CEDARBURG, Wis. -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin received a rousing reception Friday in their first joint appearance in a politically vital state after the GOP convention.

McCain, a U.S. senator from Arizona, and Palin, the governor of Alaska, were loudly cheered and applauded on the main street of Cedarburg, Wis., a suburb of about 11,000 people near Milwaukee. More than 1,000 people jammed the streets to see McCain and Palin, his surprise choice for the vice presidential nomination who proved to be the hit of the convention.

Many people in the audience held digital cameras and video cameras above their heads to get a shot as McCain's "Straight Talking Express" bus rolled into town. Palin said it was their intention to bring their campaign from the convention to "small-town America" like the small town in Alaska where she once was mayor.

Prior to the pair's visit, work crews removed street lights, built an outdoor stage and readied the downtown area in the rain on Thursday.

People began congregating in Cedarburg early Friday morning. Police said 5,000 to 8,000 people were expected for the rally.

Some of the hundreds of people gathering in Cedarburg Friday said the addition of Palin to the race for the White House has injected added excitement to the Republican ticket.

Jeanne Cassinelli, 39, of Oak Creek, hung a sign on a crowd control barricade which read "Independent 4 McCain Palin."

Cassinelli said her enthusiasm for the McCain ticket has increased since Palin was introduced as the vice presidential candidate.

McCain accepted his party's nomination on Thursday night at the Republican National Convention closed in St. Paul, Minn. McCain and Palin arrived at General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee early Friday morning.

McCain has made four previous stops in Wisconsin since the state's presidential primary in February, but none since the end of July.

His opponent, Democrat Barack Obama, has been in the state three times since the primary. His last visit was Monday in Milwaukee.