Sunday, January 11, 2009

To our surprise

Here's the email informing us we got tickets to the swearing-in ceremony in Washington DC January 20th. I'm very grateful that we were selected to receive tickets but couldn't they have indicated it in the subject line and not the 4th paragraph? I could have thrown the email away!

Needless to say I was in shock and showed the email to Ellen who was also in shock. We never thought it was a joke for some reason and sent all the information the next day and then contacted the office for confirmation December 18th.

From: Congressman Tim Walz
Subject: 2009 Inauguration
Date: December 9, 2008 7:42:49 PM CST

Dear Mr. Rider,

Thank you for contacting my office regarding tickets to the Inauguration ceremony for President-elect Obama on January 20, 2009 in Washington, DC.

Due to the overwhelming demand for tickets to this historic event, my office held a lottery to determine how to distribute tickets to residents of Minnesota's First Congressional District.

I am very pleased to inform you that you have been selected to receive two tickets to the Inauguration ceremony.

This historic event is expected to attract an unprecedented number of people who want to witness the ceremony. You should be aware that lodging in Washington, D.C. over the Inauguration is very difficult to come by and that travel to our nation's capital may be very expensive. As a result, some people who have been selected to receive tickets to the Inauguration may not be able to attend.

Also, please note that those attending the Inauguration will be standing outside for several hours, with very limited facilities available. Due to the projected crowds, security lines may be hours long, and January in Washington is typically quite cold and rainy.

To ensure that as many residents of southern Minnesota as possible are able to attend the Inauguration ceremony, I will need to know whether you are able to travel to Washington and make use of the tickets you have been allocated. By December 19, 2008, you must contact my office and confirm your interest in traveling to Washington for the Inauguration to use these tickets.

If you do not contact my office by December 19, 2008, your tickets will be distributed to another individual who has expressed interest in attending the Inauguration.

To acknowledge your interest in making use of these tickets, please e-mail Sara Severs in my Washington, D.C. office by Dec 19, 2008. In the e-mail, please include the following information:

o Full name of each member of your party
o Full name of person who will picking up the tickets in Washington
o Cell phone number of person picking up the tickets
o Date arriving in Washington
o Date departing Washington
o Location where you will be staying


Please note the following:

o Because of high demand for these tickets, I regret that I am unable to provide tickets to individuals who have already received tickets from another Member of Congress.

o Any tickets that you receive from my office must be for your own personal use and may not be traded or sold to another person.

o A photo ID will be required to pick up tickets from my office in Washington.

o Due to the extremely limited supply of tickets, I regret that my office will be unable to replace tickets that are stolen or lost after you take possession of them.

Tickets may be picked up in my Washington, D.C. office in room 1722 of the Longworth House Office Building on Monday, January 19, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Please note that the individual picking up the tickets must present a photo ID that matches the name you have listed above.

I am interested in hearing some of the stories of southern Minnesotans who are coming to our nation's capital for President-elect Obama's inauguration. If you like, please write a few words about why you're coming to Washington for the inauguration and what your plans are for this historic event and include it in your e-mail to Sara.

Thank you again for your interest in attending the Inauguration of President-elect Obama, and I look forward to seeing you in Washington, D.C. on Inauguration Day!

Sincerely,




Sincerely,


Tim Walz
Member of Congress

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