ShareThisOne inauguration goer had the good luck to meet Barack Obama's grandmother. Another was toasted as a civil rights trailblazer. And President Bush dropped in at a party, and dropped right out again.
Here are a few slices of inauguration life this week:
Kenneth Whalum Jr. of Keeping It Real Ministries in Memphis, Tenn. has been in the thick of things in Inaugural Washington. Staying at The Mayflower hotel, Whalum has been privy to the comings and goings of the families of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden.
On Monday, Whalum reported: "Just rode (the) elevator with Obama's paternal grandmother and cousins from Kenya ... very sweet people. "
During the ride someone let it slip that the president-elect would be coming to the hotel to visit his grandmother Monday evening.
Whalum's son, Kenneth III, plays saxophone for the likes of P. Diddy, Jay Z and Maxwell. On Sunday night, he reported he "hung until the wee hours at Lucacris' concert with Nelly, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Keisha Knight Pulliam."
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Call it the inaugural ball for the borscht belt set.
Amid the inaugural revelry, the National Synagogue in Washington hosted the National Inaugural Jewish Ball Sunday night, a formal affair with a twist of your local synagogue's sisterhood.
Speakers at the ball were full of praise for President-elect Obama, making toasts to the new leader of the free world over -- you guessed it -- strictly Kosher wine.
In accordance with Jewish tradition, the food was kosher and men danced with men, women with women. Merrymakers dressed in tuxedos and formal dresses -- but made sure to cover their elbows and knees, in accordance with traditional Jewish modesty standards.
Paul Shapiro's Ribs and Brisket Revue played "Jewish Jazz." During one klezmer-heavy song, Shapiro belted out: "The Catskills -- those famous Jewish Alps."
--Isaac Wolf, SHNS
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Never a big partier, George W. Bush didn't change his tune Sunday night. He first lady Laura Bush made an unannounced drop-in to a party at the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo Park in Maryland, hosted by close aides Josh Bolten and Andy Card for about 600 current and former White House staffers. Arriving at Glen Echo at 8:45,the early-to-bed, early-to-rise president stayed just 5 minutes - hardly long enough for any dancing.
-- White House pool report from reporters covering the soon-to-be former president.
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In another part of town, Benjamin Hooks, 83, one of the old lions of the civil rights era laughed and told stories at a reception before the African American Church Inaugural Ball at which he was an honoree, all the while greeting a succession of other civil rights pioneers, including Merlie Evers, Jesse Jackson and South Africa's Desmond Tutu, who gathered to greet him.
"Ben is an authentic legend," Jackson said after giving Hooks a bear hug.
In an interview in his hotel room prior to the reception, after wife Frances tied his bow tie, Hooks said he's "practically bedridden" and won't risk hours in the intense cold Tuesday to watch the swearing in but will watch it in his hotel room. Still, he was strong enough Sunday to plan on ending the evening at a late-night hip-hop party in Georgetown.
-- Bartholomew Sullivan, the Commercical Appeal of Memphis.
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A smiling Al Franken hosted an "inaugural brunch" fundraiser at the Willard Hotel on Sunday, a $1,000-a-plate event on his first trip to Washington since he was certified as the leader over Norm Coleman in the never-ending U.S. Senate race in Minnesota.
The former "Saturday Night Live" star has been using the trip to meet with major donors and top party officials, including outgoing Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean. The trip comes as his 225-vote lead over Coleman is being challenged in court.
Franken campaign officials gave no estimate of the take from the 350-person fundraiser, where top donors were asked to contribute $12,300 for a recount fund.
Reporters were barred from the event, which featured Grateful Dead legend Bob Weir on guitar.
-- Kevin Diaz, Minneapolis Star Tribune
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At a lively, lengthy luncheon this week hosted by feminist fundraising organization Emily's List and headlined by Secretary of State nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton, a parade of political superstars celebrated 2008 victories by Democratic women -- and female cabinet appointments by President-elect Barack Obama.
North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue remembered being approached by a supporter who told her, "You don't look nearly as old and fat as you do on television."
That got a big laugh.
"Now you all be kind, that did not deserve that much laughter," she told the audience -- to more laughter. On a more serious note, Perdue recalled, her voice cracking slightly, another person, this one a little girl who approached her after her election victory wearing a hand-lettered sign that said "Yes, I can be a female governor." It was an image she would carry with her always, she said.
"You're looking at the daughter of parents who did not graduate from high school, who taught me that girls are not different from boys and that with education and hard work, anything is possible."
-- Mackenzie Carpenter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
