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It is a measure of Sarah Palin's popularity that her appearance Saturday at a Sam's Club in South Strabane needs no advertising.
Her supporters know where to find her, and they know to arrive early at the bulk-shopper's market in the Trinity Point shopping complex in Washington County.
Although the former Republican vice-presidential nominee is scheduled to begin a three-hour book-signing event for her autobiography, "Going Rogue: An American Life," at 11 a.m., Sam's Club business members will be admitted to the store at 7 a.m., other members at 9:30 a.m.
Wristbands will be distributed to the first 1,000, who will be permitted to have copies of the book signed by Ms. Palin. Unlike some of the other 29 scheduled stops on the tour, Saturday's appearance apparently will not feature readings by the author.
Those who are not Sam's Club members must obtain a one-day guest pass to attend, although it is recommended they do so well ahead of the event.
"We're getting hundreds of calls," said a Sam's Club employee fielding inquiries from the public.
The event has the potential to create a perfect storm of traffic jams; Route 19 South has big-box shopping complexes on both sides of the high-density retail road. Exits to Interstate 70 and 79 are just blocks away.
Ms. Palin drew between 5,000 and 10,000 supporters at an August 2008 rally with running mate John McCain at Consol Energy Park in nearby North Franklin, and South Strabane police are bracing for another big crowd.
"We've beefed up staff for Saturday on patrol," said police Sgt. Drew Hilk. "And Sam's Club has hired a few additional officers on top of that."
There was little advance notice of the event. The Sam's Club Web site has no mention of Ms. Palin's scheduled appearance, although media reports have been numerous, from an appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" Monday to critiques of the Newsweek magazine cover showing Ms. Palin posing coyly in her running shorts, American flag and BlackBerry in hand.
She granted an interview to conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh earlier in the week, and posted on her Facebook page that it was "a privilege to sit on the Fox News set [Tuesday night] with Sean Hannity. He's a great American."
The Newsweek cover, she said, was, "sexist, and oh-so-expected by now."
But there should be nothing but love for Ms. Palin -- who has more than 1 million supporters on Facebook -- as she takes the bus from city to city on her book tour.
It kicked off last night in Grand Rapids, Mich., and touches down in some smaller, conservative markets such as Rochester, N.Y., and Albuquerque, N.M.
There were reports of more than 500 people braving temperatures in the 30s overnight in the parking lot of a mall near Grand Rapids. They picked up their wristbands by 6 a.m. for an event at the Barnes & Noble book store scheduled to begin 12 hours later.
Events of such magnitude are rare in the Pittsburgh area, although hardly unprecedented. Dan Lenox, general manager for Borders South Hills in Bethel Park, said the biggest event he can recall was vampire novelist Anne Rice's appearance about 10 years ago.
Separate events featuring chefs Emeril Lagasse and Rachael Ray, Mr. Lenox said, drew more than 2,000 people to the Monroeville Borders.
Former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is scheduled to sign "A Simple Christmas," his collection of holiday memories, at the Joseph Beth Booksellers at the SouthSide Works tonight.
Joseph Beth marketing manager Maureen White said the line forms around 7:30, with Mr. Huckabee set to arrive at 8. The store allows those who purchase the book to join the signing line.
Joseph Beth often brings celebrity authors to its Pittsburgh store, including Food Network star Giada De Laurentiis. But the biggest draw in memory, said Mrs. White, was former New York Jets star Joe Namath, a native of Beaver Falls: "I think we probably did get around 1,000 for that."
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