After weeks and weeks of planning, the big day finally arrived for everyone at Franklin Sussex Auto Mall. As we pulled onto the lot, we saw that all of the employees were dressed in orange shirts, a few General Lee’s were parked in front and there was already a line formed waiting for John to arrive. And it all began because this …
It’s the brand new Dodge Challenger SRT-8. With a few phone calls, the talent manager for John “Bo Duke” Schneider had secured this incredible vehicle as his own. In exchange for the incredible deal that the dealership worked up for him, John’s manager agreed to have him come out for a day of autograph signing. This was the start of NJ’s Hazzard County Fair at Franklin Sussex Auto Mall.
At this point, we were called in to take some promotional shots of the car as well as one of the dealership’s employees - who was to be our Daisy Duke. To check out some of those shots, check out one of our past blog posts about Daisy Duke and the Dodge Challenger!
Once our uniquely designed flyers were handed out, displayed on the website and broadcast to the rest of the world … the dealership started getting calls from all over the country … and even all over the world. It was going to be a big event!
Loretta and I grabbed our gear and got setup for the day. Along with everyone else, we patiently waited for John to arrive from his overnight flight. When he did set foot on the lot, they quietly snuck him in through a side door and into Bill’s office for a special VIP session with friends, family and a few of the General Lee owners.
Meeting John for the first time was like saying hello to someone you’ve known for years. He’s an extremely nice, outgoing person who you would never guess as the hollywood type. As the VIPs streamed in, we snapped a few shots of everyone and their personal autograph session. The dealership’s own Daisy Duke snuck in for a shot …
As did Loretta … who is still glowing from the experience …
Once the VIP session was over, John and the rest of us headed out to the side lot to film a TV commercial in front of the Dodge Challenger. After a few funny outtakes … they had enough footage and sent John into the crowd of adoring fans who had been waiting in line since earlier that morning!
The first person to meet John was a Make-A-Wish patient who had labeled John as her boyfriend. She toured the numerous General Lees on the lot and was excited to be in the middle of all of the Dukes Of Hazzard stuff. However, she had no idea that John was there and her reaction as they wheeled her over was something I won’t forget …
As the day got under way, the line to meet John never shrank. From early in the morning until late in the afternoon, John signed anything and everything … non-stop. No lunch break. No bathroom breaks. And he talked to every single one of his fans about something. Not once did he just sign something, have his picture taken and push them away to make room for the next.
And some of the stuff he signed was just incredible. From this child’s model General Lee …
To a mother’s pregnant belly …
And even this General Lee bicycle …
All in all it was a very long … but incredible day. John stayed until the last autograph had been signed … and even signed a few just before getting in his limo to head back to the airport. The icing on the cake for the day was what started it all … the purchase of the orange Dodge Challenger … and here is the official photo!
To see some more shots from the day, check out our homepage and the featured work section. We’ll also be posting more on our blog as well as the dealership’s website!
Update: Here are some more shots that have since been removed from the homepage!
