FLEMING ISLAND – Janice Whitley had an unusual request for her 29th wedding anniversary gift. She wanted to see Lynyrd Skynyrd.

So when she read lead singer Johnny Van Zant and guitarist Rickey Medlocke would host the Florida launch of their Hell House Whiskey, she joined her husband, David, on a 500 drive from Raliegh, North Carolina, to Whitey’s Fish Camp for an autographed bottle of the spirit.

“When she read it, I said, ‘I guess we’re going to Florida.’ We took off on a whim,” David said.

The Whitleys arrived on Tuesday, Oct. 3. They had lunch at Whitey’s “so we could see the layout of the place,” Janice said. They also visited the cemetery in Jacksonville, where several band members are buried.

They arrived at the autograph session/whiskey launch at Whitey’s more than an hour before the restaurant opened.

“We’re not the crazy people at a concert,” Janice said. “I just love their music.”

The Whitleys weren’t alone.

Hundreds of fans attended the special event. They stood in line for several hours to buy a bottle of whiskey. Then they waited in a second line to get an autograph. Despite being first in line, the Whitleys said the process took over three hours.

It was worth the effort, they said.

And they were joined by other out-of-state fans.

Brent Hall got up quickly on Oct. 4 and arrived five hours early from Columbia, South Carolina. Phil and Darlene Putnam drove from Middlesex County, Virginia. Leighann Smith and Jeremy Mattingly came from Brandenburg, Kentucky.

Everyone brought their favorite memories of the legendary Southern rock band.

“I caught a guitar pick from Damon Johnson at a show in Paducah (Kentucky), and I’ve been a fan since,” Smith said.

The Putnams said meeting Van Zant and Medlocke was a “bucket list” item.

“They’ve been my heroes since 1977,” Phil Putnam said.

Van Zant and Medlocke obliged numerous requests for autographs and photos. The meet and greet cranked up to a party and then to a concert. The Curt Towne Band, which opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd for two shows last week at St. Augustine, played inside the small dining area, and Van Zant and Medlocke joined them to perform “Sweet Home Alabama.”

The two, in good spirits after the recital, agreed to stay longer for more autographs and photos.

Florida became the ninth state to approve sales of Hell House Whiskey. The band members and Bespoken, the company that distills the whiskey, decided to debut at Whitey’s since the restaurant has been a favorite haunt of band members for decades.

“This was a great event,” said Gabriel Garcia-Pons, the Vice President of Global Sales for Bespoken. “The concept started slow, but it got bigger, bigger, bigger. When we started thinking about this, we were thinking of 200 people. Then it was 400. Then 600. Now 1,000. We expected this to be popular, but we weren’t aware it would get this big this quick.

“We definitely will come back next year.”

The crowd was so large, many fans relied on a free shuttle from an auxiliary parking lot at Swimming Pen Elementary. The demand was so great, fans were limited to a single bottle.

While some came nearly 800 miles, others lived right around the corner. Some fans included Orange Park Police Chief Gary Goble, Paul Wane of Jacksonville Jaguars National Anthem fame and Grumpy’s Middleburg owners Dell and Peggy Hoard. Everyone endured rain showers while waiting in line.

Janice Whitley said she’s been to two Skynyrd concerts, but meeting two of her favorite musicians in person was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.

“We got here early, and we were afraid they were going to run us off,” she said. “This is why we came here. We didn’t drive 500 miles to get shut out.”

Their dedication was rewarded by Whitey’s co-owner Billy Ham. He granted the couple the table closest to the autograph session, then the honor of being first in line.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I expect this,” Janice said. “Everyone was so nice – especially Johnny and Rickey. They were so genuine. Then we heard them sing ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ in a little room with 50 people. It doesn’t get better than this. It was worth the trip. We’ll be back.”