Two weeks ago, I was listening to the radio on the way home from the chiropractor's office when I heard, "President Obama is going to be in Roanoke on Friday. For information on how to get tickets, stay tuned to this station." I stayed tuned. When I didn't hear anything on that station, I tried a few others. It seemed like the President's visit was coming out of the blue - Virginia is a "battleground state" and Mitt Romney visited Salem recently, though, so it made sense. President Obama would be the first sitting president to visit our city in thirty years, and I felt like it was important that I go- as an educator, as a woman, as an American citizen. The evening news had the information: tickets would be available at the historic firehouse downtown on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 5 p.m. the next day. I had a teacher conference downtown that day, so it seemed perfect. I'll explain what attending a grassroots political event was like in this post, and my personal political opinions will be under the cut for those of you who wish to avoid them :)
I went to check out the scene at the firehouse as soon as I was dismissed from my conference. At 3:30, the line already wrapped around the block! I stood in line with some other young people and we were able to pass the time without getting too freaked out about not knowing how many tickets were available. One of the young men in line with me (an undecided voter who was hoping the event would be town hall style and have a Q&A) works in the emergency room at the hospital and told us that an entourage had visited and requested that a trauma bay and a cardiac O.R. be kept open on Friday. We had our photos taken by a Washington Post photographer, but I'm not sure if they ever appeared in the newspaper. At 5:00 the line began to move fairly quickly, and people passed us grinning and holding up green tickets. The volunteers handing out the ticket were college-aged and collected our names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mails. The slip of paper we got with our tickets said that we would have to pass through security, that cameras and cell phones would be allowed, to limit personal belongings, and NOT to bring bags, liquids, umbrellas, or sharp objects.
Friday I arrived downtown a little later than I'd planned- around 2:00- and the line already crossed the street! I got a little worried because my ticket said "Tickets are required but do not guarantee admission." And because the man in front of me let SIX people cut in front of him. One of the volunteers who was registering voters in line told us that the Secret Service could cut the line off when the President arrived whether the people waiting had tickets or not, and that people had been at the firehouse at 7 A.M. that morning to start lining up. I'd decided not to carry a purse at all because of the "no bags" rule; instead, I opted to just carry my wallet with my I.D., debit card, insurance card, and some money, and my cell phone. When the line finally started to move, we had to go through airport-style security. Liquids including hand sanitizers were confiscated, wallets and keys had to be placed in a bin, any electronics had to be turned ON, and we had to walk through a metal detector. One of the first things I noticed when I got to the street in front of the firehouse were the men in black clothing with binoculars on top of the firehouse and surrounding buildings.
The areas in front of the podium were filled in, and I could choose between a seat on the bleachers or near a barrier beside the podium. I decided to get as close as I could even if it meant standing for hours. There was music playing - when I arrived it was Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" - and that made it feel a bit like waiting for a concert to begin rather than waiting to see an elected official! As I waited, I talked to the other people in the crowd and texted Mr. Q and my sister-in-law- both of them had wanted to come but had to work when tickets were distributed, so I was the Q family reporter. I gave Mr. Q updates on the playlist, which included James Taylor, Darius Rucler, ELO, Zac Brown Band, Dierks Bentley, Sugarland, Florence and the Machine, and our wedding song, "You Are the Best Thing" by Ray La Montagne. Yes, I did squeal a little bit when that one started playing, and yes, I had to explain to the people around me why I was so excited.
This photo from Roanoke Times intern Erica Yoon shows my section of the crowd.
A local bluegrass band performed and my SIL texted me that the president had arrived at the airport. Then a woman who is a neighborhood organizer from Blacksburg spoke about why she supports President Obama, followed by Senator Mark Warner and former Governor Tim Kaine, who is currently running for the Senate. Several people in the crowd fainted from heat exhaustion - there was water available, but it was in cups and going to get a cup meant having to push through the crowd and get back to your "spot." When my back and feet started to ache I compared myself to the people in the crowd who were much older than me and felt like a big wimp.
Finally, Governor Kaine introduced the President.
