Civic President Attends Obama's Inauguration

Hampton Bays Civic Association President Bruce King and his wife, Nancy had a oppportunity of a lifetime on Monday — With an invite in hand, they attended President Barack Obama's inauguration, standing in the yellow section — only VIP attendees get to sit.

While they had to brave freezing temperatures and snowy drive home, King said the whole experience was worth it.

"It was a once in a lifetime opportunity," said King. "Each speech and performance were memorable and the schedule flowed smoothly."

King said it was worth the time invested to be there in person and the only correlation he could think of to help explain the feeling is "listening to music at home as compared to experiencing music at a live concert."

"The energy of the people brings a new level of experience to being there," he said.

King said he was also impressed by the coordination of the event — with thousands of people in attendance, King said people moved smoothly thanks to the "courtesy of the police and military and most importantly, the well thought-out organizational plan."

King said at one point during the event, a woman about 25 feet away from him dropped to the ground and before an RN who was standing next to him could reach the woman, emergency personnel were already attending to her.

"It is an example of the completeness of the organization within the secure areas," said King.

For those looking to attend the 2017 inauguration, King had a few recommendations: "Start saving now, reserve a hotel room just off the Mall next week at the latest for 19, 20 & 21 January 2017, plan on Amtrak for your transportation, bring warm multi-layered clothing, purchase hand/foot/body warmers, boots with thick soles, and plan to have fun with all the happy people you meet."

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