If ever a day could be planned that would be a fitting tribute to the most historic inauguration we are likely to ever experience, it would have been the day Tarrant County Democrats enjoyed on January 20th. The day began with an emotional and inspiring Inauguration, as President Obama took the oath of office in front of millions who had gathered along the Mall in Washington D.C, and literally hundreds of millions more who watched the ceremony on TV. Dozens of Tarrant County Democrats made the journey to Washington for the experience of a lifetime. Over the next few months we will be hearing from some of those folks, as they describe what they saw and felt.
 
While many were fortunate enough to get the opportunity to see the inauguration ceremony in person, many more had the pleasure of watching it right here at home. The Mid Cities Democrats hosted an Inaugural Watch Party at the home of Nancy Miracle. More than 40 people cheered as Barack Obama raised his hand for the oath of office, and then delivered a stirring and passionate address to a nation longing for new leadership and a new direction.
 
With a new President officially in power, the celebrations began in earnest. Although there were several parties across the county which marked the festive occasion, by far the largest was the one which your own Tarrant County Democratic Party hosted at the Downtown Hilton Hotel. What an evening! Almost 900 Tarrant Democrats, anxious for a chance to unleash the emotions of people who had known little to celebrate over the past eight years, poured in to the hotel and showed Fort Worth what it is like to have a party. It was the largest such event ever hosted by the Tarrant County Democratic Party. As hundreds cheered our new president, there could be no doubt that Democrats in Tarrant County had made a profound statement: we are back, we are organized, we are proud, and we are going to win elections.
 
Our Inaugural Ball was a huge success. There are many people to thank for that, not the least of which are the sponsors whose support ensured an incredible night for everyone. I want to give my heartfelt thanks to the following sponsors:

Presidential Sponsors:
Jose, Henry, Brantley, MacLean and Alvarado. L.L.C.
Kline & Co.

Cabinet Level Sponsors:
State Representative Lon Burnam
Advanced Web Systems
State Representative Chris Turner
George Wada Photography
State Representative Marc Veasey
State Representative Paula Pierson
Perdue, Bracket, Flores, Utt and Burns
BNSF Railway
Bodoin, Agnew, Greene and Maxwell L.L.C.
Linebarger, Goggan, Blair, Sampson
Tarrant County Central Labor Council
Mark Costanza Sr. Polo Club Management inc.
Ms. Dorothy Debose, Dr. Kevin Connelly, Mr. Douglas Black
Mr. Paul Tribble, Lockheed Martin, Line Printing

Table Sponsors:
Tarrant County Democratic Women’s Club
Tarrant County Stonewall Democrats
Greater Arlington Mansfield Democratic Women GAMDW
Mid Cities Democrats/Bradley Parker
Tejano Democrats
Betty Zuspann, Brenda Lewis, Bronson Davis, Pam Ford
Gary Jennings, Richard Abrams, Gail Milner, B Jeffrey Dalton, Kathleen Stewart, Angela Land, Schattman Family
Regina Scott, Marva Easter, Michael Haney
Turner and McKenzie PC, Delessa Haynes
Lonnie Heldenbrand, Sandra Reed, Johnnie Turner
Ross Haynes, Jr, Virlece Lacy, Betty Fischer
Suzanne Ancy, I.M. Terrell Alumni Association, Regina Scott, Catrice Tkadlec, Melinda Hamilton, D.G. Pullins

I also want to thank the staff and volunteers who worked so hard to make sure the Ball was something worthy of the event it marked:
Keith K. Annis, Lynn Johnson, Byron Sibbet,
Tami Grimes, Kenneth Grimes, David Rogers
David Pursley, Carol Cordell, Cindy James
Eli Clarke, Allye Combs, BC Cornish
Sheila Ford, Terri Herrera, Chris Utchell, Tory Watkins
Reuben Herrera, Beth Krugler, Chelsea Lane
Elisa Molina, Carl Nutt, Nancy Stevens
Chris Utchell, Tory Watkins, Liz Slagle, Libby TCU Democrats

Finally, the ingredient that iced the cake was, undoubtedly, the musical groups that entertained us. First there was the stirring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, performed by the D-Town Records Koast 2 Koast recording artists, Keingz Ransom. That was followed by the incredible music of Suzy Q and The Tipps, which had the dance floor packed all night long. Last I knew, Lon Burnam was still out on the floor, so I would direct anyone who needs to talk to Lon to contact him there in the Hilton Ballroom.
 
All in all, it was a wonderful and memorable evening. I like to think that it was an appropriate start to an Administration that truly will make a difference. I ask that we all answer the call of President Obama. Now is the time to dedicate ourselves to doing what is necessary to effect true Change in this nation and how our government operates. Given the inspiring example we have already seen from our new President, it is the least we can do for ourselves, and for our country. You can start by becoming a Sustaining Member of your Tarrant County Democratic Party. We can sustain what we have built over the past several months, but only if the Party has the funds to keep operating at the level we are now used to. Please help us keep it going. We have come too far to let up, even a little bit.
 
Thanks for making last Tuesday night so much fun…