Odds of winning tickets: 1,000 to 1
SYRACUSE -- Six Central New Yorkers hit the lottery today. Instead of winning millions of dollars they won two precious tickets to witness the swearing in and inaugural address of President Barack Obama. Five of the six local people selected are from Onondaga County one is from Madison County. They all entered the lottery held by Senator Charles Schumer's office. He distributed 175 tickets after the lottery randomly selected the winners from 150,000 people who expressed interest.
A professor at the Syracuse College of Law is one of those who receiving two tickets. Lavonda Reed Huff is an African-American who sees the election of Barack Obama as a positive sign because it shows non-African-Americans are also confident that Obama can lead this country during difficult times. She sees the January 20th date as a beginning Reed-Huff says," it's kind of an opportunity to heal some of the wounds of the last eight years and move forward with excitement and vigor."
16 year old Joshua Lieberman was fortunate that his mother entered the lottery. Joshua will now be attending the ceremony on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Lieberman says he wants to be part of history. He wants to be able to say, "I was part of history. I saw Barack Obama speak."
All of those attending are being told to arrive early. Security checks will be extensive. Senator Clinton and members of the area congressional delegation are also handing out tickets to those who have expressed interest.
