The Tivoli Theater was alive with the sound of excited Julie Andrews fans Thursday in Downers Grove.
The famous actress, singer and author - who writes under her married name, Julie Andrews Edwards - spent half an hour at the theater answering questions about her life and career.
Fans came from near and far to catch a glimpse of "The Sound of Music" star.
"We watched 'The Sound of Music' every day in high school," said Megan Duffy of Boston, who was accompanied by her friend Molly Keogh of Naperville. "We knew every line. It was to the point where people didn't want to be around us because we were so obnoxious."Andrews was in Downers Grove promoting her new book, "Thanks to You: Wisdom from Mother & Child," a book she wrote with her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton.
She said the book is about what mothers learn from their children, and vice versa. The book is filled with pictures of Andrews' extended family.
Almost 1,000 people turned out for the Downers Grove event, some arriving as much as four hours early to get good seats. The presentation was sponsored by Anderson's Bookstore in Downers Grove and Naperville.
Fans of all ages turned out to see Andrews - older fans remembering her as Mary Poppins and younger fans who know her as Queen Clarisse from "The Princess Diaries."
Leslie Hart, a junior at Northwestern University in Evanston, begged her professor to let her out of class early for the event. She said Julie Andrews was her inspiration for becoming a musical theater major in college.
"I sort of inhaled her movies and books when I was growing up," Hart said, adding that seeing her in person was a dream come true. "It was fabulous."
Andrews played a short movie with clips from her career and then answered questions from the audience.
When asked about special memories from acting, she mentioned the famous opening scene of "The Sound of Music," in which Andrews sings on a hilltop. The scene was shot with a cameraman strapped to the side of a helicopter, and every time the helicopter would turn around to start shooting the scene, a downdraft would hit Andrews and knock her over.
"I was spitting grass and dirt," she said.
Andrews said she still keeps in touch with all the children from "The Sound of Music" and that sometimes they'll get together for a screening.
As a former child performer herself, she said she learned a lot while performing and touring but feels she missed out on school.
"I wish I had a better education," she said.
The next question left a tense silence in the theater: "Cubs or Sox?"
"I'd have to say, sorry, but Bears for me," Andrews said. "What is it they say? 'Da Bears.'"
After she left the building, the audience was treated to a screening of -
what else? - "The Sound of Music."