Party like a ‘Barack’ star at Cape inaugural bash
After the 2004 general election, Simone Bynoe, a 19-year Cape Coral resident and volunteer for then-Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, was discouraged.
Then she met Barack Obama.
“In 2004 I got a little disgruntled,” Bynoe said of her feelings after Kerry’s defeat to the now-outgoing President George Bush.
“I met Barack Obama during that campaign and he told me, ‘I hope I can live up to your expectations.’ I said, ‘I think you can,'” Bynoe said.
Four years later, she got back on the volunteering horse as soon as Obama announced his candidacy for the presidency.
“I got into it again. I was helping organize people to go out to the polls up until the last night,” she said.
Now, Bynoe is organizing a party in the Cape to celebrate Obama’s inauguration. It will be held at 5:30 p.m. today at the Santa Barbara Clubhouse.
The party is one of more than 3,000 similar inaugural celebrations being held across the country, prompted by Move On, a nonprofit organization that promotes liberal public policy. The night’s theme is party like a “Barack” star, and people of all political persuasions are encouraged to attend.
Bynoe said people can wear whatever they want, but the theme will bring a sense of faux-opulence to the occasion.
“I think people are going to overdo it with a lot of fake bling. We’re going to act like we’re having a real (inauguration) ball,” Bynoe said.
Obama T-shirts and other memorabilia will be given away at the party, and there will be games for children at the family-friendly event.
An inaugural coin also will be raffled off, with the proceeds going to the charity of the winner’s choice. Raffle tickets cost $1.
Bynoe said the raffle was prompted by a call to service by another Obama — wife and mother, Michelle. She released a video calling supporters to action in the memory of Martin Luther King Jr.
“Michelle sent out a video where she asked (Martin Luther King Day) be a day of service,” Bynoe said.
There is no charge for the party, but those attending are encouraged to sign up at: www.civic.moveon.org/event/inauguralbash/88617, although it is not required.
Bynoe emphasized the bash will be a non-partisan event.
“We’re going to focus on the hope of change. Even if you don’t believe change is coming, come out and celebrate the hope of change,” she said.