November 21, 2009
Sarah Palin with Piper Palin in Rochester
Saturday...just one week ago it all began! The Rochester Sarah Palin visit details were not well known until a couple of days before the visit. I actually got the details by using Google and finding the details in the Elmira Star Gazette newspaper. Thinking of Sarah Palin took me back to first seeing her on the Today Show, summer 2008, and thinking, what a woman! So articulate, energetic, and involved in life and America. A wife, mother, and politician. I needed to get to know more about her, and soon all of America had that opportunity. I hastily went to work to find how I could help; this mission ended in volunteering in a small county in New York State. I found myself knocking on the door of the Republican Headquarters to aid as I could, with the Yates County Republican Committee. As the 20008 election grew closer, I went up to Rochester and got some of their McCain/Palin posters, as they had disappeared off the shelves in Penn Yan, NY. I spent countless hours volunteering at the desk at Republican Headquarters, in this mainly conservative Republican area in this sleepy Finger Lakes town. I could gaze out the window and see the Democratic headquarters from my perch. I was an unknown in Yates County Democratic Headquarters, but sauntered 0ver there, to see that this group was selling Obama memorabilia, bumper stickers, and pins. Ours were free, what we had at least, and along with whatt I could additionally procure from Rochester for our cause. I was invited to the Republican kick-off dinner at Esperanza, and met a lot of the local hopefuls, and local Republican support team. We were on a mission!
Joyce Wiedrich, October 2008
, Republican Headquarters, Penn Yan, NY
Political Disaster!
What a disappointment in the eventual election results. Since that fateful day, some of those Obama supporters have told me they have lost faith in their hero. "I can not stand him. He is taking from what we hard working middle class people and he is giving it all to those people who don't even want to try to do anything", one of the young patient care technicians at work recently shared with me. As time goes on, I expect more will leave his fold, and realize where their support should be.
Lines form at the strip mall
towards Borders Books
Sarah Palin's early eager fans
camped out overnight!
Early Morning lines
Early Morning- November 21, 2009...
When I heard Sarah was coming to Rochester, New York on her book tour (her only stop in New York State), I immediately decided that I needed to try to go. Fortunately, I was not scheduled to work in my job as a nurse practitioner at our large local medical center that day. I arose, had a hasty breakfast, and got to Marketplace mall before 8AM, thinking there would be a couple hundred people there in line, at the most. Wrong! there was a 1/4 mile line from Borders Bookstore in Henrietta, way past Wegmans grocery store, in the strip mall. I could not even see Borders from my starting point at the end of the line. People had camped out all night. There were coolers, tents, folding chairs and blankets dotting the sidewalk in front of the stores. The first in line had come at 4:30 pm. the night before. I knew Sarah was popular, but this was over-the-top. Store vendors were out with carts of food to sell; the mounted police were traversing the lines of hundreds of people, and cars were weaving in and out of lanes, looking for spots to park their vehicles. The mall was as filled; it looked like a massive Black-Friday shopping excursion, in terms of cars and volumes of people, except for their being lined up outside like dominos on a late autumn day.
The Decision
I wondered how my healing ankle was going to hold up with that line stuff, after having fractured it in late-August on the first day of my summer vacation. I started back to my car, and then started counting the people in line, I would be about 950 by my count. I thought about just going home at this point, but quickly retracted this thought, realizing this would maybe be my once-in-a-lifetime experience to face-to-face meet Sarah Palin. There was no choice. I had had my cast off for a month, and my fracture was healed. I could deal with the pain and swelling. I would stand in the line.
After 500 bracelets were given out, the mounties came by and told everyone in the remaining, somewhat shrinking line that there were no more bracelets to be given out. People were visibly disappointed, but most of these remaining sans armbands, who had been hoping to see Sarah, then just left for their cars, after they had heard this disconcerting news. The few straggers left at that point weaved their way through hundreds of parked cars, to the bookstore, to see if alternatives existed. The store personnel gave us out some pre-printed labels with Sarah's signature on them, which we could paste in our books, and said there were no guarantees that we would get to see her. If you got a label, it was your ticket to leave. That did not seem like a solution, for my eagerness to see Sarah Palin was not only to get my book signed, but also to personally meet her. A very helpful bookstore employee did say that in the past, Sarah had taken people from the reserve line, if time existed, which might be a possibility here on this day. It was a no-brainer, I was staying!
Joyce's laptop came in handy waiting in line
Ron Devito with Sharon from Athens, Pennsylvania,
Sharon cane to the event as a Sarah Palin look-alike
Ron Devito being interviewed by the media
I think that waiting in line was a blessing in disguise. I moved my car to a closer position in front of the store. I got out my laptop, put it on top of a garbage container, and started to pass the time. It was 47 degrees out, but I had a sweatshirt, gloves, hat, suede jacket, and scarf. I was dressed for the day; hey this time of year it could have been raining or snowing in Rochester, New York, in fact this was the first November to that date in 57 years that we had not had measurable snow. I had initially planned to go home after getting a bracelet, change my clothes, put some makeup on, and then head down to Penn Yan, New York, about 60 miles from the Palin site, to watch a friends' daughter in a local play down there, and after that come back to Rochester for the Going Rogue booksigning. If I had done that, I would not have been hanging around the bookstore all day, and I would have missed the opportunity to meet so many Sarah Palin connections and solid support systems and fans. In other words, I would have gotten a bracelet, left the area, and returned into a short line to be led into the bookstore and out another line, and that would have been that. Borders treated us reserve folks well during the long wait. We could use the restroom there, and I had lunch in the cafe. We formed our little line group, and took turns getting warm inside. Fortunately, I had my cell phone, camera and laptop. Having grown up in Rochester, New York, I was the product of an Eastman Kodak family--grandfather, parents, uncle and brother, so never leave home without a camera, ander usually not without a computer or at least a cell phone with email capability. I was able at one point to take my laptop into the cafe area of the bookstore, have some lunch, and put my leg up for a while. This provided me with a lucky break, in having the opportunity to meet Ron Devito, from Staten Island, New York. Now, here was someone really pro Sarah Palin. He flew in for the day to join the group he had already been working with in the past. What an inspiration for the cause. He had made some really cute Sarah Palin buttons, which I will later procure for myself, friends, and some Christmas stocking stuffers.
Joyce Wiedrich met up wtth Barb Pingree
former teacher with student
They had not seen eachother in 20 years!
Also in line, my friend Barb, who I had not seen in 20 years! I taught nursing at Monroe Community College during that time period, and she was in my first clinical group. I had just bought a house, and the group came for dinner...brought me a lounge chair, and a signed pillow with all their names. It was great to reconnect with Barb. I know we will now keep in touch. I am reminded.....THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS COINCIDENCE. Things always happen for a reason.
Line buddies
Another of our line groupies was Lee, who I later found out is the father of one of the nurses that I work with at University of Rochester Medical Center. He is trying to set up a plate dinner for Sarah Palin, and is from Buffalo. There was another professor next to me in line, and darn it, I forgot his name. He was very articulate and committed to the cause. Also met Mary Ann, who ends up is the sister of one of my high school classmates from East Rochester. She went to Auburn to see Sarah (from a distance), and is a true fan. I had to work, and for some reason could not get out of it, or I would have gone to Founders' Day down there, as well.
The time really flew. I met Amy, from Horseheads. She was the first in line, and was being interviewed by the media. There were media trucks all over, local stations, Entertainment Tonight, the whole smash!
Amy, from Horseheads, New York ; first in line
Amy arrivied 25 1/2 hrs. prior to the event
Sharon, a Sarah Palin look-alike was there from Athens, Pa. That is a town not too far south of the NYS boarder, out of Elmira, where my mother was born. Some of the older people in the store came up to her ant thought she was Sarah Palin. Sarah's face is a bit fuller than hers, but she was a good image of Sarah. She was also interviewed for TV.
Sharon arrived early from Athens, Pennsylvania
The Arrival
Sarah arrived twenty minutes earlier than booked, going in a back door. The line started moving in before 6:00 pm. Many of the first in line had stayed through the day. The parking lots were filling again.
Spirit Song
The spirit was rising. Our group sang some songs. At 7:00 pm., we said the Pledge of Allegiance, some sang the national anthem. We started chanting, "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah". it was a festive mood. Sarah's children Trig and Piper came out for a breath of fresh air. Imagine Alaska is cooler this time of year than Rochester. We really got our hopes up when Sarah's father, Charles Heath came out and got on the microphone to speak with the reserve line folks. I was right in front of him, near the front of our line. Charles told us that he appreciated our patience, and that Sarah would see all of us in the line. We were elated!!!!
Sarah Palin's father, Charles Heath
He came out to encourage the waiting crowd
Time went quickly. The blue, pink, gold and white balloons which were the color of the wristbands given out marched ever closer to the store. The folks entered Borders, and came out cheering with gleaming faces as they exited with their signed books. I will never forget seeing that. Our line group became more excited as more of the people from the promised line revolved into and out of the store. You had to be there to feel this thrill!
Balloons separated groups of people in line
I am going to see Sarah!
Then, our line progressed forward. We could only take pictures of Sarah at a distance. When we got in the store, we had to put our purses and personal items on a table. Another table was set up for gifts for Sarah. Mary Ann had gone home and made Sarah a poster of the pictures she had from Auburn. She had put a lot of work into this. Many of us got cards for Sarah, and wrote notes. I bought a card at the bookstore, and wrote a short note. Had I been prepared, I would have given her a card that I had made....next time! They took our books, put them in a stack, and we followed the then short line to Sarah's table. I will never forget. Piper was sitting next to her in a bright yellow top, looking very intently at people and her mom. Sarah looked into your eyes--directly--when you got to the table. She asked you your name, and what you did, and where you were from. You then had a moment to speak with her. I told her to carry on, that we needed her, and that I so appreciated her views on smaller government involvement, woman's issues, and the way she carried herself forward in spite of criticism. It was such an experience. I was on a high! I snapped a few pictures, and then we were ushered out of the area.
An excited follower with a just-signed book
Sarah Palin and daughter Piper
- are in the background at signing table
Post Sarah- meeting her wonderful parents
The next event was what I will call meeting Aunt Katie, Charles and Sally Heath. Charles was smiling and chatting in the bookstore, dressed in a bright purple shirt. Sally had on a red top, and both were so approachable. I introduced myself, and told them how honored I felt to have been part of the event. I asked them if they had come to the other book signings. It seems that Rochester was the first book signing they had come to, meeting Sarah at the Rochester airport, with the planes landing 20 minutes apart. He said he had left Anchorage the day before just to meet them here. What a bonus. I felt I had met Sally, Charles and Katie before. They could have been my neighbors. They were so down-to-earth. They were proud of Sarah, but not changed by her, in terms of their own stature. We talked about Alaska, health care, and the book signing tour. I am planning a cruise to Alaska in the spring.
A local college student talks with Charles Heath
A mate in our line, Lee, with Charles Heath
Sally Heath, Joyce Wiedrich and Charles Heath
I had just had my book signed and was elated!
Sarah and party leave Rochester
Unfortunatly the day with Sarah had to end!
Was I really there? Did this really happen?Unfortunatly the day with Sarah had to end!
I got home and could not go to bed until nearly 1:00 am. I was writing on Facebook, and just reliving my experience. It seemed in many ways totally unreal. I did not want the experience and day to end. The whole event was so thrilling! The epinephrine was flying high! My right leg was swollen, and a bit sore, but I did not really even feel it, nor did it matter. I could not even g0 t0 sleep after that, not because of my healing leg, but because I was SO excited. I was thinking of my grandfather--"Poppie" Barth. He was the last WW1 vet in Eastern Monroe County to die, in his late 90's. He was laid to rest with full military honors. I was still in the military then--wishing I had worn my uniform, hearing the gun salute and Taps. It was so touching. He would have loved to meet Sarah, she is so pro-military and pro-American. He would have loved her spirit.. And thinking of my Mom, who would have been there at Borders with me for every minute of the event.. My mother once cross-stitched her brother a picture--"Republican Born, Republican Bred--When I die, I will be Republican Dead" with a little toy elephant and the letters surrounding it! I had grown up hearing how the rivers had run red with blood in France when my grandfather was in WW1. We grew up hearing my grandfather's war memories, and his political beliefs, especially his disdain of Communism, and anyone in Anerica with a hint of those beliefs. There was no shortage of political discussions within my family, especially when we were with my grandparents. My respect for my grandfather's persona entrusted me to make sure I paid attention and became involved with the political issues of the day, studied history and , utilized my American right to vote for strong and honest leaders that would help protect his American ideals. My grandfather's stories are for another time and place, but they did provide a strong foundation for my current political belief system. I saw many of these ideals in Ronald Reagan, and also in Sarah Palin, which is a large reason of why I also envelop her ideals and support her today.
Go Forward!
So, thank you Sarah, and old and new friends. The day is one I will never forget, and I hope to build on those memories with my support of the cause. Sarah, whatever your aspirations, I hope your dreams come true! It was quite a day and week! Inspirational! With certainty, we are going to succeed!
Joyce L. Wiedrich
November 2009
Enclosed photos courtesy and property of Joyce Wiedrich
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