We are One: Opening Celebration
By: Editor | January 18, 2009 | Category: Fun
The festivities in Washington have officially begun!
Jon and Sarah are covering the “opening ceremonies” officially called “We are One: Opening Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial.” After bundling up, they headed out at about 8:00 this morning. Not many people were out and about that early, although Jon did see a tow truck driver. A perimeter has been set up around the center of Washington, DC to keep vehicular traffic out and to increase security. He told Jon he’d already towed 100 cars before 8:00 and expected 1,000 by the end of the day.
At 10:00 the crowd around the Reflecting Pool, which extends east from the Lincoln Memorial, numbered in the several thousands. 
They braved chilly temperatures in the lower 30s and gray skies for a good spot. The early risers were rewarded with a chance to watch pre-performance rehearsals from the likes of Tiger Woods, Tom Hanks, Steve Carrell, and Jamie Foxx and long lines for $3.00 cups of hot chocolate.
As the crowd grew, so did the camaraderie. People shared blankets with others they hadn’t known five minutes before. Young, old, celebrities, service members, and ordinary people sang, talked, laughed as the “Star Wars” theme and “Stand by Me” played and special songs recorded by Wilco and Lenny Kravitz played on Jumbotrons scattered throughout the grounds. Even as those old American favorites “This Little Light of Mine” and “Yankee Doodle Dandy” played, they sang along. People knew they were part of an historic event, and the electricity in the crowd made it even more so.
That’s just a taste of the festivities. We'll post more, but please visit our Twitter page to keep up with real-time impressions.
Permalink
| View Comments [1]
| 
E-mail This Entry
| Tags:
concert
editor
inauguration
opening_festivities
sunday
Bookmark and share: 
About social bookmarking
RSS Feeds
E-mail Updates
