Sarah Palin and Joe Miller attend ‘9/11 Remembrance Rally’ in Wasilla (Updated)

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Gov. Palin joined the crowd at an event hosted by Alaska's main tea party faction, the Conservative Patriots Group, in her home town of Wasilla Saturday to remember the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to the Anchorage Daily News:

In a brief speech at the event marking the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Palin praised service members. The home state public appearance was a rare one for Palin...

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Palin received an enthusiastic welcome, with people surrounding her for autographs and pictures.

Joe Miller, Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, also appeared at the rally. In remarks to the crowd, he talked about the need to protect American liberties.

The Alaska Dispatch reports that Gov. Palin was well received by the Wasilla crowd:

Much to the delight and surprise of many, Palin showed, got on the stage, and asked the now-familiar, "Do you know your freedom?" question. The response indicated that yes, they did. And that wasn't the only thing they loved.

She then asked all military veterans to stand and led a round of huge applause before saying, "It's really, really good to be home, and tonight I think I'll see some of you at the Glenn Beck event."

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After her speech, Palin stepped off the stage and began a long round of handshakes and autograph signing, where she shook hands with everyone from Mead Treadwell to Sam Little, and signed everything from copies of her book to the back of a little girl's shirt to a small rock that a middle-aged woman handed her with a smile.

The crowd was happy and excited to be so close to their former governor, pressing close to shake her hand and get a quick picture. When a reporter asked Palin to identify the biggest threat to the U.S., she answered "Our debt, which is a natural security issue," before turning back to her admiring fans. Palin's daughter, Piper, quickly became bored with the whole scene and asked her mother when they could go.

As Palin walked outside the sports center into the bright Wasilla sun and stepped up into a black Escalade, men standing in the parking lot yelled out "Praying for you!" and "Love you, Sarah!"

The rally was conducted just hours before a Glenn Beck event was scheduled to begin in nearby Anchorage. Thousands are expected to attend tonight's event, where Gov. Palin will introduce Beck. All but 700 of the 4,500 tickets for the Beck event have been sold, says Therin Ferrin, who is with a private contractor that operates the city's convention centers.

Update: ADN's photo gallery of the event is here.

- JP