January’s Gaga Day in the Square began as a less-than-serious Facebook event, but quickly evolved into an event that gained national coverage from Fuse TV and ABC News.

For half an hour, crowds filled Marion Square, enjoying a flash-mob style dance party in celebration of pop diva Lady Gaga.

The success of Gaga Day was a surprise to creator Joe Quinn, a College of Charleston freshman at the time. Last week, almost a year later, Quinn received yet another surprise. A picture of the Gaga Day in the Square would be in author Johnny Morgan’s book Gaga.

“I remember my first reaction was ‘That’s crazy.’ The next day it hit me: Oh crap, this is a big deal! Quinn says, “I was standing in the Mt. Pleasant Barnes and Noble looking through the book and I realized people in Los Angeles or New York or any city are going to see this too.”

Though January’s event was thrown together in 10 days, Quinn is planning a second one months in advance to avoid any conflicts with the city.

“Almost every time South Carolina is put in the national spotlight, it’s negative: Sanford, Greene, DeMint; the list goes on,” Quinn says, “It seems the only positive national stories about S.C. seem to involve Lady Gaga.”

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