Jalene Forbis didn’t expect the “war zone” atmosphere she encountered outside the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.
Nor did she realize how enthusiastic the response would be when vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin gave her acceptance speech on Sept. 3.
A Weed resident, vice president of the Shasta Sunset Dinner Train in McCloud, and board member of the California  Republican Party for seven years before being termed out, Forbis attended her first national convention as an alternate delegate for California’s Congressional District 2.
The only Siskiyou County resident to represent the District at the convention, Forbis said she felt a kinship with Palin when the VP nominee spoke about her small town roots.
“Everyone was on their feet during Palin’s speech,” Forbis said. “The sense of being there and participating in history was indescribable... The enthusiasm was palpable.”
Forbis said that enthusiasm carried over to the following night, when presidential nominee John McCain gave his acceptance speech just after his wife, Cindy, gave delegates a glimpse into her own life and humanitarian efforts.
The showering of balloons that ended the convention left delegates chest-deep in colorful inflatables by the time they all landed, Forbis said.
Once inside the Xcel Energy Center for each of the convention’s four days, Forbis sat in the California Delegation with seat-mate Matt Fong, the former state treasurer.
“We had Fox News right behind us. Dad saw me on TV,” she said.
But Forbis used the term “almost eerie” to describe the bus ride they took each day from their hotel outside of town to the convention site.
She said that because of fears about protesters in the area, a police officer rode in every bus that went in and out of town, the buses had police escorts, police were stationed at every overramp, and SWAT teams were stationed on roofs.
“It was so over the top,” Forbis said after describing rock-throwing protesters and others who threw sand bags from overpasses at buses.
One day the police officer on the bus Forbis was traveling on told them “the area has been overrun by protesters,” and they had to drive for an hour and a half before they could get in.
She said she heard a report that the Connecticut delegation had been attacked by protesters who were throwing bleach and berating the delegates for “being old.”
“It was almost like a war zone,” Forbis said. “There were police in riot gear and helicopters flying above. We were told we should not go downtown alone and should not wear our credentials in public.”
Various news reports described protest crowds in the thousands during the convention, more than 800 arrests, and numerous incidents that resulted in police using tear gas, pepper spray, and percussion grenades.
Away from the convention center, Forbis said she found the people in Minnesota – a state she had never visited before – to be “welcoming” and appreciative that the delegates were in town. And the weather “was gorgeous.”
She said she was thrilled while there to meet Karl Rove, whom she referred to as “The Architect,” and with whom she had her picture taken.
The Republican convention began with some uncertainty as Hurricane Gustav approached the gulf coast and residents there were being told to evacuate.
Forbis said delegates at the convention rallied to support people in the hurricane zone by donating airline miles and hotel points and texting donations from their phones. They also watched video messages from governors in the Gulf states who suggested ways delegates could help.
“There was a lot of concern,” Forbis said. “We were thankful it wasn’t disastrous.”