SHEBOYGAN COUNTY, Wisc. — Sara Immel is still starstruck after meeting actor Patrick Dempsey over the weekend at the restaurant she manages — Sweet Basil in Plymouth.
"Honestly it was like the best day of my life," she gushed. "He was beautiful and his eyes were beautiful."
Dempsey made his way to Sheboygan County to compete in the Road America races. He's friends with the owner of Sweet Basil and gave the team a heads-up before stopping by.
"I got an hour of fangirling out of me before he came," Immel laughed. She's loved Dempsey since she was 16, an avid watcher of Grey's Anatomy — the show on which he earned his nickname "Dr. McDreamy."
So when Immel went to wait on his table, she could barely keep her cool.
"He smelled so good. I went to the table and greeted them. He looked up and I was like 'Get it together.'"
Katie Sadiq knows Dempsey's name well too, having watched a few seasons of Grey's Anatomy. But her personal favorite was Disney's "Enchanted."
Sadiq's family owns Off The Rail Cafe in Elkhart Lake — another pit stop during Dempsey's Sheboygan County stay. It was his second time dining there, but Sadiq's first time meeting him.
"He acted in person just as he does on T.V. Super poised and very well-spoken, very polite," she explained. "We were all just a little starstruck, but everyone was really excited just for him to be in our area."
Elkhart Lake is a village of less than 1,000 people. Both Sadiq and Immel share that everyone is close-knit — it's hard not to be.
Watch: Patrick Dempsey surprises Sheboygan County eateries during Road America races
Road America creates a striking juxtaposition in the quiet community, attracting A-list celebrities, like Patrick Dempsey, who's been racing there for more than a decade.
But he's not the only one.
Communications Director for Road America John Ewert listed off several big names who have also spent time on the track: Michael Jordan, Tim Allen, David Letterman, and Ashley Judd among others.
"One of the neat allures for celebrities is speed and power and precision," Ewert said. "[They] want to come, test their skills on the track, or just be a part of the pageantry."
By driving tourism with over 500 events a year, Road America generates about $254 million annually for Sheboygan County.
The organization also provides nearly 3,000 full-time jobs and 500 seasonal positions.
"We like to say that we bring a lot to the state, we bring a lot to Sheboygan County – a lot more than celebrities because it's really just a good time," Ewert noted.
"Elkhart Lake still has that wonderful old-world charm to it and it's very non-pretentious."
That atmosphere might be what keeps people like Dempsey coming back. He sometimes hosts signings or meet-and-greets.
"He said, 'You know, John, I do this for them because they help me do what I love to do,'" Ewert recalled.
The ladies confirmed that Dempsey was gracious with them too after asking for pictures.
"He was happy to do so. He ran behind the counter, full-on was like 'Let's do this,'" Sadiq smiled.
"We are so fortunate in this tiny little town, in Wisconsin, in the middle of nowhere to have such a cool track that brings so many cool people that you wouldn't think would be in such a small area."
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