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Thousands in Chicago Brave Cold for Tickets to Obama Farewell Speech

by Associated Press

   CHICAGO --

   Thousands of people waited for hours in single-digit temperatures on
   Saturday to try to get a ticket to President Barack Obama's farewell
   speech in his hometown of Chicago, saying they want to show their
   appreciation and soak in the final moments of his history-making
   presidency.

   People began lining up well before sunrise for the 8 a.m. ticket
   distribution. The lines stretched for blocks and snarled traffic around
   McCormick Place, the sprawling convention center along Lake Michigan
   where Obama will speak on Tuesday night.

   "You never know when something as huge or as phenomenal like this will
   happen again, so I was like 'I'm not missing this for nothing,' " said
   Umar Ibrahim, 28, who took the day off from his job as a city bus
   driver to snag a ticket, waking up at 3 a.m. to start the trek to the
   convention center.

   "Just talking about it makes you beam," he said as he clenched his
   ticket, grinning from ear-to-ear.

   Obama's final speech to the public will continue a tradition set in
   1796 when George Washington addressed the American people for the last
   time as president. It will be followed by a "family reunion" for alumni
   of Obama's former campaigns, according to a save-the-date sent to
   alumni.

   Obama has described the event as "a chance to say thank you for this
   amazing journey," to celebrate the ways the country has changed and "to
   offer some thoughts on where we all go from here."

   Cheryl Bellamy-Bonner, 56, of Chicago, carpooled with four female
   friends and relatives beginning at 3 a.m. Saturday to get a ticket to
   President Obama's farewell speech at McCormick Place. She has been an
   Obama supporter since volunteering on Obama's US Senate race and says
   she wants to hear from Obama on Tuesday what he's going to do next and
   "how we can help."

   For many supporters, Obama's decision to give the speech in Chicago
   rather than Washington added to the significance of the event. It was
   in Chicago's Grant Park that in 2008 he delivered his victory speech
   after becoming the nation's first black president.

   "He's coming home," said Cheryl Bellamy-Bonner, 56, who volunteered on
   Obama's 2004 U.S. Senate campaign. "It shows he really cares about the
   people."

   Bellamy-Bonner said she appreciated Obama's professionalism in office
   and his support of diversity. If there have been any disappointments,
   she said, it's that he couldn't accomplish more, which she blamed on a
   lack of bipartisanship. On Tuesday night, she's hoping to hear what
   Obama will do next and "what we can do to help."

   Organizers didn't say how many tickets were available, but many people
   walked away empty-handed on Saturday.

   Among them was Stacy Bond. The 28-year-old from suburban Evanston said
   she's disheartened about President-elect Donald Trump and wanted to be
   in the room to hear directly from Obama, the first president she voted
   for after reaching the legal voting age.

   "You kind of want to hold on to that last bit of him that we've had,"
   she said.

   The White House says the [1]farewell address also will be streamed live
   online. Obama will be joined by first lady Michelle Obama and Vice
   President Joe Biden.

   WATCH: President Obama's weekly address

References

   1. https://medium.com/the-white-house/my-farewell-address-25e732d1539b#.2ofqqri8n