Thousands jam mall for glimpse of ‘Twilight’ zone

NILES - It was wrapping around center court, snaking down the concourse past dozens of in-line stores all the way to the Dillard's Department Store, where it broke off only to begin again down an adjacent corridor to the doors leading outside. The line contained thousands of people gathered inside Eastwood Mall waiting for their chance to be part of something they love.

The "Twilight" book and movie series, which focuses on the complicated love between vampires and humans, has grabbed millions of Americans by storm, and thousands of them came to the Eastwood Mall on Saturday, waiting for hours to meet Peter Facinelli, the actor who portrayed Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the films.

''We've been here since 11,'' said Barb Chipps from Windham, who was found in line about 3 p.m. She stood on a recently mended broken leg waiting to pay good money for an autograph and picture with the actor. ''I'm willing to torture myself for the next few days, and it's for a good cause.''

The cost went beyond the physical pain - $25 for an autograph, $45 for a photo.

Some fans throughout the crowd came clad as their favorite character, like Adellina Pociask, 10, who was dressed like the main character Bella. Many others wore T-shirts bearing a "Twilight" theme, a few wore fake vampire teeth and some carried life-sized cardboard cutouts of their favorite film star.

There were, of course, those who wore their regular street clothes, but their love of the series and Facinelli seemed just as strong.

''I've been here since 11, and it's totally worth it,'' said Katie Catania of Aurora. ''I'm a fan of his work and the book and movie series, but I really appreciate his work.''

''He put a lot of effort into making the character correct,'' said Tahirih Kuhns of Aurora, praising the actor's ability to stay true to the character in the book.

For the people lucky enough to get a good spot in line, the wait was long, but the reward was well worth it. Victoria Hall of McDonald enjoyed one scene from the first movie and book so much that she had Facinelli autograph a baseball for her.

Although the wait was long and hard for the "Twilight" faithful, one group of college students set up a lemonade stand in one mall kiosk.

Several Youngstown State University students collected donations for the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation while handing out cups of lemonade to refresh the slow moving crowd.

Those donations, as well as some of the proceeds collected from the autograph and picture fees, went to support Alex's foundation, which raises money for childhood cancer.

jflesher@tribtoday.com