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Blogs / A Walk In The Park / January 2009 / Inauguration Park City Style

Inauguration Park City Style

What a way to start the day. And a new era. I spent yesterday morning watching the inauguration with about 200 fellow Parkites (and visiting Sundance people) outside on lower Main Street. The jumbotron that was supposed to host the viewing refused to work (and having formerly been a special events coordinator, I shudder to think of the poor soul who must have been sweating bullets with stress over THAT one), so instead, some quick-thinking geniuses set up several large flat screen televisions which served the purpose just fine.

The crowd was enthralled, smiling, respectful. The crowd was happy. The crowd was silent and reverent when President Obama gave his speech, and burst out laughing when the camera swept over the scrunched up face of George W. Many Moms and Dads had let their kids take the morning off from school to share in the historic event, and even the youngest in the crowd sat quietly, taking it all in. As I stood there enjoying the vibe of happiness from the crowd, I looked up at Main Street, with ski slopes behind it glistening in the morning sun, and sunlight hitting the little holiday lights draped across the road, making them twinkle. I thought about the TV screens at the Capital building in Washington showing celebrations around the country - in California, and Chicago, and New York - and I thought about all of the film people in town right now for Sundance, and I thought about how our town right at that moment looked like the most beautiful movie scene and about how THIS must be the prettiest place anywhere to watch the inauguration. The National Anthem played, and everyone in the crowd quietly put their hands over their ski-jacketed hearts. When it was over, everyone cheered and hugged, and then slowly dispersed, walking in sunlight back to their Park City lives.