It's not official until the Banjo calls it.

[Ivor Karabatkovic]

The beloved Gary Rice makes a stop at Sullivan's on Madison Avenue to declare a victory for Senator Barack Obama.

The crowd erupts with tears and cheers of joy as Illinois Senator Barack Obama is announced as the winner of the 2008 General Election.




View the Gallery HERE!

[sharon kinsella]

Thank you so much for those pictures Ivor.

Last night was amazing. You will have a great story of this night to tell your kids.

Gary you're beautiful.

[Gary Rice]

Well....

We seemed to have a wee bit of excitement up at Sullivan's last night, did we not?

Great photos Ivor...and so much...much more.

The excitement was not exactly confined to Sullivan's, was it?

Remember March 6th 2007, Ivor?

When your front page story about Barack Obama ran in the Lakewood Observer...

...a documentary story along with your observations from a gymnasium...

...about one idealistic young person meeting another for the first time...

Everyone...read it again HERE:

http://lakewoodobserver.com/pdfs/Observ ... e%2005.pdf

Civic journalism indeed.

Remember the grief you took for that story? That it perhaps might have been too enthusiastic?

Needed to be more...objective, did it?

In a pig's eye, it did.

You nailed that story, hands down...

Remember your last words in that column? Here they are again...

"His ideas planted seeds of hope in 1500 gardens."

Oh yes they did Ivor. They did all that... and so much more.

You were a prophet, son. You just helped to change the world.

[Ivor Karabatkovic]

Well....

We seemed to have a wee bit of excitement up at Sullivan's last night, did we not?

Great photos Ivor...and so much...much more.

The excitement was not exactly confined to Sullivan's, was it?

Remember March 6th 2007, Ivor?

When your front page story about Barack Obama ran in the Lakewood Observer...

...a documentary story along with your observations from a gymnasium...

...about one idealistic young person meeting another for the first time...

Everyone...read it again HERE:

http://lakewoodobserver.com/pdfs/Observ ... e%2005.pdf

Civic journalism indeed.

Remember the grief you took for that story? That it perhaps might have been too enthusiastic?

Needed to be more...objective, did it?

In a pig's eye, it did.

You nailed that story, hands down...

Remember your last words in that column? Here they are again...

"His ideas planted seeds of hope in 1500 gardens."

Oh yes they did Ivor. They did all that... and so much more.

You were a prophet, son. You just helped to change the world.

Gary,

I can sit here and chuckle as I read the article again. Not because of my prediction but because of how I wrote the article. On my wall sits a printed issue of this March 6th, 2007 Lakewood Observer, signed by the President-Elect himself.

This is a beautiful country, and the American people are great people. Start the banjo!

[Gary Rice]

OK Everyone,

NOW we can ALL sing together!

Same tune I was leadin' the crowd with last night...

Gary's parody to the tune of "She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain"...
( from a 19th century folk/spiritual song in the public domain)

1) Ain't it fun to be American again?
Ain't it fun to be American again?
Ain't it fun to be American? Yes it's fun to be American!
Ain't it fun to be American again?

2) Ain't it fun to be a Democrat again? (etc...)
3) Ain't it fun to see Joe Biden coming in? (etc....)
4) Ain't it fun to see Obama comin' in? (etc....)

and let's be inclusive here...

5) Ain't it fun to be Republicans today?
'Cause we won the Civil War, Abe Lincoln's way!
We freed slavery from its chains,
...and we gave you John McCain!
Yes its fun to be Republicans today!

to 1st verse and out...now SING!