A college student home for the weekend might expect a warm bed and a hot meal. That had to wait for Addie Witt, who drove east from Ohio's Otterbein College Friday night to join her father, Kerry Witt, on a chilly parking lot sleepover next to the cinder block wall of a Washington County Sam's Club.

Cocooned in a sleeping bag and folding chair, she was near the front of a crowd that would grow to more than 1,500 who gathered today to get a glimpse of and autograph from Sarah Palin, the former governor, current author, past and perhaps future candidate for national office.

The father and daughter thought their cold night was worth it to boost their chances of being among those who would have Mrs. Palin autograph their copies of "Going Rogue,'' the memoir already soaring on best seller lists as in the first hours of a three-week 14-city book tour.

Her appearance today at the big box store in South Strabane Township came just a little more than a year after Mrs. Palin had been introduced to Pennsylvanians at nearby Consol Energy Park, just after Sen. John McCain made her a national figure by choosing her as the GOP vice presidential nominee. The patient but enthusiastic crowd outside the Sam's Club attested to the endurance of the celebrity status that has only grown since that Labor Day weekend.

Mr. Witt, of Seven Springs, said he'd been in line since 9:30 p.m. the previous evening

"I like the views that she holds,'' said Mr. Witt, who said he hoped the former governor would run for president. "We need another change in 2012. The first change wasn't good."

Farther back in the cheerful, if chilled throng was Joe Dicks, his wife Paula, and their children Katelyn, 16, a student at Trinity High School, and son, Caleb, 12, who attends Faith Christian School.

"We like her views on politics, on life in general,'' said Mr. Dicks.

At another point in the line, Ken Beachy of Jefferson Hills stood waiting for his wife, Martha, who had entered the Sam's Club to buy a membership -- a requirement for those hoping for the gubernatorial signature.

"I just relate to her more than to some of the other politicians,'' he said, noting that his affinity was reinforced by the fact that Alaska was he and his wife's favorite state.

Hearing that, Mary Wichterman, a retired teacher next to them in line, displayed her fleece, worn in the signer's honor, embroidered with the logo, "Alaska."

Still further back in the line was Peg Luksik, a GOP Senate candidate who was taking a break from her own campaigning for the Palin event.

Mrs. Luksik, a former candidate for governor, is running against Pat Toomey, a former congressman, for the GOP nomination for the seat held by Sen. Arlen Specter. Her stop in Wasington County was a break from an appearance Friday night in Scranton and anther last might in Greensburg.

Books, not news, were the order of the day for Mrs. Palin as her aides carefully insulated her from reporters during an appearance that lasted a little more than three hours before she and the brightly decorated bus that proclaims her book, web site and Twitter account made its exit.

She sat at a table inside the store, signing book after book with a Sharpie pen while exchanging small talk with members of the crowd.

Leann Marcolini, of Fredericktown, Pa., beamed as she left the store with a copy of the book, newly inscribed with Mrs. Palin's big, swirling signature. With her sister, Amy Jo Brown, also of Fredericktown, she'd waited in line since 11:30 p.m. Friday.

Was it worth it?

"Absolutely," Ms. Marcolini said.

"I told her it was an honor to meet her. She said 'It's an honor to meet you,' " she said.

She said that when her sister told the author that she was a first grade teacher, Mrs. Palin said, "You have the patience of Job; God bless you."

Sales like those are propelling the autobiography to the top of best seller lists. Its publisher, HaperCollins, announced Friday that its first day sales had topped 300,000 and its initial press run had been increased to 2.5 million, up from an initial plan of 1.5 million copies.

The Sam's Club support here yesterday was symbolic of a corner of the state that proved a strong ally for the McCain-Palin ticket. While President Barack Obama was carrying Pennsylvania overall by a near landslide margin last year, the Republican team managed to prevail in Washington County -- reversing its Democratic majority in the previous election -- along with neighboring Fayette and Greene counties.

Nationally, Mrs. Palin is near the top of presidential preference surveys among Republicans. In a recent Gallup Poll she trailed former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

But she remains a olarizing figure among the broader electorate. A Gallup Poll's recent look at the public's favorable/unfavorable views of political figures show that the celebrity status that was on display yesterday exists alongside the highest unfavorable ratings among all voters of any of her potential Republican rivals for the top spot in 2012.

The former governor's appearance was one more example of the popularity and commercial appeal of conservative figures across the country. Fox television commentator Glenn Beck was opening his own book tour with a Florida rally yesterday. Mr. Huckabee appeared on the South Side last Thursday, signing copies of his recently published book of Christmas stories. His appearance earlier in the month at Christ Church in Grove Farm, almost doubled the congregation of the the North Hills church.

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