Cindy Sheehan -- who's 24-year-old soldier son, Casey, died in Sadr City in 2004 -- started the vigil Aug. 6. She said she'll stay through Bush's month-long vacation unless he agrees to a meeting.

And now, a local elected official is joining her cause.

State Sen. Jim Ferlo booked a flight and took off for Crawford, Texas, this weekend. He's met with Sheehan. But she says she's not leaving the road outside the president's ranch until she gets to talk with him.

It's getting crowded. In fact, a circus-like atmosphere is beginning to appear in the news coverage of the demonstration.

Side stories, like Sheehan's husband filing for divorce, have drawn more attention to her cause.

But Sheehan said she remains focused. She wants to ask the president one question: What did her son casey, a soldier in Iraq, die for?

"Talking about other things has distracted us from our original mission. I realize that, but I've been so busy I haven't had time to reflect. And last night I had time to reflect, and we all agreed as military families and Gold Star families together, we need to refocus our mission and go back to the original mission of what we were here for," said Sheehan.

Ferlo joined the demonstration this weekend.

"I think everybody has a duty and a responsibility to start speaking up. Especially public officials. We've seen not only the devastation of human life, innocent human life in Iraq, civilians, 100,000 deaths of mothers and children dead. U.S. troops, many of whom have come from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, have tragically fallen this last couple of weeks," said Ferlo.

He agrees there may be a circus-like quality growing at the vigil.

But he says the more the merrier -- it's getting an important message across and making an impact.

"When I arrived yesterday, I was one of 20 other individuals who just showed up spontaneously from other parts of the nation. There's kind of a makeshift geographical map of the United States. There's probably 60 or 70 cities marked on the map, or some notations. I marked Pittsburgh on the map as an example," explained Ferlo.

Sheehan's organization also has called for community vigils across the country Wednesday evening.

Three are scheduled at 7:30 p.m. in the Pittsburgh area:

Rick Park at Beechwood Boulevard and Nicholson Street, Squirrel Hill

Sheridan Avenue near Division Street, Bellevue

800 block of Franklin Avenue, Aliquippa

There are reportedly hundreds of people who joined the prayer vigil, which continues 24 hours a day. The president said he sympathizes with the grieving mother, but has not said if he will meet with Cindy Sheehan.