They drove for hours for a popular event at a Fresno store

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A crowd at Fresno’s Tower District Records camped out overnight for a chance to get their hands on limited edition releases on Saturday. Some even drove hours overnight from Modesto to be among the first through the door.

They were all there for Record Store Day, which comes once a year to record stores across the United States, offering vinyl music lovers limited edition sales that won’t be available again.

At Tower District Records, some of the releases this year included special edition albums from Charli XCX and Taylor Swift. One customer was even camped outside the store 16 hours early for the event.

Natalie Hutchings and Conner Rivera from Modesto say they have been participating in Record Store Day at a number of different stores for three years.

“We drove an hour and a half and got here at 2 a.m.,” Hutchings said.

Rivera says supplies were limited, and although they got most of what they wanted, Hutchings and Rivera would have to share one album.

“This morning we were somewhere else, but they were so packed and we thought, ‘Oh, we’re not gonna have a chance,'” Rivera said. “We came here and we got most of our stuff.”

According to Hutchings and Rivera, the appeal of vinyl releases stems from a deep admiration of their favorite artists and a desire to connect with them.

“It’s being able to physically connect,” Rivera said. “It’s having something physical to enjoy that’ll last forever.”

Hutchings says Record Store Day is a celebration of that spirit.

“It’s like a special version of a specific album or a specific song that’s limited edition,” Hutchings said. “People who really want that physical connection can come out here and search.”