At the Outlook Inn, the inauguration celebration for 44th President Barack Obama took place on a frosty, foggy Tuesday evening.

“It was great,” said co-coordinator Nancy Schafer. “About 100 people came and there were adults as well as lots of kids. People were very much in a celebratory mood. We all watched a recording of the speech, and some other pieces put together by Chris Thomerson, a local media guru. There was a strong community focus and lots of spirit. Obama himself visited in the form of a lifesize cardboard cutout … we ordered him through a store in Seattle with no way of getting him here …we were able to to transport him from Boeing field via Kenmore Air, but he got fogged in. Then the next day he was able to get on the flight, but only to Friday Harbor. This cardboard cutout went through a whole lot of trouble to make it here, but thanks to the coordination of people on different islands, he arrived safely.”

Schafer organized the event with Dr. Magda Mische. They were able to put it together in less than nine days.

“People brought food, and it was just a great community event. I wanted to create the opportunity for people to get together, and to be able to have a place to celebrate all the work that went into getting Obama elected,” said Schafer.

They recorded the inauguration at its early hour and then played the event on DVD later in the day. More people stayed to watch the rest of the inauguration festivities on satellite.

“A big thanks to John from the Outlook Inn for making it possible to have the event with so many people, as well as Ben Shepherd and Samara Shaw,” commented Schafer.

Orcas students got into the action as well.

At Orcas School, most students watched the event on a big screen television in the gym, with some viewing it in their classes.

At Orcas Christian School, K-12 students watched the festivities in their classrooms. The high school also participated in a special breakfast. Teacher Bob Nutt said the kids were very interested in the morning’s proceedings.

“In the seventh and eighth grade class everyone stood when Obama took the oath,” said Nutt.

On Lopez Island, the celebration started at 7 a.m. at the Lopez Island Community Center, but at around 8:30 a.m. it became apparent that internet sites, which were streaming the event, were overloaded. Nearly 150 people showed up for a breakfast potluck with cornbread, scones, coffee and pastries, but most celebrants were forced to go back to their homes or cars. A small group went to a local restaurant, the Galley, where they enjoyed “Obamalets” and watched the inaugural events on TV.