Inauguration tickets a hot item

Here's a pop quiz to test your readiness for the Jan. 20 inauguration of the 44th president of the United States.

"Oh say can you see" is:

A. The opening line of the national anthem.

B. The query hundreds of thousands of people will be asking each other as they try to catch a glimpse of President Barack Obama on the west lawn of the Capitol.

If you guessed that both answers were correct, you could win a "Change we can believe in" bumper sticker and our best wishes as you try to get your hands on a ticket to the outdoor swearing-in ceremony.

This inauguration is expected to draw far greater crowds than the nation's Capitol has ever seen for such an event.

Some congressional offices are conducting lotteries to distribute their allotment of tickets. Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., decided on a more straight-ahead approach, John Schadl, communications director for the 8th District congressman, said Tuesday.

"Jim took a look at the requests, scratched his head and said 'We're just going to do them first-come, first-served,'" Schadl said.

Oberstar received more than 600 requests for his 198 allotted tickets.

"They're all spoken for," Schadl said.

Oberstar staff members who distributed tickets for previous inaugurations used to be able to rely on leftover tickets that made for nice scrapbook souvenirs. Not this year. Estimates as to the total number of tickets being issued range between 240,000 to 250,000. The demand was high, Schadl said, from political types and from ordinary citizens who wanted to witness a historic occasion.

"Boy, we had a lot of just regular folks we typically haven't heard from who were interested in seeing this," he said.

Are you one of the lucky people who was able to obtain an inauguration ticket? If so, the Dispatch would like to hear your story. Please contact me by calling 855-5860 or e-mailing mike.orourke@brainerddispatch.com. We're also interested in hearing from people who have attended any of the previous inaugurations. What memories do you have of the big event? We're interested in Brainerd area people who plan to observe the big event up close or who have had the good fortune to do so in the past.

MIKE O'ROURKE may be reached at mike.orourke@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5860.