It's Our City is a project that uses TV, Radio and Web
to promote civic engagement in the Philadelphia region.Reminder: Send your Inauguration Prep stories and photos
Thursday, January 15th, 2009 at 5:24 pm - by Dan Pohlig. Filed under: Uncategorized.
Share your photo! Countdowns! Parties! Decorations!
This is your daily reminder that we’re looking for your submissions as the Philadelphia region joins the rest of the world in preparing for the beginning of a new presidential administration. What are you seeing around the region? Did your neighbor deck out their house with Inauguration-style decorative lighting or posters? Are you seeing evidence of countdowns like the one above? Email photos to us at city(at)whyy.org or share them with our Flickr Group.
Perhaps you’re planning a party or your place of business is setting up something special for Tuesday. Tell us about it in the comments.
January 15th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Alan just had an interesting conversation with a listener who wanted to share her Inauguration plans. Listener Phyllis Hochberg is in an electric blues band called “Twister Baby” and she’ll be renting a space in Ardmore for an Inauguration party of about 50-100 people this weekend. Hochberg, 57, said that she wanted to go Washington DC since she’s been there several times before. As she put it, she’s never been there for a “good thing” before. Apparently she has had a lot of disagreements with the current administration.
The conversation took an interesting turn when Alan asked whether the party would be decorated with American flags. Hochberg said that she felt like the conservative movement had co-opted the American flag and turned it into a symbol of what the right side of the political spectrum believes are the proper ways to love America. To many progressive and liberal people the flag has been tainted by the way the right has wielded it as a test of patriotism and love of country.
Anyway, if you live in Ardmore and you hear the bluesy sounds of Twister Baby this weekend, you’ll know there’s an Inauguration Party going on.
Please feel free to submit your own story in the comments section of this or any of our other Inauguration Prep posts.
January 15th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
I work at a small Montessori School called The Elementary Workshop Montessori School in downtown Wilmington, Delaware. We have decided to hold 3 Inaugural Balls for the children (ages 3-12). We are housed in a 3 story building and we will have the Peace Ball on the first floor (3-6 year old classroom), The Delaware Ball on the second floor (6-9 year old classroom) and The Green Ball on the third floor (9-12 year old classroom). We are holding them in the morning and plan to watch the swearing in ceremony all together. We area one of the most diverse independent school in Delaware and we are very excited about this historic event. We continue to collect pennies for Pennies for Peace and we will be collecting cans of food for the Delaware Food Bank as well as making promises about how we will work to reduce our carbon footprint. We will have pictures of the decorations on Monday and everyone is coming to school all dressed up on Tuesday.
January 16th, 2009 at 11:31 am
@Amy
Your plans sound great! I love that you’re making such a big deal about these civic events for the kids so that they’ll get a better understanding of how important it is. Please feel free to send us pictures from your events so we can share them on this blog and on our Flickr group.
January 16th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
There are going to be lots of inauguration screenings around the city including NCC, Comcast Center, IVCC, Franklin Institute and Congress Hall.
There’s also going to be a JUMBOtron around Independence Mall for those that want to see it on the big screen.
There’s actually A LOT going on but I rather not write it :). More info at gophila.com/president
January 17th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
I work at an HIV/AIDS clinic in North Central Philadelphia. The PHMC Care Clinic is a primary medical and socail service clinic that works with this medically underserved population. On Tuesday we are hosting an inauguration party for staff and patients. Since many of the patients don’t have access to TV, we feel this is a great oppotunity for them to witness history. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Carissa VanDerSluis at 215-787-9502 or carissa@phmc.org.
January 20th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
Today I am so proud to be an American!
http://jessica-travels.blogspot.com/2009/01/change-has-come.html