Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2011

Fans line up for local Scotty appearance

'Idol' star comes to Garner before trip abroad and national tour

Sisters Cathy Hardy and Debbie Ferguson got to Best Buy in Garner at 2 p.m. Thursday, five hours before "American Idol" winner Scotty McCreey began signing autographs.

Their early arrival made them first in a line of Scotty fans that stretched around the parking lot in Garner's White Oak Crossing shopping center.

For these sisters, a chance for their ailing mother to meet Scotty was the best Christmas present they could ask for.

Their mom, Catherine Hardy, 79, is a big Scotty fan. So they surprised her with a trip to Best Buy, where the Garner High senior signed 900 fans' copies of his album, "Clear As Day."

When Catherine Hardy's daughters pushed her wheelchair up to Scotty, she told the country music star she wanted to hear him sing "Letters From Home," a John Michael Montgomery song he covered during an "Idol" performance last spring.

Scotty didn't sing during his appearance in Garner last week, but for Catherine Hardy and her daughters, talking to the teen was a dream come true.

"Oh, thilling!" Catherine Hardy said. "He's just one cutie pie."

Patient fans waited a long time to chat with 18-year-old Scotty, whose album was still No. 1 last week on the country music Billboard charts.

Many got to Best Buy in White Oak Crossing early Thursday morning to get wristbands to return later that evening to meet Scotty.

Nicole Butler of Raleigh allowed her two children to miss a couple hours of school Thursday so they could get to the store at 7 a.m. They waited more than two hours to get their wristbands.

But the long lines were worth it for the family.

"I'd do it all over again, because I am getting 'mom of the year,'" Butler said.

Brian Light of Clayton might be worthy of an award, too. He stood in line for two hours Thursday morning to surprise his 14-year-old daughter and a friend with passes to see Scotty.

He told her the news as she was cleaning the garage after school.

"I, like, jumped up and down," Ashley Light said.

Barbara Jamison, 63, of Angier, brought a lawn chair to make the wait easier. She and her son, Roger, 27, have been to all of Scotty's local performances. They went to the "American Idols Live!" concert at the RBC Center, Scotty's birthday bash at Walnut Creek and his recent performance at the Durham Performing Arts Center.

Jamison said she has liked Scotty since she first saw him on "Idol," and she admired his Christian faith and down-home attitude.

"No matter how much money he's got, from what I hear, he's still Scotty," she said.

The teen is trying to have a normal senior year of high school in Garner. But he's going to have a hectic few months.

Scotty is traveling to the Dominican Republic soon to help with Operation Christmas Child, which gives shoeboxes filled with presents to needy children.

Then his tour with country music artist Brad Paisley begins Jan. 12 in Michigan.

But local fans will have to travel to see the show, because it's not coming to the Triangle. The closest spot is Baltimore on March 1.

On Thursday, though, Scotty and his family were happy to be home. They wanted to take part in the Best Buy appearance partly because the store has sold so many copies of "Clear As Day," said Scotty's mother, Judy McCreery.

The Garner store sold 1,700 copies of the album on Thursday, said store manager Michael Courtney.

Scotty chatted briefly with fans who moved through the line. He might be a superstar now, but Scotty is much like any teenager - Judy McCreery said he took a nap after school.