MichiganRadio

Packed For Palin GRAND RAPIDS, MI (Michigan Radio) - Thousands of people lined up at a mall near Grand Rapids last night for the chance to see Sarah Palin.

It was the first stop on Sarah Palin's national book tour, and in a lot of ways it was like a campaign rally. Palin's bus pulled up outside the Barnes & Noble around 5:30 p.m. She trotted down the steps carrying her son Trig.

Hundreds of people had gathered around a small stage, and Palin told them she was excited to be back in Michigan.

"Alaska and Michigan so much in common with the huntin' and the fishin' and the hockey moms," she said.

Inside the mall, thousands more waited for a chance to have their books signed. Matt Witt had been there since 4 a.m.

"You meet a lot of really nice people," he said of the wait. "I'm really surprised that everybody just seems like they're best friends."

After getting two books signed, Witt said the wait was worth it.

Contact Dustin Dwyer at dtdwyer@umich.edu.

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