JARED MILLER Star-Tribune capital bureau | Posted: Saturday, March 8, 2008 12:00 am
LARAMIE - Barack Obama received a rock star's welcome here Friday, with supporters lined up in the cold for hours to hear what many expected to be an inspiring speech from a charismatic candidate.
"I mean, it's Barack Obama," said University of Wyoming freshman Heidi Owens, who passed the time near the front of the line by knitting. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Obama supporters began accumulating outside the Arena-Auditorium at UW a full six hours before the 7 p.m. speech. By the time students finished their afternoon classes, the crowd had ballooned to several hundred in size.
At capacity, the Arena-Auditorium holds about 15,000 spectators. Friday's crowd was estimated at close to 6,000.
Before the doors opened, Abby Lewis, a UW sophomore, braved the 35-degree temperatures in a skin-tight, custom-made T-shirt that said "Obama Girl" on the front and "Barack 'N Roll" on the back.
Although she lived in Illinois when Obama was a state senator there, she has never seen him in person - "Unless you count hours and hours of dedicated CNN watching."
Vendors with Obama buttons, T-shirts, hats and bracelets contributed to a carnival-like atmosphere.
Ryan Puett, a student from Indiana who follows the campaign to sell buttons with slogans like, "Obama Rocks" and "Chicks Dig Obama," said the crowd wasn't as large as he's seen in metro areas, but his merchandise was selling well.
"You would be surprised how much people want their buttons," Puett said.
Despite the wintry temperatures, and the appearance in Laramie by former President Bill Clinton the night before, the atmosphere outside the Arena-Auditorium was buzzing with excitement. The prospect of seeing Obama live and in person had many people giddy.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said UW pharmacy student Kara Riskowski, who wanted to hear what Obama had to say about health care. "Especially if he does become president, you get to say, 'I met the president of the United States.'"
"He's sort of a celebrity," added Krystal Niccoli, a second-year pharmacy student, who bundled up in a white parka and tried to study her pharmacology text. "I'm also interested in his views because I haven't been paying that much attention, to be honest."
Laura Shivley, a UW senior, said word of Obama's visit spread across campus like a "virus" this week, with students e-mailing and firing off text messages with the news. She had trouble getting a seat at the Clinton event Thursday night, so she and a friend showed up about four hours early Friday.
"We'd like there to be as much enthusiasm as possible," Shivley said.
UW senior Mike Groover, who held a microbiology text in his mittened hands as he waited for the doors to open, said he showed up out of curiosity, and to be a witness to history.
"Aside from the fact that Obama gets people excited and inspired, this is kind of a historic event for Laramie," Groover said.
Other early-birds Friday were Democrats who said they usually feel disenfranchised in Wyoming, but saw Friday's speech as a kind of vindication for their loyalty to their beliefs.
"It means that we matter in Wyoming," said Kerry Luck-Torry, a first-year law student at UW. "I think we get beat into our heads that we don't matter, particularly if you are a Democrat. To have Obama here, it shows us that we matter and we can make a change in Wyoming and America."
Laramie resident and longtime Democrat Mark Stansbury said he arrived more than six hours early so his children would have a good view of a historic figure.
"I have been a registered Democrat in Wyoming since the 1970s," said Stansbury, who brought a warm coat, gloves and a lawn chair for the wait in line. "Usually in presidential elections, I don't feel like my vote counts. This is one chance when I feel like I can make a difference with my vote."
Candi Homan of Cheyenne passed up a chance to see Hillary Clinton at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne Friday and drove to Laramie for Obama's speech instead.
The last time Homan saw a presidential candidate in person, she was attending a rally for Robert Kennedy's presidential run in Cheyenne. She said she expected the Obama encounter to be just as rewarding.
"We don't care that we have to wait in line for four hours," Homan said.
Reach capital bureau reporter Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244 or at {M3jared.miller@trib.com.