I Got The Golden Ticket!
By Kevin Gray
By 7:30 a.m. Sunday as many as 100 people were already lined up in front of Osawatomie High School to buy tickets to see and listen to President Barack Obama address the city and the nation about the economy on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011
The previous evening, while many from Osawatomie visited the snug and warm John Brown Cabin, Danny Govea and Paul Stark had been leaning against the cabin’s outer enclosure talking about the President’s visit.
“They’re already camped out up on the hill in front of the high school,” Danny said. And Paul had agreed with Danny that there were about 20 there at that time.
“They’ve pitched a few tents,” Danny said, even though he didn’t think the city would allow tents without a permit.
Osawatomie’s RaeAnn Crumpley Roberts, who had arrived at 6 p.m. Saturday, sat huddled at the OHS front door, along with others who had braved the 30-degree temperatures and wind chills dropping to 18.
“I worked for Obama’s campaign in ’08 and wrote an article for the Miami County papers about Obama,” Roberts said.
Roberts said she was looking forward to seeing the President speak in her gym.
“I graduated from Osawatomie High School in 1968. My dad graduated from OHS in 1944, and I have four boys. One already graduated from OHS,” Roberts said.
But to set up tents, campers had to have permits. “We tried putting up tents, but this didn’t work out without permits. So we had to sit out in the elements, and it was cold and damp,” said Will Cutburth of Osawatomie.
Will and his wife Stephanie arrived at 9 p.m. and when they had to take their tent down, they said they went to Plan B.
“We sat out in teams or shifts and took turns going home for about an hour each,” Stephanie said.
Exact ticket numbers could never be confirmed. Rumors held at 400 or 700, but by the end of the giveaway time, about 50 people came up short.
Second in line sat Emily Dempsey from Osawatomie and Denise German. “I’m the Louisburg representative,” said Dempsey.
Also sitting with the front three were Rosann Blackburn O’Dell, Nicki Tschantz and Stacy Dozier. “We had a fun campout,” said Tschantz.
“Yes, a fun and cold campout,” said Dempsey, “but too cold to sleep or even drink too much coffee!”
At 81, Alice Grandon from Paola walked back and forth along the line. “I don’t know if I want to sit out here. But, I want to see the President,” Grandon said.
At about the 80th or 90th back, Nick Neuerburg, Clayton Hall, Meghan Buche and Cassie Long were all seated in folding chairs on the sidewalk inside a camo deer blind.
“I drove by about midnight. Cassie wanted to camp out, but I didn’t,” Neuerburg said.
Once they arrived early Sunday morning, Neuerburg realized he had the blind in his truck.
“I had been out hunting yesterday and remembered it was still in the back of the truck. It’s helping keep the chill and the damp off,” he said.
About 10:30 a.m. LeMae Skinner, who was in the front of the line, was returning from a trip to her car, and to pep up those towards the line’s end, said loudly, “This is history, baby! Come on Osawatomie and thank you, Lord!”
Before long those in front of the doors threw their arms in the air and yelled, “Obama! Obama! Obama! and a continuous wave swept back and forth along the line.
Knowing her grandparents once owned and ran Terrill’s Department Store in Osawatomie, Cammie Pulliam Braden from Lawrence said she would not miss seeing the President in Osawatomie. “I just knew I had to see him in Lawrence. I have family history here,” Braden said.
“I may not live here, but I have fond memories of Osawatomie. Robert and Gladys Pulliam, grandpa and grandma, ran their store for years. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I wouldn’t miss it for anything. He is a President coming to my hometown, who I strongly agree with and support,” said Braden.
Mayor Phil Dudley arrived early and spent the morning with those waiting for tickets. “I’m not here for me. I’m here to be available to those in line. If they need anything, I’m here,” Dudley said.
Later in the morning, several people carrying boxes walked up and began giving out Casey’s coffee. “I don’t know who provided this. It’s all free to anyone who wants any,” said Kaitlin Pickens about an anonymous donor.
Accepting the coffee, Pam Cook of Osawatomie said she was thrilled by the President’s visit. Her husband Bill Cook, while taking a coffee, said, “Things like this don’t happen every day. It’s pretty exciting,” Cook said.
Dudley and Grady Atwater, site director at the John Brown Historical Site and Museum, both answered numerous questions by news and television outlets from around the region.
Speaking to a KCTV Channel 5 reporter, Atwater talked about this historical moment.
“As history, this is quite exciting. The speech President Roosevelt gave in his time was very important. Now, President Obama is coming here in our time to give a speech. Osawatomie is truly internationally important,” Atwater said.
Dudley talked to reporters and those in line about the unexpected visit. “This is good for the city of Osawatomie, and I hope this helps the city,” Dudley said.
Osawatomie City Councilman Mike Moon offered a post mortem prediction about the President’s speech. “I am still processing all of this, but there are many issues. I think the economy is foremost in his thoughts,” Moon said.
Because of the location, Moon said, there are ties to Roosevelt’s speech. “I’m not so sure this one is necessarily just on the economy. This may be more about that and society. I see this as an address to the nation. Not for reelection. Not for campaigning,” Moon said.
But even though Moon thought about this being an address to the nation, he admitted to still disagreeing with the President’s views.
“If he provides assistance for some, this can turn into entitlements for others. This wasn’t the message in Teddy’s speech,” Moon said.
The surprise visit, Moon said, put Osawatomie on the map in a short time. “But time will tell how significant this speech is. Did Lincoln know how his Gettysburg speech would be received?” Moon said.
While Mayor Dudley continued to make his rounds, he made contact with the White House. Dudley’s guest list had to be finalized, which included the city council members and special guests.
One of those special invitations extended by the mayor went to Ruth Wrench, known fondly in Osawatomie as Grandma Ruth, Auntie Ruth or Mother Ruth.
Many in the crowd, estimated at about 500, kept asking if Ruth would get a ticket, and several of Wrench’s close friends said they would be willing to give up their place for Grandma Ruth.
In 2010, Wrench was recognized as the oldest still working grandparent in the Foster Grandparent Program.
The Miami County Foster Grandparent Program Director Jennifer Haley said she was thrilled for Grandma Ruth when she heard the news.
“This is an opportunity of a lifetime and to have it happen to such a great and loving person is just wonderful,” Haley said.
At 103 on Dec. 23, the buzz up and down the line had been to help Ruth, who could not come out and sit and wait in the cold. Instead Ruth remained at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Osawatomie, where she is an active member of the church body.
By Sunday morning, the White House had issued an official press release about the event. Reprinted from the city of Osawatomie Web site:
On Tuesday, December 6, President Obama will travel to Osawatomie, Kansas where he will deliver remarks on the economy. The President will talk about how he sees this as a make-or-break moment for the middle class and all those working to join it. He’ll lay out the choice we face between a country in which too few do well while too many struggle to get by, and one where we’re all in it together – where everyone engages in fair play, everyone does their fair share, and everyone gets a fair shot. Just over one hundred years ago, President Teddy Roosevelt came to Osawatomie, Kansas and called for a New Nationalism, where everyone gets a fair chance, a square deal, and an equal opportunity to succeed.
There had been reports of people cutting in line later in the morning, but those in front disagreed with that report. “People are coming and going to get warm or something to eat or drink and coming back. Everybody’s getting along. There was a little bit of testiness early on,” said Cindy Schwalm.
Once the doors opened punctually at noon, the tickets went quickly. “I got the golden ticket,” Janet Platz of Osawatomie yelled, as she held her ticket high when exiting the building.
“Well, I guess it is a golden ticket, because the President’s seal on the ticket is gold,” Platz said.
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Posted by admin
on Dec 7 2011. Filed under News and Updates.
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