Palin to anchor women's event

Sarah Palin

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TUPELO - Former Alaska governor and conservative Republican star Sarah Palin will anchor a lineup of female Christian speakers who will give their testimonies this weekend in Tupelo.

The 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee w! ill spea k Saturday at 3 p.m. as the climax of the Extraordinary Women Conference at the BancorpSouth Arena.

Palin announced earlier this month that she would not seek the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, but her appeal among conservatives remains strong, and that's part of why she chose to make Tupelo one of only four stops on the Extraordinary Women tour at which she'll speak.

"We looked for markets where her appearance demographically made sense," said Michael Stewart, the conference's vice president for event development. Stewart also mentioned the presence of the American Family Association as a reason why Palin chose to speak in Tupelo.

Beginning Friday the event will feature several other female authors and speakers, including Lysa TerKeurst, author of 14 books and president of Proverbs 31 Ministries.

TerKeurst will teach a pre-conference workshop on writing and public speaking starting at 1 p.m. Friday, and her major presentation will be just before lunch on Saturday.

TerKeurst said that her husband is the head of their household, which includes five children, and she's the heart. "Men and women are created equally across the board," she said. "But God has assigned us different roles."

Tickets for the Extraordinary Women Conference, which starts officially at 7 p.m., will be $59 through Thursday, and may be purchased on the company's website at www.ewomen.net. Tickets will be $89 at the door.