Photo: Win McNamee / Getty Images News / Getty Images
After more than a decade of waiting, the gates finally opened — and the people showed up.
The Obama Presidential Center welcomed its first public visitors on Juneteenth (June 19), following Thursday's (June 18) star-studded dedication ceremony attended by all three living former presidents alongside Barack and Michelle Obama. Overnight, the 3,000 chairs set up for the ceremony cleared out, making way for DJ sets, dancing, and a long line of people waiting to take photos with the statue of the former president and first lady.
Crowds traveled from across the country to stand alongside Chicagoans for the long-awaited opening. Demand was so high that museum tickets sold out through November before the doors even opened.
Thursday's dedication ceremony itself was a gathering unlike most Chicago has seen — former Presidents Joe Biden, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton joined Barack and Michelle Obama on stage, alongside performances from Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Common, and U2's Bono and The Edge. Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Kelly Rowland, and former Vice President Kamala Harris were among the attendees.
President Obama used his remarks to urge Americans to resist "cynicism and despair," while Michelle Obama delivered a tribute to her husband that was emotional enough to move him to tears.
The Obamas weren't done celebrating after Thursday's ceremony. On Friday, they personally surprised the first 100 visitors to walk through the Center's doors, greeting them in the lobby and posing for photos. They also joined former "Reading Rainbow" host LeVar Burton to read Where the Wild Things Are to 25 school children at the Center's library branch — a tradition the Obamas first started in the White House. When Barack read Maurice Sendak's line about being "king of all the wild things," Michelle interjected, "Although there were no kings," drawing applause from the crowd.
Opening weekend festivities continued through Father's Day (June 21), with performances, art workshops, and sports clinics. The Center will host its next major public event for the Fourth of July, kicking off a summer series tied to America's 250th anniversary.
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