LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Several Lake County women made the trip across the United States last week in order to witness President Barack Obama’s inauguration.
Deb Clarke, Judy Conard, Wanda Harris and Joy Swetnam took the trip together to Washington, DC for the Jan. 21 celebration.
The four braved huge crowds, long walks and cold weather to attend the event, joining about another one million people, according to estimates of crowd size.
They received tickets to the event from Congressman John Garamendi, who represents the newly redrawn Third Congressional District, which includes the northern portion of Lake County.
In addition to the inaugural ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, the group attended the Democratic California Bash held at the Washington Court Hotel, one of the celebration’s many inaugural balls.
There, they met up with Garamendi and his wife Patti, who graciously stayed and took time to speak with the group.
They also were able to meet House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, US Congresswoman Maxine Waters and Mayor Jean Quan of Oakland, who also attended the event.
The trip was full of sightseeing for the Lake County residents and meeting of many lovely citizens of the DC area, as well as nearby Maryland where they shared a condo. When eating out, they were surprised by the nice selection of Lake County wines.