Chick-Fil-A campers go the extra mile

Cleveland's newest fast-food restaurant drew a grand-opening crowd from around the country, as 100 super-fans of Chick-Fil-A camped out for 24 hours straight to earn free food for a year.

One couple, Jake and Libby Knupp, made their 59^th camping trip at the new Harvard Park Chick-Fil-A in Warrensville Heights.

When Chick-Fil-A opens a new restaurant, the first 100 customers win free chicken sandwiches for a year. That's 52 coupons, good for one per week.

As word of the "First 100" promotion spread, customers started camping out to await the opening of the new store. Hundreds of bleary-eyed campers showed up at the new Chick-Fil-A at 6 a.m. on Aug. 18, the day before the opening of the store.

Each adult received a raffle ticket, and 100 customers were chosen to win the free chicken.

Then, the endurance test began.

In order to claim the chicken bonanza, the customers had to camp out for 24 hours until the official opening of the store. They set up their tents and settled in to enjoy the day. The weather couldn't have been more perfect.

So what do you do for 24 hours while you wait to win free chicken? First of all, you eat free chicken.

The winning customers lined up and marched around the store, through the drive-through line to get chicken biscuits for breakfast.

The "line checks" continued throughout the day to ensure that no customers had chickened out.

So what else do you for 24 hours?

Throw the Frisbee. Play cornhole. Catch some rays. Fire up the Kindle and catch up on a book or three.

Most importantly, make new friends.

The evening featured an ice cream social, complete with a DJ and a dancing cow mascot.

As the night wore on, it became clear that the event was more about community than free chicken, as several campers said they would give their coupons to the needy.

Campers shared tales of past Chick-Fil-A campouts and gave advice to the newbies. Nobody had more stories to tell than Jake and Libby Knupp.

Libby had a neatly-kept notebook detailing all 59 of their camping adventures, including details on what number each of them drew. Amazingly, all of these trips have taken place since the summer of 2007.

One of the Knupps has claimed the No. 1 spot 25 times, most of them before the popularity of the event led to the day-long campouts. "Instead of the First 100, now I call it the Lucky 100," said Jake, 72.

The Knupps have become the unofficial ambassadors for the company. One store gave them name tags declaring them Chick-Fil-A's "No. 1 raving fans."

The most memorable of their campouts took place in Sunrise, Fla., as they celebrated their 50^th campout along with their 50^th wedding anniversary.

"They gave us a cake, and a gigantic gift basket with a Chick-Fil-A calendar, towels, mugs and coupons," said Libby, 69.

"Our children think we're nuts," said Jake. "It's better than spending $60 on a concert and coming away with nothing.

"There's no end in sight," he added. "The only way I'm going to leave is on a stretcher."