Thanks for the post of the photos. We had a great time at the ball in 2001.
I remember arriving at the hotel in my "work clothes," knowing just a few local Freepers (DC Chapter members), but very quickly feeling like I was with old friends - as we set about putting together the wonderful table decorations (designed by Freeper "viadexter") and hanging FR protest signs along the walls of the ballroom.
As we worked to put it all together, out-of-town Freepers showed up to offer a hand in setting up. I met so many people at that time, I can't remember all their names; but all of them were so friendly and generous to help set up for their own party.
Governor Huckabee and the band arrived, casually dressed, to do a sound-check, and the hard-working set-up folks stopped long enough to break into dancing and applause for the band.
Anticipation was building.
And once everything was ready, we all hurriedly changed into our party clothes and took our places...
And Freepers started arriving, and then more, and more... and still more, until the ballroom was full, the ballroom lobby was full, the stairway was full, hallways were full, the "overflow room" was full. Freepers were smiling and laughing with one another as they met the people who belonged to the screen names they knew.
We listened as Bob Barr and Gary Aldrich and Larry Klayman (and who am I forgetting??) spoke about the good work that us "regular folk" at FR have done; and that the long nightmare of the Clinton administration was now ended.
And we watched the video presentation that Ironman and Lazamataz put together. We laughed, we cried. We thanked God that Al Gore wasn't the one inaugurated earlier in the day. We were all on a cloud!
After all the speeches and awards, Governor Huckabee and Capitol Offense took the stage and started rockin' the house. The dance floor couldn't hold everyone who wanted to dance. The whole ballroom became the dance floor!
I spent most of the evening working at the button/souvenir table, but I slipped into the ballroom numerous times. And before anyone feels sorry for me, I had a blast doing what I was doing, because I got to see everyone; and met so many Freepers as they picked up their favorite buttons and things. Throughout the entire evening more people arrived and joined in on the most fun and rockin'est party in town! Angelwood said that the hotel gave up counting attendees at 1100, and still more arrived.
And then the ball ended, but so many of us weren't ready for our celebration to end - so we went to the hotel bar until it closed!
Our magical night was winding down as we wandered into the lobby and said our goodbyes, thank-yous, and great-to-meet-yous to our now old and fast friends; and as we wandered over to the front doors we saw that the city was being blanketed with a clean white layer of snow.
It was a beautiful night. And for most all of us, it was the beginning of something very special.