by Rebecca Saltzman
Last week’s Barack n’ Roll Inauguration Party went even better than we could have hoped for. Throughout the night, about 800 people came to Z Bar to celebrate Barack Obama’s election, and to eat, drink, dance, and generally have a good time. We reached capacity at 7:30pm, just an hour after opening the doors, and had to regulate the flow of traffic until 8:30, when it cleared out a bit. Here’s what it looked like at the peak of the night:
It seemed like everyone in the East Bay at least stopped by the party – there were even a few San Franciscans there. I saw friends, co-workers, elected officials, city staff, a few Oakland bloggers, the leader of one of my favorite Oakland bands, and of course lots of Young Dems. The best part was that I didn’t know most of the people there, and many of them had never been to a EBYD event before. The crowd was diverse in every way – age, race, background – but also in attire. There were people wearing ball gowns and tuxedos and others in jeans and t-shirts, and of course everything in between. No matter what they were wearing, everyone looked fabulous.
The music was great all night, especially the opening set spun by EBYD’s own Chris Vaeth:
After Chris’s set, we played Obama’s inaugural speech on a large screen, and after that it cleared out a bit. Still, the line at the bar never died down, and we gave the bartenders quite a workout:
One of the best parts of using Z Bar as the venue was that the Chrysler showroom, which is adjacent to it, was opened up for spillover, which we desperately needed. As Oaklanders danced the night away, I fantasized about one of the car dealerships being converted into a nightclub. Maybe one day that will happen when Auto Row gets a makeover.
Thanks to everyone who came last Tuesday and especially to all the East Bay Young Dems who worked so hard to make this night a success. Also, a big thanks to everyone on our host committees:
Honorary Host Committee:
- Hon. Loni Hancock, California State Senate
- Hon. Nancy Skinner, California State Assembly
- Hon. Sandre Swanson, California State Assembly
- Hon. Keith Carson, Alameda County Board of Supervisors
- Hon. Rebecca Kaplan, Oakland City Councilmember
- Hon. Courtney Ruby, Oakland City Auditor
- Hon. Abel Guillen, Peralta Community Colleges Trustee
- Hon. Tom Bates, Mayor of the City of Berkeley
- Hon. Andy Katz, EBMUD Director
Host Committee: Frieda K. Edgette, Hon. Sharon Ball, Hon. Karen Weinstein, Barb Florins, Rebecca Saltzman, Daniel Rush, UFCW Local 5, Norman Buchwald, Amy De Reyes, Hon. Igor Tregub, Hon. Kathy Neal, Chris Cassidy, Jason Overman, Matt Lockshin, Shayna Gelender, Edie Irons, Hon. Elizabeth Echols, Sumi Paranjape,Ronnie Caplane, Ben & Jessica Kmetz, Shilen Patel & Kiran Jain, Chris Vaeth, Esperanza Tervalon-Daumont, Hon. Ann-Marie Hogan, Steve Tidrick, Gabriel Elsner, Organization of Asian/African Americans in Construction, and Chinese American Heroes.
Co-Sponsors: East Bay Young Dems, Good Ol’ Girls, East Bay DFA, STRONG, Mix It Up East Bay, Planned Parenthood Golden Gate, West Contra Costa UDC, Oakland UDC, and Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club.
Great job with the event, EBYD!