Between prolonged bursts of sunlight over the wide grassy venue at Saint Vincent College, dark clouds loomed with the threat of summer downpour.

But was anybody paying attention to the weather? Of course not. This was Steelers training camp, the place for All Things Super Bowl Champions -- from watching the team practice, getting autographs of players, buying official merchandise, to discussing the prospect of another great season.

There could have been a blizzard and no one would have complained.

"Steelers Nation," said Dan Mrkich, 51, of North Huntington. "I've been coming to camp since I was a little kid."

Mr. Mrkich, who grew up in West Mifflin, said he remembers the days of Mean Joe Greene and Terry Bradshaw, when it was possible to watch practice while actually sitting on the practice field and not from a camp chair on the hillside.

"You could kick field goals with Roy Gerela back in those days; it was a lot more fun for the kids," he said.

From the looks of it Sunday, there was still a lot of fun to be had.

It is a fact that the vast majority of fans in the crowds that flock to training camp will be wearing some variation of a Steelers jersey, T-shirt or hat.

It is a surprising -- if unofficial -- observation, however, that the majority of folks making the trip to Saint Vincent do not live in Allegheny, Washington, Beaver, Butler or Westmoreland counties. For every person who said they lived in Peters or Butler, there were six or seven, it seemed, who drove the better part of a day to visit from Maine or Kentucky.

If there are long-distance fans who plan their vacations around a visit to Steelers Mecca, then the idea of the Steelers Staycation perhaps just hasn't caught on yet.

Upon overhearing some locals say that last Sunday was their first visit to Steelers training camp, and that they probably wouldn't be back again until next year, a man from Cincinnati noted, "Really? If I lived this close, I'd be here 15 days out of 17."

Another said that perhaps Steelers camp was sort of like going to Kennywood if you live in the Pittsburgh area: you know it's there, it's great to do occasionally, but it doesn't seem like that huge a deal if it's readily available.

Still, there were hundreds of fans waiting in line for the 1:30 p.m. opening of Sunday's session. At the front of it all was Wendi Faust and three others from Bedford, back for a second day of soaking in the atmosphere.

They'd set up their chairs at the gate at 9:45 a.m. Nearby was John Stockton, of Uniontown, and not far back was Sandra Chverchko, of Altoona.

Ms. Chverchko said she used to watch the Steelers practice at Offutt Field, "right by my house," when she was a nun and lived in Greensburg. This was her first visit to the college campus event.

Although she was not of the Benedictine order -- as are the nuns at Saint Vincent who do the cooking for Steelers camp --she said she had been in contact with them.

"The sisters are praying [for good weather]" she said.

Once the gates officially opened, there were still about 90 minutes before players would take to the various venues around camp. This proved no problem, of course, as the first 10 to 15 minutes was occupied with trying to find the best spot to take it all in.

Some literally dashed to the far side of the natural amphitheater of three regulation fields chalked out on the grounds of the college football stadium. Others made for the shady areas under the trees overlooking the end zone.

Still more went all the way around the stadium to the patio area outside a group of campus buildings from which players would emerge on their way to afternoon workouts.

When everyone is vying for an autograph, it's apparently good sense to keep both a sense of humor and a small, cute child on hand.

Sheri Gimigliano, of Robinson, was at camp with her brother, Steve Gimigliano, of South Fayette, and his wife, Chris, and children Morgan, Marissa and Michael.

The last is 3 1/2 years old, probably not old enough to be all that passionate about the team yet. But, as his aunt said, joking, "He's the bait. We don't even know who he belongs to, we just picked him up."

It was Michael's job to don the official Riddell Steelers helmet his father bought online. They had a silver Sharpie, perfect for autographs on the helmet's glossy black surface, and if little Michael's stamina -- and neck -- held up, he was going to approach the players.

Other kids, old enough to set out on their own, had strategies for working the training camp.

Eric McCue, 17, of Karns City, and his cousin, Brad Bowser, 14, of Chicora, Butler County, have been coming to camp for five years.

Their families were staying overnight locally, which gave Brad a chance to talk to some kids from Latrobe the day before.

"This kid said that sometimes, everyone in town goes away to avoid all the traffic [during camp]," he said.

Brad said that when the gates open, he and Eric race for the fences. Their grandmother finds her own spot along a fence, where she settles in with a cooler of snacks and drinks.

They're both big fans: Brad owns at least five versions of the Troy Polamalu jersey and Eric has green indoor/outdoor carpet turf in his bedroom, the better to coordinate with the homemade shrine to the Steelers.

He even has a photo of the room on his cell phone.

Both also follow the Penguins -- a common theme among the fans seems to be that there's enough goodwill to share with Pittsburgh's other sports teams, but man, what ARE they going to do about those Pirates?

Mark Britton graduated from Seneca Valley High School in 1990, but lives with his family in Downingtown, near Philadelphia. He said his parents never wanted to do the Steelers camp thing, but that didn't squelch his passion for the team.

Mr. Britton, in town for camp with his son, Andrew, 10, and daughter, Ellie, 7, and fiancee, Karen Brooks, said they have to drive to Delaware each week to find a bar or restaurant that shows Steelers games.

The Pittsburgh fan club of Wilmington boasts about 150 members, including, he said, former Steelers running back Anthony Anderson. The club is usually good for finding a safe spot to watch the game and cheer.

Not everyone at camp, however, was a big Steelers fan. In fact, not even Polamalu runs around with the bravado on display from Jackie Plog, who was visiting from Maine.

Jackie, 7, was there with her mother, Terri, and other relatives. Her aunt, Theresa Christy, lives in Slippery Rock.

The child was wearing a New England Patriots T-shirt.

"Now THAT is the craziest thing," said her cousin, Staci Plog.

Greensburg's Philip Lasek was a close second, wearing a "Psych Ward outpatient" T-shirt as he visited for the first time in many years with his family.

His daughter, Amanda Lasek, of Munhall, was a rarity in a non-Steelers T-shirt; hers was the traditional Steel Valley maroon and gold.

Mr. Lasek and his wife, Heidi, and children Madison and Nathan Fleck live about 15 minutes from the Unity Township college campus.

Making a return trip to Saint Vincent was Myrleen Harrison, who used to live on Mount Washington but then moved to Florida.

"We came last year and loved it so much, drove all the way up," Mrs. Harrison said.

Happily, she recently moved back north, to Shaler, so it was an easier drive this time.

For Heather Holland, getting to Steelers camp is a breeze. She moved last year from Virginia to Ligonier, and remembers running into Ben Roethlisberger at Sharky's Cafe in Latrobe during camp week last summer.

"I've been a Steelers fan for over 20 years," she said. "These are my roots."

You can, by the way, order a Roethlis-burger at Sharky's.

Training camp was a first for Brian Watts, of McMurray, there with his wife, Rhonda and children Greg and Morgan.

They used to live in Oklahoma, where your NFL choices are somewhat limited and the idea of following the Cowboys, he said, is downright depressing.

Terry Turk, who lives in the Manchester section of Pittsburgh, said it had been at least 15 years since his last Steelers training camp.

He brought his son, Terry II, not just to see the players.

"As a youth football coach, I wanted him to see the players, the live action," Mr. Turk said.

"They should see that all the things we tell our [youth players] to do when they're out on the football field are the same as what the professionals do."

Ron Flanders, of Shaler, agreed. He had been to Steelers camp many times and said, "If it weren't for my grandchildren, I wouldn't be here."

The boys, Will and Sean McNamara of Chicago, are youth football players. Mr. Flanders said he believed they could learn a thing or two from watching the pros practice.

The camp also offered youngsters the chance to work off some energy in the form of the "Steelers Experience."

Set around the outfield of the college baseball field, it featured the sort of giant, colorful inflatable Moon Walk contraptions capable of swallowing a kid whole. In a way, it looked kind of like the set of a Tim Burton movie.

Instead, the various activity stations gave children the opportunity to mow down tackling dummies and test their strength on a Bungee run or obstacle course.

There also were face-painting and refreshment booths, which provided grateful parents a chance to catch their breaths.

The college benefits in many ways from hosting the Steelers. Each year, on Saint Vincent's common application, a large number of students will note that they first heard of the school either from visiting Steelers camp, or hearing about the camp.

Right after the winter holidays -- and this year, after the Super Bowl -- Saint Vincent public relations director Don Orlando began fielding phone calls from fans.

"We get them from all over the U.S.," he said. "People who are from the area originally want to know the dates for camp so they can plan to visit their families around Steelers camp."