Fans brave cold to meet ‘Outlander’ Star Sam Heughan at whiskey launch
By Megan Matthews
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SAINT MATTHEWS, Kentucky (WLKY) — Hundreds of dedicated fans braved the cold temperatures overnight to meet Sam Heughan, one of the stars of the “Outlander” series, during his visit to Total Wine & More in St. Matthews on Tuesday.
By Tuesday afternoon, a line of about 500 people had formed, all eager to get a taste of Heughan’s new whiskey, “The Sassenach,” and meet the actor known for his role as Jamie Fraser.
Among the fans was Sharon Pratt, who flew in from New Orleans.
“My sister messaged me and said, you need to come up for this. So I flew up here the day before the Super Bowl, and I’m staying till tomorrow,” Pratt said.
Pratt and her sister, Carolyn Holton, secured the first spot, arriving at eight o’clock Monday night.
“We have the first spot here, and Sharon went ahead and slept for eight hours in the car. I sat right here and slept,” said Holton.
They were not alone in their dedication. Ashley Mumford, accompanied by her sister-in-law and mother-in-law, also spent the night outside.
“We got on Facebook and found out there’s even more people here. So we just said, we’re out of here. We packed up, got ready in our hotel room. We didn’t even sleep in our hotel room that we already paid for,” Mumford said.
Despite the freezing temperatures and even the threat of a winter storm, fans like Mumford stayed in line.
“Blanket, umbrella, running back and forth to McDonald’s to use the bathroom. Hand warmers in your shoes and your gloves. I had to keep changing them out, and they’d get hot cold. ‘Did you get any sleep last night?’ No, none,” Mumford said.
The line of eager fans wrapped around the Total Wine building, stretching all the way to the Best Buy on the other side of the parking lot. When asked why the wait was worth it, the answer was the same for everyone.
“Have you seen him? He’s wonderful, and he’s amazing. He’s the king of men,” said Kara Iqbal, from Columbia, Kentucky.
Heughan’s next stop on his whiskey tour will be in Chicago on Friday.
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