TRAVERSE CITY -- They gathered for hours, waiting for a moment that lasted just five minutes.
But what an important five minutes it was.
Madonna, headliner of the fourth annual Traverse City Film Festival, stepped out of a sport-utility vehicle about 7:15 p.m. Saturday under the lights of the State Theatre downtown, as hundreds of fans screamed and snapped pictures.
The singer, dressed in black with daughter Lourdes at her side, stood near festival founder Michael Moore and waved to the crowd that spanned both sides of the block.
"Having someone of her caliber here is amazing," said Heidi Wiesen of Suttons Bay, who stood across the street from the theater with her daughters. "Our own little Hollywood."
Madonna mania had taken hold hours before her scheduled appearance, her name dropped in snippets of conversation on Front Street.
But, really, the buzz that one of pop music's biggest stars would come to Traverse City began months ago, when Moore revealed she would introduce her documentary, "I Am Because We Are," during the event.
Ticket holders began arriving downtown in the early afternoon, hours before the 8 p.m. scheduled start, although they weren't allowed to gather outside the theater until the evening.
Even so, they were determined to get good seats.
Joe Slade and several of his friends relaxed on benches outside Horizon Books for about three hours before joining the line. It's a much shorter wait than when he purchased his ticket.
Then, he camped out for 48 hours. He was fifth in line.
He purchased three bottles of the signature Madonna wine earlier in the day at Ciccone Vineyard and Winery in Suttons Bay, her father's place -- "It's got her picture on it, so I'll keep it forever," Slade said -- and although he had seen the singer twice in concert, he had never met her.
"Hoping today" on his 38th birthday, he said, his black T-shirt reading "Madonna you are my lucky star" across the back.
Ferndale resident Giovanni Avoledo held the coveted "first-in-line" spot, along with several friends.
A teacher, he couldn't get the day off work to camp out for tickets. So he forked out $450 for his ticket on eBay.
"I would have paid $1,500 for sure," Avoledo said. "It's another side of her. Doing something like this allows her to express her other personal side, which she really doesn't do that often."
But the star presence wasn't what attracted Cindy Klepper, a documentary fan who saw 10 films at this year's festival.
For her, hearing about the African country of Malawi was more intriguing.
"The film is more of a draw for me," said Klepper, of Traverse City, who held a ticket to the simulcast at the City Opera House. "I'm looking forward to learning more about Africa and what's happening there."
Kim Garlington, of Traverse City, almost didn't get to see the film. She found out about 2 p.m. Saturday that a friend of a friend had an extra ticket to sell, and she snagged it for $25 -- the original price of the ticket.
"This film is going to be important to her," Garlington said of the night's star.
Madonna timeline
5:30 p.m. Festival staff begin to change the State Theatre's marquee to display both Madonna's name and the name of her film, "I Am Because We Are."
5:34 p.m. A white van pulls up to the curb and a man steps out carrying the film reel. Ticket holders near the front of the line whistle and cheer.
6:10 p.m. Fans begin to gather near Amical restaurant and across the street from the theater.
6:30 p.m. About 10 people are in line at the City Opera House for the simulcast of Madonna's introduction and film. The line will later grow.
7:15 p.m. Madonna arrives.
7:20 p.m. Madonna enters the theater.
8 p.m. Introductions for "I Am Because We Are" begin.
The event goes national: Among the media present were The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, MLive.com, The Associated Press, People magazine and In Touch Weekly.
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