The crowd strains to get a view of president duringhis speech at Washington Park

Photo/Lisa C. Schreiber

Cheers greet Clinton

By Jen Turner

News-Dispatch correspondent

People came from far and wide, then waited for hours, butthe estimated 40,000 who turned out Wednesday to see President Clinton wereleft savoring a moment in history.

Students from Michigan City Area Schools were among themost exuberant and patient as they sat in bleachers to the east of the bandstand.Each time the crowd thought the president was coming, the students eruptedin screams, shouts and cheers, and the bleachers became a sea of wavingflags.

Sarah Komasinski, a ninth-grader at Michigan City JuniorHigh School, said most of the students waited four or five hours for thepresident. Komasinski said she arrived at City Hall at 1 p.m., waited therefor about 45 minutes, received a name tag and plastic flag, and then marchedto Washington Park at 1:45 p.m.

Most of the students were armed with paper cups and waterbottles to quench their thirst through the long wait.

Komasinski and Jennifer Archer had stopped at McDonald'sbefore going to City Hall, and were amazed at what they found there.

"Jennifer and I stopped at McDonald's on FranklinStreet, and they had a table reserved for President Clinton there,"Komasinski said with a smile.

Komasinski and Archer laughed about the booth decked outin streamers in case the president had a Big Mac attack. "It even hada paper plate, napkin, fork, knife, and McDonald's cup laid out on it,"Komasinski remarked.

This kind of joking and talking seemed to keep spiritsup, even after several hours of sitting on hard metal bleachers.

"We came to see the president!" shouted StacyStone, a third-grader at Knapp Elementary School, who had found a seat infront of the bleachers with her older sister Stephanie and two friends."I'll bet everyone will scream really loud when he comes."

Stacy said her class at school had gotten ready for thepresident's arrival this week by writing stories about Mr. Clinton and thenillustrating them.

Not to be outdone by her younger sister, Stephanie Stonebragged that her fourth grade class had made a special poster for the president."I put 'Welcome to Michigan City' and drew a flag on it," Stephaniesaid proudly. "But I don't know what happened to it."

Students from other area schools also turned out to seethe president. Molly Hannon, 10, came from Westville with her older sister,Jennifer, for the afternoon. Molly and friend Jamie Ashmore, LaPorte, founda few feet of grass to lay a blanket down and were passing time by playing"The Initial Game." The Initial Game is played by naming moviestars, singers, and basketball players with certain initials.

Area students weren't the only ones excited during thelong wait. Sam and Louise Kilgor, who live right down the street from WashingtonPark, had set up folding chairs and were ready to brave just about anythingto see the president.

"We were going to go if we had to get on our kneesand crawl," Louise Kilgor said. "I only wish we could touch him."

Many people did as President Clinton, after his speech,walked to the fence and began shaking hands.

President Clinton reaches into a crowd to shake handsafter his speech Wednesday in Washington Park.

Photo/Lisa C. Schreiber

Many of those who met the president were moved.

"I was a little hysterical," said Deena Butterfield,22, of Valparaiso. "I started to cry. He said 'God bless you' and puthis hand on my cheek. He was the first person I ever voted for," saidButterfield, whose father, David, is the Democratic mayor of Valparaiso.

"Then I asked him if we could take his picture withus, and he did," Butterfield continued.

First her friend, Kathy Mahoney took a picture while Clintonhugged Butterfield, then Butterfield took a picture of Clinton hugging Mahoney.

Mahoney wasn't sure if her picture turned out, she wasshaking so hard. "I might have a picture of the tree," she said,looking at the tree behind them.

At any rate, Butterfield said, "My dad caught thewhole thing on videotape."

Steve Chen, academic systems manager at the Purdue University-NorthCentral computer center, also shook Clinton's hand. "I was excited.I've never shaken a president's hand before. I said, 'Hello, president,hello from Purdue.' The president was just saying 'Hello, hello' as he shookhands."

Chen said he arrived at the event at 1 p.m. to get a goodplace near the platform. He was in the center about two or three rows back,and also shook Gov. Evan Bayh's hand.

"It was like magic," Ted Hunter, 39, of Gary,exclaimed over and over after shaking President Clinton's hand. Meetingthe president was worth missing his Wednesday evening class at Indiana University-Northwest,he said.

Emily Pacheri, 15, of Lowell, a sophomore at Andrean HighSchool in Merrillville, was bubbling with excitement. "I shook hishand," she burst out as she walked away from the fence with her family."You feel so ... it's thrilling," she said. "It's somethingthat will never happen again in my life."

Michigan City Area Schools Superintendent Jerry Seese,after shaking the president's hand, was nonplussed. "It was just ahandshake," he said. "It's not as if it had been Michael Jordan."

Still, Seese said, he may write to the president and suggestthat they go jogging together if Seese gets to Washington.

Excitement was in Catherine McGuire's voice when she talkedabout driving from Terre Haute to see the president.

"I left around 10:30 p.m. I drove into Michigan City,stopped at a gas station, and they told me where to park and about the busing,"McGuire said. "It was really easy."

"I only wish I was closer, but I'm happy just to beable to show support for him," McGuire added. "I think he's themost remarkable politician I've ever seen. He gives something to everyone."

Debbie Teets of LaPorte took her two daughters out of schoolWednesday "to see all the hoopla" of the presidential arrival."This is going to be history," Teets said.

Like Teets, Linda Williams of Valparaiso waited four hoursto be a part of the historical event.

"I brought my children here today because I thoughtit was important for them to take an interest in the government and to seea president this close," Williams said.

-- Dave Hawk and Dan Rosenberg contributedto this story.

People wait long hours to see Clinton

By Camille Diana Barbee

News-Dispatch staff writer

People traveled great distances and waited long hours inanticipation of seeing President Clinton in Michigan City on Wednesday.

More than an hour before Washington Park was scheduledto open at noon, hundreds of people were lined up on the Franklin Streetbridge.

Some had come early in the morning, even though the presidentwas not scheduled to speak until about 5:30 p.m.

They traveled from the eastern and southern parts of thestate, coming from as far east as Kendallville, near Fort Wayne, and fromas far south as Indianapolis.

They dressed festively, wearing anything red, white orblue they could find.

One lady had on a red, white and blue hat. Others woreClinton-Gore '96 T-shirts and flag-colored shorts.

The people in the crowd chatted about the thrill of meetingthe president and what they would say to him if they got a chance to talkwith him.

They brought lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets inanticipation of a long wait.

Brenda Stephens of Kendallville brought two friends, CharlotteHolbrook and Wanda Prater, with her on the trip. Stephens received ticketsfrom her son who is a law student at Valparaiso University.

The trio woke up at 3 a.m. and drove 3 1/2 hours to MichiganCity. After stopping to eat along the way, they arrived at the bridge at10 a.m.

All three were excited about seeing the president. "Howmany times do you get to see the president in person?" Holbrook asked.

While waiting for the park to open, the three women reflectedon past presidents, and expressed hope that nothing tragic would happento the president while he was here. They talked about John F. Kennedy'sassassination and where they had been when it happened.

Others had lighter conversations and took advantage ofthe good weather and long wait by lying in the sun, working on their tans.

Jo Ann Ailes, Valparaiso, said she arrived at the bridgeshortly after 6 a.m. Her daughter was stretched out on a blanket, sunbathing.

Ailes said she felt that the president's visit would bebeneficial to the area. She hoped Clinton would address the issues of theworking class and non-union workers.

Annette Rivera, Michigan City, wore a red, white and blue-stripedblazer; red, white and blue flag pants and a flag shirt underneath the blazer.She and her family had arrived at the bridge at 10:30 a.m.

"It's an honor to have him come to Michigan City,"Rivera said. "It will put us on the map to have something importantlike this happen in the city."

Rivera said she would like to shake the president's handand tell him Michigan City residents were glad she was here. If she gotthe chance to talk to Clinton, she said, she would ask the president whathis plans were regarding health care for the elderly and the disabled.

As the afternoon wore on with no sign of Clinton, someof the spectators, especially the younger ones, began to display signs ofboredom.

Behind the press stand, several young children, plainlytired of waiting quietly, began hitting and kicking one another in a playfulmanner.

Nearby, a little girl said to no one in particular, "Whenis the president going to be here? I've been here for six hours."

Minutes later, helicopters flew overhead and a train whistleblew in the distance. The long wait was over.