BATH TWP.: John Keener was entering the Barnes & Noble Booksellers on Friday morning when he noticed a big orange X on the sidewalk in front of the store.
It was the spot where fans would line up to meet basketball star LeBron James and get his autograph on copies of Shooting Stars (Penguin Books, $26.95), the book that the Cavaliers forward co-authored with Buzz Bissinger.
Keener of Stow said he had intended to come back for the event, but impetuously decided about 11:30 a.m. to stay and be first in line at Saturday's book-signing event .
''LeBron's a good man. It's an experience and the
kids will like to meet him,'' Keener said.
Three of Keener's children joined him two hours before James arrived at the store shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday.
Keener, who described himself as an avid reader, said he finished reading the book as he waited outside the store Friday with dozens of other fans.
Shooting Stars recounts the St. Vincent-St. Mary basketball team and the friendships formed by the players during James' final two years at the school.
''It has a great ending,'' Keener said.
300 wait overnight
Throughout the day, more than 1,000 people stood in lines that formed outside and snaked through the rows of bookshelves inside the building. There were about 300 people in line overnight, some of whom waited up to 22 hours before James' arrival, said Kelly Fogel, the store's community relations coordinator.
It was Fogel's job to give them an enjoyable experience.
''We made sure they had food, water and juice, and we gave them Scrabble, Trivia and Word Search [games] to play,'' she said.
''What's important to us is to keep them happy and let everybody get a chance to see LeBron,'' she said.
About 30 additional employees were brought in to make sure the event went off without a hitch, and dozens of police officers were on hand to keep the crowds from getting rowdy.
By agreement, James was at the book store for 90 minutes.
The parking lot had a carnival atmosphere as the Irish Marching Band performed, and cheerleaders got the crowd excited under the direction of coach Dave Colopy.
Some of James' fans said they made friendships during the long overnight wait.
Illinois State University students Andrew Short, Aaron Ahart, and LeVonne Verges said they ''bonded'' with Byran Stinchcomb and Jimmy Jones of Kokomo, Ind., and Jason Shoemaker of Cuyahoga Falls, over games of corn hole and football.
Three visit alma mater
The three said they visited James' high school alma mater before they arrived at the bookstore Friday afternoon.
Patty Burdon, the school's public relations director, said the school welcomes visitors who want to see the school James attended.
She admitted the national recognition the high school has received ''is pretty fabulous.''
''One of the things LeBron and Buzz wanted to stress in the book is the high academic standards at the school. You can't coast though St. V and LeBron's not a coaster,'' she said.
Keeners in first group
As expected, the Keener family was the first group to ride up the escalator, greet James and have their book signed. James smiled at the children and was as cordial as the brief meeting would allow.
Eight-year-old Tommy Keener, who wore a LeBron James basketball jersey, will remember the day he bumped knuckles with James.
His sister, 11-year-old Abby, shook the star's hand. ''That was awesome,'' she said.
source : By Kathy Antoniotti
Beacon Journal staff writer
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