U.S. Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay’s new office on Capitol Hill will probably be jammed to the brim on Tuesday, Jan. 20 because he is inviting St. Louisans to stop by on Inauguration Day.
“St. Louisans who are attending the event are invited to come by my newly relocated Capitol Hill office for some hospitality,” Clay said Wednesday.
That hospitality will probably include coffee and hot cocoa, because chances are that it will be an average Washington, D.C. winter day n which is cold.
“My best advice is to prepare in advance for a long, cold day; start early,” Clay said.
Along with layers of clothing, he reminds people in the nation’s capital on the historic day to also “bring an extra measure of patience to the event.”
Clay’s office is in Room 2418 of the Rayburn House Office Building, which is southwest of the Capitol and bounded by Independence Avenue, South Capitol Street, First Street and C Street, S.W.
Missourians can continue to celebrate the first day of Obama’s administration Tuesday evening at the Midwest Inaugural Ball at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place (between 7th and 9th Streets and N Street and Mt. Vernon Place in downtown D.C., across from the City Museum).
Also invited are residents of Kansas, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Obama won six of the 11 states, but not Missouri. Tickets are $150.
For those of age 18 to 35, there will also be a Youth Inaugural Ball at the Washington Hilton, 1919 Connecticut Ave., N.W.
Emmett S. Beliveau, Presidential Inaugural Committee executive director, said, “Young people are more engaged in this country’s future than ever before and we want to harness that excitement by inviting them to participate in this historic occasion.”
Tickets for the Youth Ball are $75.
Celebrating in St. Louis
Another Inauguration event has been added to St. Louis’ Jan. 20 schedule.
The Inauguration Celebration Honoring President Barack Obama hosted by the City Democratic Party will be held from 7 p.m. n 1 a.m. that Tuesday night at The Pageant, 6161 Delmar. Tickets are $10 plus a canned food donation.
Space is limited so RSVP by ordering your tickets at www.actblue.com/page/jan20_2009. For more information, contact citydemsparty@sbcglobal.net, go to www.citydems.org or call (314) 667-3785.
Tickets also remain for The St. Louis African American Caucus Foundation and St. Louis Young Democrats black-tie event in the St. Louis City Hall rotunda.
The reception and ball will feature live feeds from Washington, D.C. following the inauguration and will include President-elect Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama’s first dance and visits to other celebrations.
The VIP Reception and Dinner is from 6:30-8 p.m. on City Hall’s second floor and includes valet parking, open bar, dinner, photo opportunities and a silent auction. Tickets are $125 and include the Inaugural Ball.
Timing is everything
Security checkpoints will open for Inauguration ticketed guests at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20 and guests should arrive no later than 9 a.m. to clear the checkpoints by the time the program begins.
Screening will end when the program begins at 11:30 a.m. and late arrivals will not be able to enter the grounds.
In addition to the 240,000 ticketed guests, a million or more people are expected to view the inauguration from the National Mall between 4th Street and the Lincoln Memorial, along with hundreds of thousands of others who plan on watching the Inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue.
The District of Columbia’s inaugural website will have the most up-to-date information on road closures and other travel alerts at www.inauguration.dc.gov/index.asp.
