While some people came to the Mall this weekend to kick off a days-long celebration, others — especially those with young children — came to get a taste of the historic events so they could skip the crushing crowds Tuesday.
Marybeth Connelly, of Falls Church, who was headed toward the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday with her children, Brian, 12, Andrew, 10, and Julie, 7, said the preinaugural excitement in the air was enough of a brush with history for her.
“I think it’s great — it definitely portends something big,” she said of the crowd milling about Saturday, adding that she planned to “soak in the atmosphere without having to deal with the crowds” on Tuesday.
Susie McMahon, a Democratic delegate from Colorado, left Wednesday and drove to the Capitol. She managed to score two tickets to the swearing-in ceremony from Mike Coffman, the U.S. representative for Colorado’s 6th District, and was planning on taking her oldest son, Paul, 8.
She also had her two younger sons along Saturday, near the World War II Memorial on the Mall. Her husband, Jeff, said he might take James, 6, and Sean, 4, to the Smithsonian during the ceremonies, adding that they would make a special effort to see the Lincoln Memorial, even if they had to go in the middle of the night.
“The biggest thing out of everything is they get to swim in the hotel pool,” she said.
Tarsha Reid, a science teacher from High Point, N.C., also made the trip to the area by car. She said she got into Annapolis at about 1 a.m. Friday and immediately decided to hit the Mall.
She was headed toward the U.S. Capitol with her mother, Violet Winston, and children, Miriam, 6, and Vincent Ricardo, 8. Reid’s husband, Ricardo Sr., is the band leader for Dudley High School, which is participating in the Presidential Inaugural Heritage Music Festival over the weekend.
Reid said they were trying to brave the cold and the crowds to see the sights, but would likely watch Tuesday’s proceedings on TV.
“Just being here in the limelight … that’s enough for us,” she said.
Lawrence and Katerie Ward, of Alexandria, who were with their daughter, Emmerson, 2, and son, Aidan, 5, in front of the frozen pond flanking the Capitol on Saturday, were planning to have friends over to their house and watch the ceremony on TV.
“He just wants to go see the dinosaurs — it’s what he’s been asking since we came,” said Katerie, gesturing to Aidan, who was hamming it up under the gate encircling the pond. “It was the same thing last week.”
“I think it’s pretty exciting — fantastic for the locals, for the city,” Lawrence said.
