Obama Bus to Roll from Court House

COURT HOUSE — Chris Wimberg organized the only bus trip from Cape May County to President Barack Obama’s inauguration, and he thought of every detail.
The Cape May Point resident even supplied earplugs so participants can snooze as the bus rolls through the night to Washington, D.C.
The day before the trip, (scheduled to leave promptly at midnight), Wimberg was loading water bottles on a brand-new Comfort Coach tour bus. He had room for one more rider.
The trip was Wimberg’s production, not organized by the Democratic Party or other orga-nization. All proceeds from the $90 fee will be donated to the Marine Corps League, Dramis Detachment.
He and some other bus riders were ticketed for yellow Section 11 at the inauguration. Wimberg was taking a sign made up of rally cards for Obama from groups endorsing Obama as diverse as Republicans, Veterans, Latinos, Women, Pro-Family, African Americans, Catho-lics and Independents.
Wimberg volunteered at local Democratic offices during the campaign. He said he put the trip together because “somebody needed to.”
His brother is a Vietnam veteran. An aunt, who is in a veterans’ home, was this nation’s 23rd female helicopter pilot.
With no traffic, Wimberg hopes the bus will arrive at charter bus parking at RFK Stadium about 3:30 a.m. Bus riders could then access Metro Rail from that location or ride a shuttle bus to the National Mall.
Wimberg made a trip to Washington, D.C. one week ago to purchase Metro Rail tickets and check all the logistics. Bus riders will be on their own once they arrive at the National Mall, he said.
“Dress like an ice fisherman,” was Wimberg’s advice to participants due to an expected 5 to 10 degree wind chill.
This was Wimberg’s first inauguration although he attended opening ceremonies for the 1996 Olympics where he sat across from former President Jimmy Carter, he said.
Wimberg presented an American flag from U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-2d) to Mike Bethel, commandant of the Marine Corps League Dramis Detachment.
The flag had flown over the U.S. Capitol.