The Augusta Free Press and the Waynesboro Democratic Committee are teaming up to bring Inauguration Day to the Valley. Inauguration ’09 will be held at the new Residence Inn by Marriott in Waynesboro on Inauguration Day, Tuesday, Jan. 20, beginning at 11 a.m.
The swearing-in ceremony is set to begin at 12 noon, with remarks from the new president, Barack Obama, shortly thereafter.
The local event will give area residents a chance to watch the proceedings on big-screen TV with friends and neighbors ringing in the historic day together.
Admission to the event is free. Food and refreshments will be available also free of charge.
“We basically just want to give people a venue where they can celebrate this day together,” said Chris Graham, the editor of The Augusta Free Press and the chair of the Waynesboro Democratic Committee.
“We had more than 250 people at our election headquarters on Election Night to watch the returns with us as we watched history unfold before our eyes with the election of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. The community spirit that we saw there that night and throughout the campaign was something that was important for Waynesboro and the entire Shenandoah Valley,” Graham said.
“Inauguration Day is the bookend to what happened this fall with the election, so I think it’s appropriate that those of us who worked so hard for the change that we need have a chance to get back together to sort of realize the hard work that we all put in to this effort,” Graham said.
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The Democratic Committees in Staunton and Augusta are hosting a watch party on Inauguration Day at Blue Mountain Coffee in Downtown Staunton.
That event begins at 11:30 a.m. and will feature a big-screen TV and cash coffee bar and food.
The committees are also cohosting a Yes, We Did! Inauguration Celebration the night of Tuesday, Jan. 20, from 7-11 p.m. at White Star Tavern in Staunton.
Tickets for that event are $5. An RSVP is required at [email protected] or [email protected].
– Staff Report
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