From The New York Times:

Obama to Attend ‘Neighborhood Ball’

By Katharine Q. Seelye

On inauguration night, Barack and Michelle Obama will dance their first dance as the First Family with their new neighbors, including members of the public and residents of Washington.


“In keeping with his commitment to make this inaugural celebration open and accessible to all Americans, President-elect Barack Obama will host the first-ever ‘Neighborhood Inaugural Ball’ during this year’s inaugural celebration,” says a statement from the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

“It is the first official inaugural ball of its kind to be held during a presidential inauguration,” the statement adds.

There have been rumors for weeks that Mr. Obama would hold a so-called people’s ball; the announcement confirms that it will be the first event of inauguration evening on Jan. 20 and will take place at the Washington Convention Center, where several balls are being held.

Tickets will be free or at “an affordable price,” and some of the tickets will be set aside for residents of the District of Columbia.

“This is an inauguration for all Americans,” Mr. Obama said in the statement. “I wanted to make sure that we had an event that would be open to our new neighborhood here in Washington, D.C., and also neighborhoods across the country. Michelle and I look forward to joining our fellow Americans across the country during this very special event.”

In a symbol of the importance of the Web, both to Mr. Obama’s election and presumably to how he will run the government, this ball will be interactive, with webcasting and text messaging, “to link neighborhoods across the country with the new president and this premier event.”

Details coming soon, both on the distribution of tickets and on how people at neighborhood balls across the country can link up, virtually, of course, to this one.

This is just one of the 10 official balls that the Obamas will be attending that night. Five others are at the convention center (cutting down on the need for a motorcade). The other four are at the National Building Museum, the Hilton Hotel, Union Station and the D.C. Armory.

-Wow, and I thought he was an elitist.