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Gala offers alternative to inauguration chaos
Democratic Club to hold non-partisan party Jan. 20
Friday, Dec. 19, 2008
 Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photos by DARWIN WEIGEL
From left, Calvert County Democratic Club volunteers Barbara Vandermer of Long Beach, Rhonda Crawley of Lusby and Juanita Anderson of Lusby prepare mailers to invite party volunteers and contributors to the Calvert County Inauguration Gala on Jan. 20. The gala will be held at the Calvert County Fairgrounds. Tickets can be purchased for $40 at the Calvert County Democratic Party Headquarters in Prince Frederick.
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The party, which organizers are intentionally calling a gala instead of a ball, will feature hors d' oeuvres, live music and dancing and large-screen TVs so celebrants can watch news coverage of inauguration activities, according to party and club leaders. The music will be provided by two local jazz bands: The Sound Wave and Melodium, though a DJ will also be able to play song requests. It will be held Jan. 20, Inauguration Day, from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Calvert County Fairgrounds in Barstow.
The party is intended for those who want to celebrate Obama's presidency but don't want to brave the crowds in Washington, D.C., for festivities there.
"We held it based on popular demand," said Barbara Vandermer, who has helped organize the party as an active member of the Calvert County Democratic Club, which is putting it together. "Lots of people got in touch with us after the election and said, ‘I'm not going to be able to get to Washington, I did not get invited to any inaugural balls.' We decided to hold this event for Calvert County and it's our inaugural ball, though we're not calling it a ball. We don't want anyone thinking they need to go out and buy a ball gown or a tuxedo."
The tickets, which total 500, first went on sale on Tuesday afternoon, and more than 100 had been sold in less than a day, club members said.
"We're expecting it to be a sell-out," Vandermer said.
Neither the club nor the Democratic Party will profit from the event; any profit will be donated to the Campaign to End Hunger in Calvert County, Vandermer said.
Marie Duffield, who as of Wednesday afternoon was president of the club, though club elections were to be held that night, said the demand for tickets reflected excitement about Obama.
"I think it's because it just is reflective of the enthusiasm across the country for the change that Obama will bring," she said. "There's excitement, enthusiasm, and people want to celebrate."
She also credited the Obama campaign with bringing new faces into the party and into politics generally.
"I think that he has tapped into a new group of people that are very excited," she said. "I think there's always enthusiasm, but I think that the normal Democratic enthusiasm has been built upon with the new people he has brought into the party and into the electoral system altogether."
Christopher Reynolds, chairman of the local Democratic Central Committee, praised the club for its work in organizing the party.
"These are volunteers," he said. "This has kind of swelled from the ground up. There has been a tremendous outpouring of interest in having some kind of local celebration. It's going to be difficult for anybody to get into D.C., let alone attend anything there because of the other 4 million people who want to be in D.C."
Tickets are on sale for $40 at the Calvert County Democratic Party headquarters on 100 Harrow Lane in the Long and Foster building in Prince Frederick. Tickets can also be purchased by calling 410-414-3660.
