Grandkids are special.
Why else would Villagers get out of a nice warm bed in the middle of the night to go wait in line for hours?
Many Villagers woke up around 1 a.m. this morning to line up for Camp Villages tickets, which went on sale at 8:30 a.m. Villagers know those tickets are a hot item and go fast.
When I arrived at the line behind the Rialto Theatre at the ticket booth, people were slumped back in their chairs resting. Some were even asleep, like the first person in line. They had been here for some time and still had another 2½ hours to wait.
But when I started asking about why they were in line, many perked up with big smiles. They wanted to talk about their grandchildren and the fun they have at Camp Villages.
Some people said they had arrived around 5 a.m. in past years only to find out the tickets were sold out. So, this year they came even earlier.
The third couple in line, Milt and Helen Silverman, of the Village of Virginia Trace, said, “We arrived around 2 a.m. to get tickets for our great-grandchild, Syler.”
Syler is from Fort Lauderdale and enjoyed the remote-control boats last year, so they came early to try to get tickets again this year.
The second person in line, Pat Wloch of the Village of De La Vista, also arrived around 2 a.m. “I am getting tickets for my grandkids, Jessica and Val,” she said, adding that they come down to visit from Buffalo, N.Y.
Many in line indicated their grandchildren want to attend specific events that they’ve enjoyed in the past, so that’s why they came out so early.
Many Villagers also said they were concerned that online ticket sales would start at the same time the box office opened, so the competition would be doubled. Online ticket sales charge a surcharge, so as one person in line said, “If you only have one or two, that may be alright.”
Grandkids are special – and so are grandparents.
