Most Election Day watch parties had a start time of 8 p.m., but people began pouring into Posh in the Central West End during happy hour n as early at 5:30. Owner Jeff Neely had both of his screens tuned to CNN.
A pot of chili with crackers and cheese and chicken sat on a table beneath one of the large plasma TV screens. Bartender Brandi Lacour (or mixologist as she calls her skill of mixing and serving drinks) kept hurried back and forth under the screen behind he bar.
“We’re going to elect a black president tonight,” Lacour said. Why, “Because he’s cute and black,” Lacour said joking about why she voted for now President Elect Barack Obama.
“He had a good vision,” she said seriously.
The first round of applause overcame the intimate bar when Obama won Pennsylvania, then at the showing of Obama’s electoral votes. Then again for Ohio’s win. At 10 p.m. CNN projected that Obama was the president elect. The place went wild. Screams. Tears. Hugs. High-fives. And other claps.
Upon walking outdoors onto Euclid Ave., the same abounded with the addition of car horns sounding and people running.
“Obama baby,” someone yelled. “We did it,” another person yelled. “Change is here,” “We overcame,” the one-liners kept coming and so did the horn blows.
Police had direct traffic at Olive and Compton in Midtown. The area was packed with folks inside of The Loft in the 3200 block of Olive and Lush in the 3300 block of Olive.
Drivers-by sounded their horns and passengers yelled out the window. One young lady stopped at a green light jumped out of her car and circled it yelling, “Obama.”
Just around the corner at EXO in the 3200 block of Locust where the crowd of celebrating watch party-goers extended inside and outside of the packed club. People danced, cried, hugged, laughed and smiled hard.
“This is our night,” said Roy Robinson of Free Time, LLC, who should up early to Posh.
One of his partners, Darryl Frierson, said, “It’s good for all the events promotions companies to out together because it shows us being apart of the political process instead of just partying. It shows that we are coming together and making a change.”
Eddie Holman of SYGU, LLC, compared Obama’s decision to run to the parties that promoters do.
“It’s like us starting our individual parties n if you want to change something you have to do something about it,” Holman said. “While we should celebrate how big a step this is, we should keep in mind that his presidency isn’t going to help overnight.”
Holman’s fiancé Aliah Baker, said, she has overcome, proceeded by a kiss from her fiancé.
“I can’t handle it,” she said wiping her tears away.
Leaving EXO, an excited Mo Spoon, of MPAC and EC Modeling, said, “It’s like that because Obama just won.
A young woman in the background yelled, “Forget 50 acres and mule, we’ll take 50 states and a white house.”