BRIDGTON — “Is that a Red Sox shirt you’re wearing?” asked celebrated storyteller Stephen King as a fan stepped on stage at the Magic Lantern Theater to get his autograph Wednesday night.
About 600 fans attended the two-hour event with the legendary writer, who traded small talk and signed copies of his new book “Under the Dome.” King once lived in Bridgton, the setting for his latest book
“I really love what he does for people. He’s been very generous. He always has an open heart,” said Bridgton resident Maggie Burhite who came to the signing with her daughter Cindi Ranco. A former kindergarten teacher in Norway, Burhite said King and his wife, Tabitha, once gave books to the students in her class.
The signing was sponsored by Bridgton Books on Main Street where King occasionally stops and browses during his summers in nearby Lovell. About 600 tickets were sold to the event through the bookstore, which charged $36.75 for a copy of King’s new work, and provided an opportunity to have King sign the book.
Participants praised the organization of the event. The lines moved quickly keeping everyone out of the frigid temperatures and either in the lobby waiting to register or seated in the theater waiting for the chance to meet King on stage.
The theater also provided participants with Pepsi and popcorn, something King took full advantage of as he sat at a table throwing his head back as he tossed the popcorn in his mouth.
“Just keep your frigin’ hands off my popcorn,” he said with a chuckle to one person, who apparently wanted more than an autograph.
The book, which was released last month, is set in the fictional town of Chester’s Mill in western Maine, which King said was based on the town of Bridgton. The book is about an invisible barrier that prevents anything but a small amount of air from entering the town, said Justin Ward who owns Bridgton Bookstore along with his wife, Pam. Resources dwindle and the town quickly begins to collapse, he said.
“There’s the supermarket. There’s the hospital,” he pointed out to a reporter from New England Cable Network who questioned if the book was really based on Bridgton.
“I’m a big NECN fan. Oh, no. You’re not from there. You’re with the one (station) with the eye. I didn’t kill anyone from the station,” said King to the reporter, apparently referring to an event in one of his books.
King, who munched popcorn while chatting with patrons, kept his fans entertained.
“What’s up with your neck?” he asked a man who was wearing a neck collar and cane. The fan told the writer he had sprained it in an accident.
“Watch your step,” King called after the man as he left the stage.
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