Two hours before presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney was scheduled to speak at a North Huntingdon company, several hundred supporters already had claimed their seats.
Some waved small American flags; others held up signs that read, “Romney Believes in America.”
Romney is scheduled to speak at 1:20 p.m. at Horizontal Wireline Services, which runs wires into gas and oil wells to help with extraction from the Marcellus shale.
Bus shuttles ferried people from Stratigos Banquet Centre, about a quarter mile from the facility. Once the parking lot filled, shuttle service resumed at Norwin Town Square. Colonial Manor Road is closed to allow parking on both sides.
Outside the plant, supporters stood in line in the 88-degree heat but quickly passed through metal detectors into the air-conditioned facility.
Among the early arrivals was Jane Hager of North Huntingdon, who lives about four miles away. She said she was very excited about Romney’s appearance.
“You can’t get much closer than this. And I just thought, ‘I have to go,’” Hager said.
Secret Service agents, assisted by a canine unit from the Indiana County Sheriff’s Department, are monitoring the facility.
Tonight, Romney has a fundraiser at the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh.
