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Entry bubble In the Midst of a Million Obamaniacs

By: Editor | January 19, 2009 | Category: Fun

Today, Obama got partial credit. Yes, he was a primary draw for the hundreds of thousands of people who filled the National Mall this Sunday, but the Prez-to-be shared the spotlight with a veritable United Nations of Stardom—U2, Garth Brooks, Tiger Woods, even folk legend Pete Seeger, who seemingly came straight from a retirement home to rock the Lincoln Pete Seeger singing with Bruce Springsteen Memorial for this historic inauguration. Because even though Obama is a celebrity who seems to speak to young people, his seemingly limitless coolness is completely eclipsed by the power of Beyonce.

Circling the frozen Reflecting Pool was an equally frozen mass of humanity, huddled closely together to breathe… each other’s exhalations. It was packed. Some people put out blankets to mark their territory, which provided the people climbing over you an excellent place to wipe their feet when they went through. The area started filling up from the back, and soon you hit a wall of chilly humans and had to find another way—most likely trampling someone’s fallen lawn chair or stepping over their toddler.

It felt more like a concert than anything Presidential, which was the point. I asked a group of teens who they were here for. “Will.i.am!” they shouted as one. Then one of the boys looked over his shoulder to see his mother glaring at him. “Oh… I mean Obama,” he said.

Some people were drawn by neither Barack nor his celebrity troubadours. I spoke to a couple who had voted Republican in 2008. They said they were there to see what the winning side looked like. A group of protesters felt that Obama had been elected by some shadowy powers who were using him to placate the angered masses. The only change Obama brought, they said, was a change in skin color. Most people, however, were far more hopeful. Hopeful enough to stay in 30-degree cold for six hours in the hope of seeing someone famous on a Jumbotron.

Looking east along the Reflecting Pool at the audience

In the center of the crush, Melodie Thompson was all smiles, even as she was sandwiched next to a tree by the crowd. An endless stream of people stepped carefully around her blanketed form. “We did not come knowing that this was a concert,” said Thompson, who said she was “representing” Rhode Island along with her teenage daughter Shemaiah.

“I've been an Obama backer for a a long time,” she said. “I really saw him as the change that was needed… it can’t start with legislation and then us getting on board… it has to start with us being Americans and us believing that we can do this. Inspiration—that’s what makes people tick.”

And throughout, people were startlingly polite. There was almost no shoving or swearing, especially in the press section, where manners are frequently nonexistent. Jamie Foxx, standing on the podium with the Lincoln Memorial majestically behind him, told the audience that they had come from all over the United States to be in DC this night. “Tonight,” he said, “you have come home.”

Faced with the cold, the lines, and the claustrophobia, for the thousands in attendance today, it really was good to be home.

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Entry bubble We are One: Opening Celebration

By: Editor | January 18, 2009 | Category: Fun

The festivities in Washington have officially begun!

view from the Lincoln Memorial looking east

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. view along the Reflecting Pool with the Lincoln Memorial on the rightThey 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.

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Entry bubble Celebrate the Inauguration with Us

By: Editor | January 16, 2009 | Category: Fun

William McKinley's inauguration in 1901, courtesy of the U.S. Library of Congress

When you live here in Washington, it’s hard not to be aware of the historic events we’ll host next week. For weeks, everyone’s been speculating about how many people will converge on the nation’s capital to witness Barack Obama’s inauguration. I don’t know that I trust any of the predictions, but I do know that for every person who comes, thousands more will be participating from home in spirit.

For all of you who will be following the festivities remotely, Gov Gab is offering you a special treat. We’ve been lucky enough to get press passes to four official Inaugural events, and we’re going to bring you a citizen’s eye view of all the action! With help from our colleagues at USA.gov and GobiernoUSA.gov, we’ll be using Twitter and this blog to share stories, real-time updates, photos, and more. We’re pretty excited, not only to attend these events, but also to be the first government agency to use social media tools to give citizens a behind-the-scenes look at these special parts of our national life.

Here’s a rundown of the events we plan to cover:

But before the excitement begins, we have a pressing question. What do you want to know about these events? What would you like us to cover? The performers, the venues, the attendees? Just our personal experiences? We’ll do our best to bring you as much of the information you’d like as possible—just please remember that we’re still experimenting with all the tools we’ll be using. Hey, if you have suggestions for how to make our coverage better, please tell us that, too!

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Entry bubble Holiday Season at the White House

By: Colleen | December 03, 2008 | Category: Fun

white house christmas

Although wreathes and trees have popped up in stores and certain radio stations have been playing 'round the clock Christmas music since Halloween, the holiday season is now officially upon us. I'll be the first to admit that I'm kinda "bah humbug" about the whole thing, but if there's one part of the season I really do enjoy, it's seeing all the houses lit up and decorated for Christmas.

That said, what better residence to take a look at during the holiday season than the White House? As a kid, when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I'd almost always say, "White House party planner." So, I guess there's just something about the idea of festivities at the most prominent address in the world that gets me giddy about the holidays.

White House Christmas Tree: Each year a theme is picked for that year's holiday décor. Although many trees can be found throughout the White House, there is always a main one decorated in the theme of the First Lady's choosing. This year's tree was delivered on November 30th and comes from North Carolina.

Holiday Card: President Coolidge issued the first Christmas message to the American people in 1927. This has since developed into the yearly issuing of a holiday card. Often they feature the Presidential seal, photograph, or artwork by an American artist of a winter White House scene.

National Christmas Tree: This living Christmas tree was planted on the Ellipse, south of the White House, in 1978. It is lit each year, and serves as a year-round reminder of the spirit of the holiday season.

Menorah Lighting: An electric menorah is placed in Lafayette Park, across from the White House, to commemorate the "festival of lights." President Clinton lit the first menorah in the West Wing, and President George W. Bush was the first to have one lit in the White House residence.

Ornaments: Every year the White House issues an official ornament. They usually commemorate a specific President or other significant event for the year, such as the 200th anniversary of the White House. Living in the DC area, I like to get these as gifts for family members.

Other fun stuff: Follow along with First Dog Barney as he makes his way through the White House this season. Want a tasty treat? Check out the First Lady's hot chocolate recipe. Leading up to the new year, the President leaves a message for those observing Kwanzaa.

What kind of special holiday decorating do you do? What traditions do you maintain?

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Entry bubble Happy Halloween Ghouls and Boos

By: Ginger | October 31, 2008 | Category: Fun

Kids in Halloween costumesMy earliest Halloween memory is being dressed as Casper, the friendly ghost, when I was 4. I insisted on sleeping in that costume for the next 3 years and probably would be sleeping in it today, if it hadn’t been tragically and accidentally (so my mother claims) thrown out in the garbage.

My parents would sit us down every Halloween for a safety lecture. They would warn us about razor blades being hidden in Halloween candy; hence the mandate to not eat any candy until they checked it out. As a kid, I had a suspicion that this was really more about my parents wanting to pick out the good candy first. In hindsight, I actually think this is fair. There ought to be some perks to being a parent.

Nowadays, the Food and Drug Administration, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the National Fire Protection Association, and the American Red Cross have web pages devoted to sharing Halloween safety information. In addition, the USA.gov Halloween page has links to all kinds of interesting Halloween facts and customs. Check out the Halloween pages from the American Folklife Center, the White House, the Patent and Trade Office, and the U.S. Census Bureau.

One Halloween, while trick-or-treating, a man told me that I had to do a trick to get my treat. I did an out-of-control cartwheel that nearly took out 2 ghosts, a princess, and a lumberjack. I remember grumbling to my sister about the “old geezer” who made me do a trick to get my treat.

Now, I am the “old geezer.” I make trick-or-treaters earn their treats. I sit outside with the candy and our 2 dogs. I tell the kids they can take one piece of candy or a handful by getting Doc and Daisy to do tricks. Most opt for the handful, so I show the kids the commands for sit, play dead, roll-over, and dance. When the kids get the dogs to complete the correct trick, they grab a big handful of the good stuff.

We know some of the neighborhood kids pretty well. For them, I bring out our cat. I tell the kids if they can get her to do a trick, I will give them my car. They try, but Keeboo just yowls at them and smacks them with her clawless paw. My husband says one day Keeboo may actually cooperate and I will have to give my car to a 5-year-old, but I’m not worried.

So, what Halloween memories do you have?

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