WREX.com – Rockford’s News LeaderEric Wilson reports from Washington D.C.

Eric Wilson reports from Washington D.C.

By Eric Wilson

Washington, D.C. (WREX) - With Abraham Lincoln looking on, more than half a million people celebrate change coming to the nation's capital. I'm fortunate enough, as an observer, to take it all in.

From my vantage point, about halfway between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, it was hard to see what was happening onstage, but thanks to a booming sound system, and strategically placed giant-screen TVs it wasn't hard to experience the Inauguration Celebration, "We Are One". 

While the majority of the crowd was clearly made up of Barack Obama supporters, it was a diverse group: young, old, men, women, black, white.  During the 2 hour show, we heard messages from Hollywood A-list celebrities, big-name musicians, even Tiger Woods.  Whether a supporter or not, it's hard to ignore the history of the spot, the history of the city, and what this moment in time will mean for generations to come.

With arms in the air, holding digital cameras, and video recorders, the crowd sang and cheered, ignoring the temperature in the low 30s.  Many of them showed up hours early, standing the whole time. Some danced too to stay warm. 

For many, the biggest challenge was leaving.  Entire blocks around the national mall are shut down.  Which means no traffic, so it's easy walking, but tough to get to a car.  Most people seem to have followed the advice of inauguration organizers and use public transportation.  Washington's public transportation system has proven to be both easy to use and convenient, which should come in handy, when 4 times as many people are expected to show up for Tuesday's Inauguration Swearing-In Ceremony.

I will continue to bring you updates from the inauguration ceremonies and 13 WREX will be providing live coverage of Tuesday's events right here on wrex.com