Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

Just after 4 p.m., Denise Barge of Cranston still has not heard Barack Obama's inaugural address.

Although she was at the inauguration, she couldn't hear the speech because the sound system echoed too much. Now, she's busy watching the parade on teelvision from the warmth of a friend's apartment.

"I'm thawing," she said.

Barge said she plans to go on the Internet later to listen to Obama's speech.

Cranston woman gets in for speech, but...

2:05 p.m.

Denise Barge finally got into the "silver" viewing area, but the process was not smooth.

"People started pushing toward the end," said Barge, of Cranston. Ticket holders and gate crashers got mixed in with each other, she said.

"We were all of a sudden herded in. They just opened the gates, and people started running."

The biggest thrill of the day was seeing Obama place his hand on the Bible.

But Barge will have to reserve judgment on the president's speech.

"I couldn't hear because there was a lot of echo."

Cranston woman in line, 'shoulder to shoulder'

At 10:45 a.m., Denise Barge of Cranston, was still waiting in line to enter the "silver" section for which she has a ticket.

"We're shoulder to shoulder," she said. "There's hundreds of thousands."

She had been in line since about 8 a.m. and estimated she still had a hundred yards to go to the gate, though she couldn't be sure. "I can't even see, there's so many people in front of me."

Cranston woman braves cold to 'represent ancestors'

9:15 a.m.

"Just trying to stay warm," Denise Barge reported around 9:15 this morning, Inauguration Day. "I'm bundled up pretty well." The temperature in Washington was in the low 20s, about 5 degrees colder than in Barge's hometown of Cranston.

Barge braved the cold in honor of her African-American ancestors, some of whom fought in the Civil Rights movement half a century ago. "This is a historic event. I feel I'm representing all of my ancestors who couldn't make it."

Barge stayed in the Capitol Hill neighborhood at the apartment of a friend, Kathi Crowe, a Rhode Islander who works in Washington. Barge woke up at 5 a.m., well before her alarm clock, because she was too excited to sleep.

They left the apartment at about 7:30 a.m. to walk over to the Capitol, where they had tickets for one of the viewing areas for the swearing in.

They arrived at the Capitol at about 8 a.m.

"I was very surprised to see the lines are unbelievable," Barge said. "We must be blocks from the entrance."

People in line are making the best of it, making friends with other visitors from all across America, Barge said. They talk about where they're from and how they got their tickets. "And how they can stay warm," said Barge. "We're just very appreciative to be here."

 Tags  Cranston inauguration Rhode Island

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