Thrill palpable for those bound for inauguration

Ruby Hill is thrilled she will be able to be there in person Tuesday when Barack Obama takes his oath as the 44th president of the United States.

"Taking a look at who he is and what he's trying to do, it's just so overwhelming for me personally to go to his inauguration," said the Salem resident, who will be attending the ceremony with her husband, Albert Hill Jr.

"I am truly looking forward to being there so I can tell my grandchildren that I was there. It's a wonderful thing."

As the inauguration of the nation's first African-American president approaches, area residents are being swept up by the excitement, including those heading to Washington for the ceremony.

Essex District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett, a Peabody resident who will be attending the inauguration with his wife, Judy, called it a "once in a lifetime opportunity. It will be my first and probably my last opportunity to see history in the making, and I expect it to be extremely exciting and historic."

Hill, an African-American, reflected, "I didn't ever think I would see a black person become president. It is a very momentous time for a whole lot of black people. I think he will do a great job. He has a great sense about where he wants to take this country."

As one measure of local interest, offices of local US representatives were swamped with requests for tickets to the inaugural ceremony. Each House member received 198 tickets to dispense.

"We stopped counting at 2,300," Gary Barrett, district director for US Representative John F. Tierney of Salem, said of ticket requests.

Tierney and his wife, Patrice, plan to attend. Of the office's remaining 196 tickets, some went to elected and Democratic officials and some to people who had made a particular effort for Obama during the campaign. The rest were allotted randomly, with efforts made to ensure an even geographic distribution.

US Representative Michael J. Capuano, whose district includes Chelsea, received "well over 7,000 requests" for tickets, said his district spokeswoman, Alison Mills.

Other prominent area figures attending the inaugural ceremonies include Salem Mayor Kimberley L. Driscoll; state Senator Thomas M. McGee, of Lynn; and state representatives Katherine Clark of Melrose, Lori A. Ehrlich of Marblehead, and Robert F. Fennell of Lynn.

"This was a unique campaign with a very unique candidate, and it's historic," said Driscoll, who will be attending the inauguration with her 11-year-old daughter, Delaney.

And noting that her daughter had followed the election closely, she said, "I thought this was a nice way to cap off her first real interest in national politics at that level."

"I just feel this is a point in history in the country that I wanted to be part of," said Clark, who is attending with her mother, her brother, and a friend.

Ehrlich will be at the ceremony with her husband, Bruce, and their two daughters, Casey, 16, and Jamie, 13.

"How thrilling to have a front-row seat to American history in the making," Ehrlich said. "And for my daughters and many other young people in the country, Obama inspired and engaged them in the political process and that will literally guide their future."

Fennell, who along with McGee volunteered for Obama in Tampa, Fla. in the final days of the campaign, said the experience of being part of the Obama victory party in Tampa that night inspired him to attend the inauguration.

"It was just a thrill to see the excitement in that room," he said.

"It's just an exciting and historic event for every inauguration, to see the transfer of power," said McGee, who is attending with his wife, Maria.

"But in particular with the historic nature of this inauguration, it will be very exciting to be down there."

Michael Goldman of Marblehead, a Democratic political consultant with the Government Insight Group, is attending the convention with his wife, Susan, their daughters Lauren and Michelle, and Michelle's friend, Jeff Hodes.

"This is the completion of a historic moment in American history," Goldman said.

"Forty six years ago, Martin Luther King stood at the Lincoln statue and saw in the distance the West Wing portico of the White House and talked about a 'new' America.

On Jan. 20, Barack Obama will stand on that very same portico and look into the distance and see how far we really have come."

Active Democrats who will be attending the event include Marianne Rutter, chairwoman of the Boxford Democratic Town Committee; Arthur Powell of Beverly, a Democratic State Committee member; and Nancy Weinberg, chairwoman of the Newbury Democratic Town Committee.

Those who would like to celebrate locally have plenty of options, with inaugural gatherings planned in Danvers, Gloucester, Lynn, Marblehead, Rowley, and Wakefield.

In Portsmouth, N.H., the Music Hall is welcoming the community to a free live broadcast of the inauguration. All seats have been reserved.

Some of those and other local events are part of the "national day of service," pre-inaugural community service projects.

The Danvers gathering, for instance, is being held at the home of John Archer to raise money for the River House, the Beverly homeless shelter he cofounded. A community group formed by citizens inspired by Obama is cooking dinner at the shelter tomorrow.

"There is so much excitement around finally having a change, finally having a president you can be proud of, and feeling that you are on the precipice of a new era," said Julie Pierce, who founded the Beverly community group.