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Photo by Bill Green
Hundreds of passengers load a train leaving the Brunswick MARC station early
Tuesday morning. |
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COMPLETE INAUGURATION COVERAGE
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Brunswick -- They came from Dallas via Philadelphia, from Indiana, upstate New York and Alaska, but they all had one destination: the National Mall in Washington.The Brunswick Train Station is normally crowded with commuters taking Maryland Area Rail Commuter trains each weekday, but Tuesday's passengers were looking for a convenient way to and from the presidential inauguration festivities. At 6 a.m., it was standing room only inside the little waiting room as passengers gathered before boarding the day's second train bound for Union Station, just a few blocks from the National Mall. Families, couples, students, older people, people of diverse ethnic backgrounds, all came clutching memorabilia commemorating the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Angela Fulbright organized a trip for 50 students and a dozen teachers from a Dallas high school. Fulbright, who teaches advanced placement government and economics, said she began organizing the trip after Obama's election in November. "We've been working on all sorts of presidential projects," she said. "This is the culmination." "This has touched every learning style," said fellow teacher Tonnea Williams. "Words can't even describe the excitement," said assistant principal Terrell Brown. The group did not have tickets to the inauguration, but wanted to be in the crowd on the Mall. William Davis and his 6-year-old daughter, Tristen, of Sinking Spring, Pa., were among the lucky inauguration ticket holders. They left their home at 3 a.m. and arrived in Brunswick at 5 for the 6:30 a.m. train. "I figured it would be easier to come here than to get to Camden Yards (in Baltimore)," Davis said. "Mom's got the easy duty. She's home sleeping and watching the dogs." The Davises toured the White House in the spring, and he suggested they go to the inauguration. Two days before the election, he requested tickets from his congressman. "They were first-come, first-serve." The pair were ready for a day in the cold, with a sleeping bag, lots of sweaters and food. Tristen agreed to leave her teddy bear behind in the car. Liz Otte and Sarah Goth spent Monday night near Lovettsville, Va. Their group, nine students and one professor from Hanover College in Indiana, planned to stand on the Mall and soak in the excitement. "I want to see people dancing and celebrating," Otte said. "We had a huge discussion last night about what we're hoping to see" from the Obama administration. They planned to return to Brunswick on Tuesday evening, and drive back to Indiana through the night, arriving in time for an 8 a.m. class Wednesday. Todd and Judy Bolton, of Smithsburg, had no trouble getting tickets to President Clinton's 1993 and 1997 inaugurations. Todd simply called the office of then-U.S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes. "This is much different," Todd Bolton said. "I think this is the most incredible thing in our lifetime in terms of vision and the ability to bring Americans together." Hassan Jones came from Rochester, N.Y., with his wife and children, his sister and his mother-in-law. The family met Obama at a rally in April, and decided to go to the Mall, even though they did not have tickets. "It's just to be a part of it, to witness it," Jones said. He is a middle school principal, and has visited Washington before with his students. His mother-in-law, Ernestine Appling, was attending her first inauguration. "I met Obama. I shook his hand," she said. "I'm already feeling it. The excitement is already there." Janet Hayes of Falling Waters, W.Va., and Roxanne Wilson of Germantown, had tickets to the inauguration. Friends through Meetup.com, they were planning to meet three others for the festivities. "We'll be within eyesight of Obama," Hayes said. MARC train officials said passengers came from as far away as Alaska. Train operations went smoothly Tuesday morning, they said.
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