Former VP candidate announces Cd'A book signing

COEUR d’ALENE — It’s official.

Sarah Palin is coming to Coeur d’Alene.

The former GOP vice presidential candidate will be at the Fred Meyer store on Dec. 10 from noon to 3 p.m. autographing copies of her new memoir, “Going Rogue.”

“I already told the people I work for that I have to take the day off,” said Darlene Turner, of Coeur d’Alene.

Turner, 73, has been a fan of Palin’s since she became the first female governor of Alaska.

“I saw her give her acceptance speech, and I thought she was on the ball,” Turner said.

Coeur d’Alene is the only Pacific Northwest city included on Palin’s 29-stop tour to promote the book officially released Tuesday.

The Lake City was just added to the original schedule by publisher Harper Collins, along with stops in Reno and Salt Lake City.

“We assumed she’d want to come to our Wasilla (Alaska) store, but she chose Coeur d’Alene,” said Melinda Merrill, public affairs director for the Portland-based Fred Meyer.

Wasilla is the hometown of Palin, who resigned as governor of Alaska in July.

Merrill said that while they would like to see Palin sign books purchased at Fred Meyer, the retailer has decided they will not restrict people from bringing copies purchased elsewhere to the signing.

An employee at the Coeur d’Alene Fred Meyer said the store has already sold out of its first shipment of 30 copies of the book, but that they expect more.

Simone Kincaid, assistant book manager at the Hastings in Coeur d’Alene, said the store has received some calls about “Going Rogue,” but first day sales have been average.

“They’re upset we’re not having the book signing here,” Kincaid said.