From Ocala.com- July 9, 2010 – Minutes before the premiere of “Grease: Sing-A-Long,” a sold-out crowd lifted their 32-ounce soda cups – drinks purchased by Travolta himself – and shouted “Thank you, John Travolta!”
The Travoltas are Marion County residents who have attended premieres at Hollywood 16. But the family was out of town Thursday when “Grease: Sing-A-Long” opened in Ocala to much singing, dancing and screaming.

Ticket holders to the hottest show in town were there to party with a beloved chunk of pop culture. They were there to celebrate Ocala’s successful quest to land the revamped re-release of the 1978 musical. They were there to eat “thank-you” popcorn and candy purchased by Travolta.

And, certainly, they were there to sing.

“I fell in love with it when I saw it in 1978. I came home, and I wanted to sing and I wanted to dance,” said Bower, who wore a Pink Ladies T-shirt and clutched the “Grease” soundtrack record and Travolta’s 1976 solo album. “I was going to marry John Travolta.”

Nearby, Ocala resident Anna Hubner stood in line with her flock of “Grease” fans: daughter Renee Bellamy and granddaughters Breanna, 13, and Allie Bellamy, 10. Allie is a relatively new “Grease” fan, while Breanna said she has watched the movie “500 times.”

“I loved it when I saw it the first time. I love it more every time I see it,” Hubner said.

The 7 p.m. show – the first in a limited two-week run – was packed with diehard “Grease” fans. These are people who hovered over their computer keyboards to purchase tickets the second they were available. These are warriors in Ocala’s mighty Internet campaign that landed the film in Travolta’s home county.

In some cases, the word “fan” seems too mild.

Meet the Kuehn family of Belleview. Sons Shawn Kuehn, 13, Billy Kuehn, 15, and Dionte Nelson, 6, came dressed as members of the T-Birds (Travolta’s gang in “Grease”) and the Scorpions (the rival gang). Parents David and Sandi came dressed as Danny and Sandy from the movie. They won Hilton gift certificates in a look-alike contest before the show.

“She loves ‘Grease’, ” David said of his wife, who was dressed as pure-as-apple-pie Sandy. “She’s got the collector’s edition with the leather jacket and everything.”

But it doesn’t end there.

“I named my oldest son Danny,” Sandi said.

As in Zuko?

“Yes.”

Near the front of a line dotted with pink jackets, poodle skirts and one pink Frenchie ‘do were the founders of the Pink Ladies service club of Vanguard High School. Yes, it is a real service club and, yes, it was named after the Rizzo-led Pink Ladies of “Grease.”

Lisa Hill and Louise Schnipper founded the club in 2002 as VHS students.

“I was definitely obsessed with ‘Grease’ already,” Schnipper recalled about the night they watched the movie and decided to form a club, which, they said, is now the largest service club at VHS.

Once inside the theater, fans did what they came there to do: Stand, dance and sing loud. All inhibitions were gone. After all, fans said, they have been singing along to the soundtrack for decades.

The night capped the film’s wild ride to Ocala.

Since Paramount Pictures started marketing the digitally remastered classic with Karaoke-style lyrics two months ago, Marion County residents launched an online blitz that snagged the attention of Hollywood executives and Travolta himself.

Within weeks, Ocala’s campaign secured the film on opening day, sold out all six shows, made national headlines, baffled studio executives and, as of Thursday, prompted Paramount and Regal to extend Ocala’s run into next week with another six shows.

By far, Ocala is the smallest of the 12 opening-night markets, which include New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston.

Last week, Travolta said he would buy popcorn, soda and candy for all ticket holders at all six shows. Within 24 hours, all tickets were sold.

“I want to thank you, my hometown, for showing your support for the ‘Grease Sing A-Long’ and bringing it to the Regal Hollywood 16 in Ocala,” Travolta noted in a statement. For Thursday’s first screening alone, that amounted to more than $4,000 worth of snacks. And by the time the lights went down to hoots and hollers Thursday, just about every lap was filled with Travolta’s bounty.

So what, then, does Travolta-purchased popcorn taste like?

“It’s like I’m on a date with him,” Schnipper proclaimed as she entered the theater, snacks in hand.