Wawa has opened a new store on Crawfordville Highway in Wakulla County, and the grand opening drew neighbors of all ages along with a few four legged guests. Some people turned up as early as 5 a.m. to be first in line.

Wally Goose, the chain's mascot, was on hand to meet the crowd through the morning. Wawa says it wants to invest in the community beyond fuel and food, and it used the opening to name Wakulla Giving Hands as the food donation charity for the new store, a partnership meant to help continue feeding Wakulla County residents.

The liveliest part of the morning was a Heroes and Hoagies competition. The Wakulla County Sheriff's Office went up against Wakulla County Fire Rescue to see which team could assemble hoagies faster. Each side had picked a local charity to receive a $1,000 donation regardless of who won, so $2,000 went to Wakulla County causes before the first sandwich was wrapped. Fire Rescue took the win by a single hoagie.

The contest was close enough to get messy. WTXL neighborhood reporter Serena Davanzo, who grew up in Wawa's home state, covered the opening and got hit by a bag of lettuce along the way.

The store is now open on Crawfordville Highway and serving the fuel, coffee, hoagies and convenience items the chain is known for. Between the early line, the mascot in the parking lot and two crews of first responders racing to build sandwiches, the opening turned into a morning out for a good part of the county.