Book-Signing in Wasilla

More pics here and here.

About a 1,000 people showed up. Article in the ADN:
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Sarah Palin was treated like homecoming queen when she brought her national book tour to Wasilla on Tuesday....Many people talked about "Sarah" like she's a member of the family.

"It's her hometown and remember, everybody is her friend, everybody is her parents' friend and we're all friends of the family," said Lyn Carden, executive director of the Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce.

Many of the people waiting in lines on the sports center's indoor turf floor said they live in the Valley. Several said they knew Palin or her family personally.

Elsie O'Bryan, a former Houston city councilor, served in local politics with her.

Angelina Klapperich -- 15, and a beauty pageant contestant -- attends Colony High School with one of Palin's daughters.

It's a wonder retired teacher Nancy Taylor had to wait in line at all, given her connections. Palin babysat Taylor's kids as a teenager. Taylor taught in the Mat-Su School District with Palin's father, Chuck Heath. . And it was Taylor's niece who beat out Palin for the Miss Alaska crown in 1984.

At the time, Palin jokingly said something like, " 'Shucks ... almost,' " Taylor remembered. "I was so impressed with her attitude. She could have been so negative."

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Oh, and Griffin got his butt kicked out! I love it! He seems to be taking it in stride, along with his usual cheap shots.

So, yeah. If you click on Palin vids or articles about the Wasilla book-signing and see junk about Palin banning people from the event and suing her for banning people, they most likely are Underworlders. The truth of the matter is that it was a private event - they could keep out anybody on earth they wanted to. From the ADN article:

Not every attendee was welcome. Dennis Zaki, an Anchorage photographer and videographer who until recently ran the Web site Alaska Report, checked in at the media table and was told by Wasilla Recreation and Cultural Services Manager James Hastings that he wasn't welcome. Also turned away was blogger Jesse Griffin.

"He said because this is a paid event, they can ban anybody they want," Zaki said. "We didn't fight it, we just walked out and laughed all the way home."

Zaki said he was told that he and Alaska blogger/commentator Shannyn Moore were on the list, with photos to identify them. Moore said she didn't go.

Hastings said Zaki was right -- the signing was a private event paid for by Palin's publisher, Harper Collins, and that Zaki, Griffin, Moore and at least one other person whom Hastings did not name, were not invited.

Good. I didn't want that scum Griffin or Zaki anywhere near Sarah.

Here's video of Palin's entrance: