Toll collectors garb... Ron Paul... Gretchen Wilson, et al.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Some snapshots from the Republican National Convention on its first, abbreviated day:

The Republicans may be scaling back the party here because of the hurricane in the Gulf Coast, but the Ron Paul contingent isn't holding back.

Hundreds turned out last night at a Midwestern heritage center to celebrate the renegade congressman and Libertarian candidate they want for president.

Paul told those gathered, "My delight in the campaign was the discovery of so many of you out there."

Not long later the crowd erupted in chants: "Ron Paul! Ron Paul!"

-- Lisa Mascaro, the Las Vegas Sun

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While the overall mode was somber, there were moments of levity at the Florida delegation meeting Monday.

Delegates were asked to wear the colorful shirts of Florida's turnpike toll collectors throughout the day. Most did, and one even wore shorts and deck shoes to complete the tropical look.

District 12 Congressman Adam Putnam, quipped about the altered nature of the convention: "I'm not going to be able to say anything partisan at a convention? I'm going to have to rethink my speech."

Putnam, one of the youngest members of Congress, was greeted by a standing ovation of Florida delegates. He is clearly aware of Congress's overall negative rating. "I'm glad the 9 percent that still approve of Congress is in this room," he said.

-- Brent Batten, the Naples Daily News in Florida.

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Some of the stars expected to perform or just hang out in St. Paul this week: Gretchen Wilson, Sammy Hagar, LeAnn Rimes, Charlie Daniels, and former "American Idols" Carry Underwood and Chris Daughtry.

Rage Against the Machine is expected to perform Wednesday in a protest concert.

-- Chris Riemenschneider, Minneapolis Star Tribune.

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Bringing up the rear of a protest march Monday was a group of about a dozen women who said they were from Crawford, Texas, dressed as cheerleaders and calling themselves the "Missile Dick Chicks." They did high kicks and sang "Stop in the Name of War," a takeoff from the Supremes' 1960s hit.

-- Minneapolis Star Tribune

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)