President due today at Monticello

By Rachana Dixit

Published: July 4, 2008

It’s been nearly eight years since a president made a stop in the area, but today that’s set to change.

President Bush will speak this morning at Monticello at its 46th annual Independence Day Celebration and Naturalization Ceremony.

Seventy-six people from 30 countries are being sworn in as citizens — and about 3,200 more are expected to watch, according to Monticello’s director of communications, Wayne Mogielnicki.

“Normally we have 1,500 to 2,500 people per year depending on the weather and the speaker,” Mogielnicki said Thursday. “There’s going to be more folks here from the public than in recent years.”

Monticello offered 1,000 free public tickets on a first-come first-served basis Wednesday morning, and they were quickly snapped up, with some peoples waiting for hours in the dark in hopes of getting a chance to see the president. Many left empty handed, or pinning their hopes on a waiting list in case more tickets became available.

To prepare for today’s ceremony, Charlottesville Transit System buses have been contracted to shuttle people up and down the mountain, though an exact number was not available, in addition to Monticello’s own fleet. Some ticket holders were instructed to arrive as early as 6:15 a.m. for the 10 a.m. event.

Food and free water will be available on site.

“We want to make sure people are comfortable,” said Liesel Nowak, a Monticello communications specialist.

The parkland that runs parallel to Route 53 will be closed until noon, including the two parking lots off the road. The closed areas, which include Kemper Park and the Saunders-Monticello Trail, will re-open this afternoon and be open all day Saturday and Sunday. Monticello’s normal operations will begin at 1 p.m. today and continue until 5.

Bush is the fourth president to attend the ceremony, after Gerald R. Ford (1976), Harry S. Truman (1947) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (1936). Bill Clinton was the last president to visit the area, in 2000 for a fundraising dinner for the Democratic National Committee.

Past ceremony speakers have included Gen. Colin Powell, author David McCul-lough and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

“Over the years, we have sought to have speakers who are more national,” said Daniel P. Jordan, president of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. Jordan is retiring this year after 24 years at the helm, making Bush the final speaker during his term as head of Monticello. Having the president play that role is “an honor and a pleasure,” he said.

However, multiple groups plan to protest during Bush’s appearance. Expected demonstrators include RVA4Peace, the Augusta Center for Peace and Justice, the national and Charlottesville chapter of CODEPINK Women for Peace, afterdowningstreet, democrats.com and Charlottesville’s chapter of moveon.org. The protest is expected to take place on Route 20 away from Monticello’s grounds.

A local blog, welcometocvillepresidentbush.blogspot.com, mentions a counter-protest, but it did not describe any organized plans as of Thursday evening.