They came from near and far in pursuit of free chicken. Burdened like Sherpas, they carried tents and coolers.

They came sleepy-eyed to St. Peters with a willingness to hang out in a parking lot for 24 hours to snag a year's worth of Chick-fil-A meal cards worth $260. The cards can be used at any of the 1,000 store locations.

The 6 a.m. Thursday opening in St. Peters reverberated throughout this fair city of recent chicken news; the opening was noted that evening by elected officials debating whether to let residents raise "urban chickens" in their yards.

"When you get tired of your chickens, take them to the new Chick-fil-A," joked Alderman Don Aytes, Ward 4.

There were 100 winners. But even the 50 losers went home with some meal coupons.

There was no need to arrive a day early, like Black Friday fanatics do, because winners are selected by raffle, not by place in line.

The only deadline was to be in the Chick-fil-A parking lot at 6180 Mid Rivers Mill Drive, near Home Depot, by 6 a.m. Wednesday. Most participants arrived from 4 to 6 a.m.

The winners were promptly selected early Wednesday. Now all they had to do was keep their promise to stay for a day.

"We will entertain them all day and all night," said Michael Frost, a Chick-fil-A employee. There would be games, a DJ, free food and roll calls, he said.

Eric Lozano, 22, of O'Fallon, dropped to his knees as if smote by a frozen chicken when his number was drawn as the 100th and final winner.

"Oh man! Is it my lucky day!" he said.

What about his classes at St. Louis Community College at Meramec?

"I will email my teachers today," he said. "Maybe I will bribe them with my coupons."

Lozano was ill-prepared to spend the next 24 hours in a parking lot. So he called his father and asked for the one item he would need most: his guitar.

Chris Taver, 19, and Eric Schlueter, 20, both of St. Peters, would miss their classes at St. Charles Community College.

Schlueter was a winner, and Taver, well, it was a nice sunny day, after all, so why not hang with a friend, throwing a Frisbee and football?

Their preferred attire on this day was the bathrobe.

Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, which has had a restaurant in Chesterfield for many years, offered the same giveaway when it opened a restaurant Feb. 3 in Des Peres. The night before that opening there was a snow storm.

The company plans to open another store at 2106 Highway K in O'Fallon in August and is considering one in Wentzville.

Chick-fil-A employee Harry McDonald, microphone in hand, served as emcee. At times he sounded like Bob Barker.

"No. 70 is in my hand right now. The initials are RR — c'mon down!"

Laura Schwartz, 44, of O'Fallon, lugged blankets and folding chairs back to her car after she and three of her children arrived 20 minutes late.

"We thought we would give it a shot," she said. "But we didn't have our act together."

For some winners, the lure wasn't just chicken. They also approve of Chick-fil-A's Christian underpinnings.

The company's corporate credo is: "To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A."

Company stores are closed Sundays, the Christian sabbath.

"We like the company; it has values," says Becca Perry, 35, of Olatha, Kan.

She and husband Ben, 37, packed up their car at 1:30 a.m. and made it to St. Peters at 5:15 a.m. They brought two of their three young children.

It was worth it because Ben was selected a winner.

They had the free time to camp for a day — Chick-fil-A style — because Becca is a stay-at-home mom; the children are home schooled; and Ben, an architect, used vacation days.

There was a Plan B if neither had been picked.

"We could go to the Arch," Ben said. "We could go to the children's museum. So it's a win-win. We like coming to St. Louis."

Like many winners, Lisa Beckham had been to other grand openings. Beckham and her mother-in-law live near Kansas City. They arrived with 10 minutes to spare.

"I know how they roll," Beckham said.

Bill Loving, 50, of Jefferson County, and his wife Cindy brought their nine children. The family was part of a contingent from Rockport Baptist Church in Arnold.

Bill, a printer, has been jobless since January. Both he and Cindy were winners.

"Chick-fil-A is the best food, that's why we do it," Cindy said. "Plus, it is free. And we need free food."

Steve Pokin is a columnist for the Suburban Journals. He can be reached at spokin@yourjournal.com or by phone at 636-946-6111, ext. 239. His column is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PokinAround.