Norton Announces Surprise Gift of 600 More Tickets for D.C. Residents (1/14/09)

Washington, D.C. - Norton's continued efforts to get more inauguration tickets for the residents of the District of Columbia paid off yesterday when she received a bonanza of 600 additional tickets for D.C. residents. Two members of the D.C. National Guard randomly selected names this morning from the 10,000 names submitted before the November 7th cut-off date. Those selected individuals are being called today.

"I am thrilled to have this surprise collection of additional tickets for our residents. This large number of additional tickets respects our role as the host city for the inauguration and as the new hometown for President-elect Barack Obama and his family," said the Congresswoman. Norton pursued a number of sources to secure more tickets beyond the initial 198 allotted to each Member of the House. Norton's office said the Congresswoman could not reveal the source of the tickets, but she was sure that residents would receive the additional tickets as a special anonymous gift to them and could appreciate them regardless of the source.

Norton, who generally gets some extra inauguration tickets for D.C. residents, found it more difficult this time because of the huge interest in this historic occasion. Upon getting the additional tickets last night, the Congresswoman asked for two more members of the D.C. National Guard to randomly select residents from the 10,000 who were able to get through before the cut-off. Sgt. Vernessa Blackwell, a native Washingtonian who was deployed to Iraq with the 547th Transportation Company in 2003, and Cpl. Steven Kemp, a Southeast resident, arrived this morning and each randomly selected names to receive additional tickets, which are standing-room area tickets. The residents selected this morning are being notified today and asked to pick up their tickets by 8 p.m. tomorrow.

The Office asks that the lucky ticket holders accept tickets only if they are prepared for the weather and other conditions that PIC and Metro authorities say residents will find: 1) cold weather; 2) walks of two miles or more; 3) necessary early arrival, bearing in mind the time needed to get through possibly record-breaking crowds; 4) security gates open at 8a.m., but no guests searched after 11:30 a.m. when the ceremony begins; 5) long periods without use of restroom facilities, most of which will be outdoors; 6) subways that will not stop for safety reasons at overcrowded stations, causing some perhaps to have difficulty getting on the subway or having to disembark at a different stop and walk to destinations. Residents are advised to bring only children accustomed to or old enough to accept these conditions. Strollers will not be allowed. No tickets are needed for most of the Mall, where large jumbotrons will show the swearing-in.