Attending last week's Democratic National Convention gave two Lycoming County residents a chance to help support presidential nominee Barack Obama as well as to embrace their party's issues.
Joe Smith, owner of Gleghorn Insurance Co. in Watsontown, said it was exciting to be part of the whole experience.
"It's almost a once in a lifetime thing. Just to be there on the floor experiencing it," he said.
Mary Lou Baldys of Williamsport, who was at the convention with her husband Warren, had similar feelings.
"Everybody was very upbeat," she said. "We were pretty proud of the candidates and positive they can make progress on issues."
It was hardly a relaxing vacation for Smith and Baldys.
Each was in Denver to help ensure that convention attendees had the proper credentials.
"Essentially, we were working the suburban hotels. The credentials were there in the morning. We would have their credentials. Each day they had to pick them up," Smith said. "We would get up at 5 o'clock. We were probably done by 3 o'clock, which allowed us to go to the convention."
Both agreed it was a busy week.
"It was quite a process to get everyone where they needed to be," Baldys said. "When you are part of this, you see there are a lot of details."
Baldys said despite her duties she was able to attend many of the events during the week and see closeup some of the major players, including Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., the Clintons and Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden.
"I got to meet Jimmy Carter in an elevator," she added.
She said she was heartened by the diversity of people attending the convention - young people, Hispanics, blacks.
She said the issues people seemed most interested in were the economy and health care.
Smith said it was a great experience for anyone at all interested in politics and a good chance to network with Democrats from all over the nation.
"It was inspiring to have that many people of the same belief."
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