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Originally published July 23, 2006
HERSHEY, Pa. // At the end of the show, a stunned Haley Sattazahn stood alone with her mother in the center of the arena floor. The 10-year-old girl with the dirty blond hair and summer tan was turning over in her hands a gray skullcap that only moments before had been - are you ready for this? - on Ace Young's head!!!

"I can barely breathe," Haley said, gasping for air. After a moment, she told the story of how she had stood on her chair, leapt into the air and caught the cap that Young - who finished 7th on American Idol this year - had thrown into the mad swarm on the floor. She fell off the chair, but like a seasoned ballplayer colliding with the fence to catch a home run ball, Haley kept a tight grip on her prize.

"Oh my God, I'm still shaking," she said. The Adamstown, Pa., native had come to the Giant Center near Hersheypark for a recent American Idols Live show. She was among friends: Idol addicts in attendance included a woman who streaked her hair gray in homage to Taylor Hicks and others who stood in line to kiss the life-size cardboard cutouts of their favorite Idols on display in the lobby.



Given the demographics of the crowd - mostly female and ranging in age from pre-adolescent to middle-aged - it's not surprising that the boys from Idol got a better reception than the girls. "Marry Me, Chris," said one sign. "We Love U Chris," said another. And still another: "Ace, have Chris call me."

Ace - he of the curly brown locks and perpetual grin - had plenty of his own admirers, though, and when he took off his jacket during "Father Figure" to reveal a tight red T-shirt, the shrieks in the arena must have awoken every dog in the county.