring basketball tickets. It's all about battered chicken chunks, waffle fries and the glory of 52 free Chick-fil-A combo meals.
Welcome to what we'll call Chickville mdash; C-ville for short.
This is my fourth time, said Barbara Ward, a Burlington resident who was 13th to arrive Wednesday at the promotion for a new Chick-fil-A on Pisgah Church Road near North Elm Street.
She and a handful of friends pitched tents on the cold asphalt and readied for a long night. Ward, 65, and her friends are veteran participants in an opening ritual that involves free food for 100 people.
The Gate City's first such event, a coupon giveaway worth $26,000 in food, was slated to take place at 6 a.m. today.
The company has opened new stores with the promotion since 2003, and the First 100 event has picked up a cult following.
David LeBlanc, 42, skipped work Wednesday for his third Chick-fil-A opening. He and his wife swap duty at openings to grab coupons for their children, ages two and five.
As newbies pitched tents and passers-by gave puzzled looks, LeBlanc offered tips for beating the cold.
You want to take your time while you're using the facilities, LeBlanc advised about bathroom trips .
Temperatures were predicted to be near freezing Wednesday night, but LeBlanc and fellow campers seemed chipper.
It'll be rough, but I'll get as much sleep as I can tonight, said Jackson Holt, an 18-year-old senior who skipped classes at Northwest Guilford to wait in the cold for chicken.
Holt munched chicken nuggets as restaurant staff handed out the first of three free meals to the devoted few. About 20 campers sat outside the eatery around lunchtime Wednesday, but Chick-fil-A event planner Sue James expected about 150 people before 6 a.
m. today.
We have raving fans across the country, she said.
Some, such as Ward, pass coupons to grandchildren, put them in birthday cards or stuff them in Christmas stockings. But Holt, 17th in line, planned to keep his .
Chowing down 52 chicken sandwiches in a year?
No problem, he said.
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