Stephen King to sign books in Bridgton

Leslie H. Dixon/Sun Journal

Justin Ward, owner of Bridgton Books in Bridgton, sells two of the 400 tickets for the Stephen King book-signing to Lori Cohoon of Sebago. Justin and his wife, Pam, decided to use the Magic Lantern theater for the event because the store couldn't comfortably accommodate 400 King fans at once, he said.

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- Leslie H. Dixon/Sun Journal

BRIDGTON — Ticket sales were brisk Friday morning at Bridgton Books on Main Street, the day it was announced that Stephen King would be in town Dec. 16 to sign his new book, "Under the Dome" at the Magic Lantern Theater.

"My son is so excited. He's telling everyone, 'Guess where I'm going,'" said Lori Cohoon of Sebago who stood in line at the bookstore counter to buy tickets for herself and her son. The event takes place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the theater on Main Street.

Four hundred tickets will be sold at $36.75 each, which includes a copy of the book and the opportunity to get King's signature and meet him during the event. A limited number of Collectors' Editions will be available for $75 plus tax.

"He just said he wanted to do it for us and Bridgton," said Justin Ward of King's unexpected visit. Ward owns the bookstore with his wife, Pam.

The book, which was released last month, is set in the fictional town of Chester Mill in western Maine, which locals say is thinly disguised as Bridgton. When an invisible barrier prevents anything but a small amount of air from entering the town, resources dwindle and the town quickly begins to collapse. Justin Ward said Food City — the local food market — plays a key role in the book.

"He has a deep connection with the town of Bridgton," Pam Ward said. King lived in Bridgton years ago and occasionally stops by the Bridgton bookstore when he's vacationing at his summer home in Lovell.

While her husband declined to say what type of books King buys at his store, he said King is a "prolific reader."

By Friday morning nearly 150 of the tickets were gone. The Wards said they expected to sell as many as 200 by the end of the day and perhaps the entire 400 by the end of the weekend. Because of that, a plan to post the event on the Web was being reconsidered, said Marsha Defilippo, who has been King's personal assistant for the past 21 years in Bangor.

"We want to keep it as local as possible. We want to give Maine folks a chance," said Defilippo who will touch base with the Wards on Monday to talk about the ticket sales.

Bridgton Books is at 140 Main St. Phone orders may be made by calling 647-2122. Tickets can only be ordered by phone or by visiting the store.

ldixon@sunjournal.com.