Barack Obama’s highly anticipated birthday party featured his friends, celebrities, and Island food Saturday.
The star-studded guest list included John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union, Don Cheadle, Kim Fields, Gayle King, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, and Steven Spielberg, according to People. There were performances by Legend, H.E.R., and Erykah Badu, People reported.
The lavish event was scaled down due to concerns about the spread of the Delta COVID variant, but some were still able to make a virtual appearance.
A source familiar with the party told The Times President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the Dalai Lama sent video messages to Obama that were played at the party.
“The greatest gift of our time together is the bond between our families,” Biden said in his video. “Happy birthday, 44. Jill and I send you and Michelle our love. Look forward to seeing you soon.”
Several COVID protocols were in place for the event, and Centers for Disease Control protocols were in place, such as a COVID coordinator who was in communication with Edgartown town administrator James Hagerty, requests for guests to be vaccinated, and requests for individuals to show negative COVID tests. A source familiar with the party told The Times masks with 44×60 were given out to all guests — a nod to the number president he was and his age.
The event was held at Obama’s 30-acre estate in Edgartown under a tent rented from Big Sky Tents. Catering trucks with Nancy’s Restaurant logos were seen entering Turkeyland Cove ahead of the party. The Chilmark Coffee Co. was at the event serving espresso martinis and cold brew. The A list party featured A list amenities such as ice cubes printed with 44×60, the party’s logo.
According to a source who worked at the party, all staff at the event were wearing masks, and many attendees were wearing them, though some photos from the event showed a dancing Obama without one. The Times was told there were an estimated 100 to 150 people at the event.
Obama was spotted at the Winnetu on Friday with several guests, and at brunch at Beach Road restaurant in Vineyard Haven on Sunday.
Martha’s Vineyard Airport director Geoff Freeman said it was a particularly busy weekend for the Island airport. “There was a significant uptick in jet traffic tied to that specific event,” Freeman said of the birthday party.
Freeman said there were “quite a few” people of note coming in on private jets, but that it was hard to identify people wearing masks. He also said some people had government or private security protection. Fuel sales also saw a jump.
He added that some of the private jets violated a voluntary noise curfew at the airport, which is from 10 pm to 6 am.
“Thankfully it wasn’t the full party that was originally planned, because it would have definitely overwhelmed this airport,” Freeman said.
Despite published reports that the party caused a traffic snarl in Oak Bluffs (sorry New York Post, the party was in Edgartown), Edgartown Police Chief Bruce McNamee told The Times that traffic was manageable on Slough Cove Road.
“We made accommodations,” McNamee said. “There was some offsite parking … we were stationed at a checkpoint down the street.”
There was heightened security at the party, according to a source. Edgartown Police posted on Twitter that a no-fly zone for drones was established on Saturday.
The original guest list included 475 people and 200-plus staff, but was “significantly” scaled back due to concerns about the spread of the Delta variant.
from WordPress https://ift.tt/3lPBd3q
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment