To History and Back: Groups Plan Day Trips to Inauguration

The logo for the Peoples Organization for Progress, which plans to take a bus to Obama’s Presidential Inauguration.

By Milan Novkovic
Published: December 10, 2008

With the excitement and the drive for many Americans to flock to Washington D.C. for President-elect Obama’s Jan. 20 inauguration to witness the swearing in of our first African-American president, one grim reality has already set in.

There are no beds, no hotel rooms at all in town——anywhere.

Various organizations are taking the extras steps by providing one-day trips for people from the NJ area to go to Washington D.C., see Obama get sworn in and then go home.

One organization, the People Organization for Progress, offers prospective riders a seat on one of their busses for $40, and departs from Lincoln Park in Newark on inauguration day, at about 4 a.m. P.O.P. expects to be back home by 9 p.m.

The Kean University Historical Society is also mapping out details that might provide students with a bus ride for about $25 to $30. KUHS is looking into funding for this trip and expects buses to leave Kean at 2 a.m. and return by midnight. Pre-trip activities are also on the agenda and are still being discussed and planned.

Sources that wished to remain anonymous to maintain professional relationships have told The Steaming Pipe that their was minor confusion between all of these offerings, with some students paying P.O.P their $40 fee before finding out that the KUHS was planning a similar trip.

The city of Irvington also has plans to have their own excursion for the event. The city was able to get a few hotel rooms and will depart from the city on a Sunday, with time to see the sights and enjoy the festivities. When contacting Irvington officials about those details, they explained that people must contact their local congressperson.

P.O.P. bus tickets can be purchased during regular Thursday meetings at Abyssinian Church on West Kinney Street in Newark.

Students interested in going on the KUHS bus trip can go to the history department’s office in Willis Hall on the second floor.