Published: October 09, 2008 11:55 pm            

Palin rally expected to fill War Memorial

Sarah Palin may be new to the national political scene, but she will get a rock star’s welcome in Johnstown.

At least 6,000 people are expected to attend the Republican vice-presidential nominee’s speech Saturday morning at Cambria County War Memorial Arena.

Free tickets for the event have been disappearing at a rapid rate. And on Thursday, Cambria County Republican officials reported that they had run out of tickets at their 636 Main St. headquarters in Johnstown.

“Clearly, the people here are excited and energized about Sarah Palin’s visit,” said Ann Wilson, Cambria County Republican Committee executive director.

Wilson said officials were accepting names for a ticket waiting list. And she added that some tickets that had been distributed to surrounding counties could become available in Johnstown.

“We’re going to do our best to accommodate requests for tickets,” she said.

However, the sheer volume of those requests seemed to surprise political operatives.

n At the Johnstown GOP office, more than 4,700 tickets were snatched up since Tuesday.

n In Bedford, a Republican representative on Thursday said most of a

250-ticket allocation was gone, adding that “the phone’s been ringing off the hook since Tuesday morning.”

n At Somerset’s GOP headquarters, 400 tickets had been distributed and, as of Thursday afternoon, officials were anxiously awaiting another shipment.

n And in Indiana County, Palin devotees had grabbed more than 250 tickets as of Thursday.

“That’s not including people who have called to say they’re coming in,” said Bernadette Comfort, Indiana County’s chairwoman for the John McCain campaign.

The response led the McCain camp to advise rally attendees to arrive at the War Memorial as early as 7 a.m. Saturday to “avoid long lines at the security checkpoint.”

Security is expected to be tight, and everyone will have to pass through a metal detector at the door, city police Capt. Andy Frear said.

However, there are no road closures or traffic restrictions planned, he said.

War Memorial staff members were expected to begin setting up for the event late Thursday, and preparations will continue today. The arena seats 4,000, with room for about 2,500 on the floor.

Jim Vautar, the War Memorial’s general manager, said the event will be comparable to a 2004 speech delivered at the arena by President Bush.

“This is almost to that level,” Vautar said.

He added that the War Memorial’s appearance will have to change quickly after Palin speaks: Crews have to quickly transform the venue for an evening hockey game.

“Our guys will be working hard this weekend,” Vautar said.

Any updates on the rally or ticket distribution will be posted today at www.tribdem.com.

        

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