WASHINGTON—President-elect Barack Obama has invited a group of “everyday Americans” including a Colorado woman to join him and Vice President-elect Joe Biden on their Whistle Stop Tour to the nation’s capital on the Saturday before Inauguration Day.
Obama’s presidential inaugural committee announced the plans for the Philadelphia-to-Washington train ride on Wednesday, adding another element to the expanding horizon of parties and events associated with Obama’s and Biden’s oath taking Jan. 20 at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.
Among the guests is Patricia Stiles of Parker, Colo.
“Each one of these families has their own remarkable story to add to our American story, and we’re thrilled they’ve agreed to join us as we travel to Washington,” said Josh Earnest, a spokesman for the inaugural committee.
Ten inaugural balls also are being arranged for the night of Jan. 20, including a “People’s Ball” at the Washington Convention Center.
The invited guests also include Mark Dowell of Crestwood, Ky., Matt Kuntz of Helena, Mont., Jim and Alicia Girardeau of Kansas City, Mo., Juliana Sanchez of Albuquerque, N.M., Rosa Mendoza of Las Vegas, Lisa Hazirjian of Cleveland, Kirsten Meehan of Dover, N.H.; Roy Gross of Taylor, Mich., Shandra Jackson of Arlington, Texas, Quincy Lucas of Dover, Del., Gregg Weaver of Fairless Hills, Pa., Tony Fischer of Cincinnati, Lilly Ledbetter of Jacksonville, Ala., Mike and Cheryl Fisher of Beech Grove, Ind., and Randy Wehrman of LeClair, Iowa.
The tour will start with an event in Philadelphia Jan. 18 and stop for events in Wilmington, Del., and Baltimore, en route to the nation’s capital.
The inauguration will take place at noon Jan. 20 before a large crowd gathered at the Capitol and huge throngs of witnesses along the National Mall and the inaugural parade route.
