At one end of the Hopkins Park Terrace Room hung the entirety of Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address; at the other sat two televisions.

Sitting at one of the many tables set up by the DeKalb County Democrats, one man talked casually to a few other guests about Sasha and Malia’s alleged new puppy: a poodle/golden retriever mix.

This scene was the beginning of a three-hour event hosted by the DeKalb County Democrats in Hopkins Park, 1403 Sycamore Road.

Once the majority of the guests were inside, Mark Pietrowski Jr., DeKalb County Democrats vice chairman, welcomed everyone to the celebration. After thanking volunteers and those who made the inauguration events possible, he encouraged guests to meet others they did not know to talk about the day’s events.

And the guests did talk. Pat Vary, microbiology professor, and another guest, Winifred Halsey, shared stories and opinions about their experiences with elections and the Obama campaign.

“The first election I could vote in was for Kennedy,” Vary said. “This is the only other president that I have been able to get excited about.”

The idea of standing up and doing something is what drew people to Obama, Halsey said. “I think that people want to contribute and want to be part of a larger whole.”

Pietrowski said the DeKalb County Democrats decided they needed to have a celebration for Obama’s inauguration about a month ago.

“We realized that we needed to have an outlet for those who could not make it to D.C.,” Pietrowski said.

Although the event had no special speakers or presentations, Pietrowski said the accomplishment of the election was enough cause for celebration.

“It’s an amazing thing,” Pietrowski said. “Republican or Democrat, everyone can be proud of what this country can do.”