Photo by Sam Yu Roberta Bradley, of Middletown, applauds during President Barack Obama’s inauguration address while watching with a packed house at Café 611 in Frederick on Tuesday.
	COMPLETE INAUGURATION COVERAGE — — — — — — Using a typical school grading scale, how do you rate President Barack’s Obama’s inaugural address? A B C D F Not sure

Cheers erupted at the North Market Street restaurant as Barack Obama made his first on-screen appearance, and the cheers and chants continued throughout the televised coverage of the noon event.

Owner Randy Jones said he was thrilled to have a packed house: by 11:30 a.m., more than 100 people were inside, and more trickled in as inauguration time drew closer.

In the minutes before Obama took the presidential oath, patrons rushed to the bar for drinks to toast the new president. Everyone stood as he was sworn in, and glasses clinked and people cheered and embraced as they celebrated the new president.

Obama's inauguration held deep meaning for many at the restaurant, and emotions there reflected those in the crowd gathered on the Mall in Washington. As tears streamed down the faces of many on the TV screens, some at the cafe tables also wiped their eyes.

Jones was among those moved to tears. Born in Chicago in the 1950s, Jones was 9 years old when Martin Luther King Jr. gave his historic speech on the Mall in Washington, he said.

"I've seen the division in race, creed and color," he said. "It's very emotional for me to think about it. It's a day for unity, and prosperity will come."

While most of Jones' family watched the inauguration at the restaurant, others got a little closer. Jones' 13-year-old granddaughter and her mother were in Washington on Tuesday, he said.

But not all of his family was so fortunate. Jones' 92-year-old grandmother Carrie Bell Jones, granddaughter of a Mississippi slave, was particularly excited to watch the inauguration with her family at the restaurant, he said. However, in her hurry to get ready Tuesday morning, she fell down some stairs and spent the day in the emergency room.

Others in the crowd said they are looking forward to the change they believe Obama will bring.

"It's a totally new and different day," said Frederick resident John Spinks.

Spinks said he had planned to go to Washington for the inauguration, but decided not to fight the weather and traffic. Instead of watching at home, he came to the restaurant to share the historic occasion with others, he said.

Over lunch, Leslie Barnes and Tonya Offord, both of Frederick , said that though Obama was elected president more than two months ago, they are still slightly in shock.

"This is very different than we've ever felt before," Barnes said. "We're grateful, because we haven't had that person for this generation yet ... and make no mistake, this is not just for African-Americans. His is the voice of reason and hope."