TRAVERSE CITY -- Call Ellyn Tarrant and her daughter Keegan the earliest of the early birds: They headed a line that wound several hundred yards from Toys "R" Us in the Grand Traverse Crossing mall, a midnight mass that anxiously awaited the signal to shop.
Not bad for a couple of first-timers in the Black Friday shopping blitz.
"We've never been first in line. This is probably a one-time event in our life," Ellyn Tarrant said late Thursday as the clock neared midnight, and an early, early start to the holiday shopping season.
Keegan, 14, and her cousin, Emma Elsenheimer, of Bellaire, shouldered the toughest burden. They set up camp about 7 p.m. Thursday and passed the time huddled in chairs under blankets in near-freezing temperatures.
The goal -- getting their hands on an iPod Touch, on sale for $199.99 accompanied by a $50 gift card, plus gifts for the family's triplets.
Many in the crowds that dotted area shopping centers are old hands at the post-Thanksgiving shopping frenzy. Brigette Urick, of Traverse City, zipped in and out of the toy store in an incredible six minutes, before the rest of the extended line stepped foot in the place.
"I'm like a fanatic," said Urick, who snatched a Star Wars Lego set for about $60 that normally costs $100. She also picked up some crayons and a lamp.
She knew what she wanted and is familiar with the store, so it didn't take long to take care of business. She's normally at the front of the shopping line, but this year stood a couple dozen deep because of Thanksgiving obligations.
"My mother-in-law didn't serve the turkey until 7, so I didn't get here until 9," she said.
Some shoppers showed up much earlier. Friends of Sam Messina, a senior at Traverse City West High School, gathered as early as 4 p.m. outside Best Buy in Garfield Township, where they hoped to snag a deal on laptop computers. They set up a large tent near the store entrance to ride out a 12-plus hour wait for a 5 a.m. opening, and played Frisbee in the parking lot to help pass the time.
"We have a lot of blankets and we've been playing cards a lot," Messina said. The group also kept warm by frequenting a rest room at a nearby gas station.
But he wouldn't spend all day shopping. He expected to catch an hour or two of sleep after his shopping trip before the start of his 8 a.m. work shift Friday at a local hardware store.
Grawn resident Iba Lewis experienced the holiday shopping dance from a new perspective this year. She's worked several Black Fridays at Menards, but this year she waited outside Best Buy as a shopper. She wanted to pick up a laptop computer for a son-in-law who's battling cancer.
"It was fun working inside," Lewis said. "But I don't know how much fun this is going to be."
"Ask us in about four hours," her husband Milt said.
Planning and perseverance are keys to Black Friday success, experienced shoppers said. Lisa Bovier stood first in line at Kohl's department store with her daughter Sarah, while another daughter scoured for bargains at Walmart.
"So far, we're getting everything we wanted," Bovier said. "It's strategic planning."
She fretted about a vacuum cleaner she expected would be in short supply when Kohl's opened. A couple of minutes before 4 a.m., the doors opened and she rushed to the rear of the store.
"I got it," she said as she gripped a large box.
Most pre-dawn shoppers are like Bovier. They get up early and fight the crowds to save as much money as possible on holiday gifts.
"It's all about staying within the budget," she said.
Some shoppers traveled many miles. Leesa Curtis traveled from Cheboygan to visit Traverse City-area malls, while Jeri Mitchell made the run from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
Vincent and JoAnn Csapos came north from Holland for a weekend at the Great Wolf Lodge and plenty of store-hopping.
"I go shopping every Black Friday," Vincent Csapos said. "Sometimes it's Chicago, sometimes it's Grand Rapids. This year it's Traverse City."
Other shoppers aren't quite as dedicated, but waded in with the crowds.
Tom Shomin, of Suttons Bay, sat wrapped in a blanket outside the Sears store at Cherryland Center mall with Neil Wilgenhof, of Traverse City. Both waited for a 50 percent-off washer and dryer set that their wives eyed, but the women were nowhere to be found.
"They told us they'd be here, but they haven't shown up yet," Shomin said.
