Haz Mat 2 Provides Support Services For
President Bush Visit
July 7, 2004

By Jane Holahan And Kristen Kridel
Lancaster New Era

Published: Jul 10, 2004 12:31 PM EST

LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - Supporters waved flags, protesters yelled, cheers rose and tempers flared as President George W. Bush’s motorcade drove through Lancaster County Friday afternoon.

The 20-vehicle motorcade, brimming with politicians, police, secret service and the national press corps, drove straight through the heart of Lancaster County, from Lapp Electrical Services in East Lampeter Township, through the city along Orange Street and out Columbia Avenue toward York.

Crowds turned out all along the 20-or-so-mile route, letting the president — who was waving from his campaign bus — know they supported or opposed him.

Business signs offered the motorcade free meals and words of welcome as the caravan of buses, cars and motorcycles cruised along at about 40 miles an hour.

Members of an Amish family waved their hands and hats along Route 340, swimmers in dripping suits got out of the pool to wave near Mountville, and employees at a Denny’s restaurant on Columbia Avenue held up a giant flag.

Signs declared “We love Bush, 4 more years’’ and “We support Bush.’’

But there were plenty of protesters along the route as well.

On Orange Street, a young man wore a T-shirt that bore the words “Impeach Bush.’’ Signs declared “Outsource Bush” and “Vote John Kerry.’’

One woman made an obscene gesture at the motorcade, but her protests apparently were about traffic tie-ups, not politics. Her car was trapped on a side street.

But for many, the chance to see the president of the United States was a thrill.

“We thought we were never going to see President Bush. When he waved, it was very exciting,’’ said Susie Snyder, who is retired from the Kearney A. Snyder Funeral Home. “We watched his father before, years ago, and even President Nixon when he came through.’’

“I saw him waving, he looks pretty happy,’’ said Young Kim, 45, owner of Kim’s Custom Cleaning at the corner of Orange and Prince streets. “My wife missed seeing him, and she really wanted to see him.’’

But Bakari Stamps, 30, of Lancaster, who happened to be walking along Orange Street when the motorcade went by, was unimpressed.

“I saw people lined up on either side of the street — some sitting on their porches. But honestly, I don’t see the big deal. His whole presidency has been a farce. Everyone was wondering if they would see the president I could care less whether he came or not.’’

The most intense area on the motorcade was at Lancaster County Republican headquarters, at the corner of Columbia and West End avenues, where about 300 people, including both supporters and protesters, stood waiting for the motorcade.

Some got there hours before the motorcade swept by a little after 5 p.m.

Passions ran high, though most of the people waiting there were Bush supporters.

A debate several people had over the war in Iraq got heated.

Veteran Jake Caldwell, 42, held up a sign that stated “Stop the war” as he loudly questioned the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

“I feel the American public’s been duped,” Caldwell, of Lancaster City, said. “I think it’s pretty obvious. If you don’t see that, I think you’re in denial.”

Todd Miller, an Army sergeant from Reading who is leaving for Iraq in December, made signs on the spot to specifically retort Caldwell’s statements.

Holding up a sign that said “Freedom isn’t cheap” on one side and “Iraq Bound Proud to serve the U.S. Army” on the other, Miller said that the public cannot be informed about the weapons of mass destruction because any leak of information would put U.S. troops in danger.

“So many people don’t know the truth,” Miller, 29, said, adding sarcastically, “Let’s tell them where the weapons are that are going to kill our soldiers.”

Advocates for the president were out in force at Republican headquarters.

Elly King, 27, of Lancaster City, held a sign stating “The burning Bush will not be consumed.’’

“I love George Bush,’’ King said. “I just like that he’s a man of his word, and he stands up for what is right. He’s not afraid of what people think. He’s bold. I love it.’’

City resident Teresa Wolf said she believes Bush is an awesome president.

“I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment,’’ she said.

For businesses along the route, it was boom or bust.

At Denny’s Restaurant at the corner of Columbia Avenue and Rohrerstown Road, only one table was occupied at the time the motorcade went by, so general manager Tri Vu let his employees briefly join the large crowd lining the motorcade’s route.

Seven Denny’s employees held up a large American flag when the president passed and another one held up a sign that said, “President Bush, come in for an All-American Slam,” referring to one of the restaurant’s breakfast features.

Inside, the lone table of diners had no idea the president had driven by.

“I came in afterward and asked them if they saw him. They were clueless,’’ said Jenny Texidor, 19, a waitress at Denny’s.

“I just feel special because I saw the president,” Texidor added. “As soon as I got home I called my mom to tell her I saw the president and she thought I was joking.”

Another Denny’s employee, Mark Shade, 44, of Lancaster, decided to cross Columbia Avenue and stand by Blockbuster video to get a better view.

“I saw him up close,” Shade said. “He was standing right by the door (of the bus) waving. It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing and I’ll never have that opportunity again.”

While business was slow at Denny’s, the Turkey Hill near Republican headquarters was buzzing.

“We were extremely busy yesterday afternoon, more so than normal,” said manager Mark Campbell, who was too busy working to see the president.

A few hundred feet down the street, Chuck Pletcher, owner of Pletcher’s Sunoco, at 1000 Columbia Ave, did not have the same problem. Pletcher closed temporarily when the street was shut down to make way for the motorcade.

Pletcher, 54, of Lancaster, and his son, Chas, 34, of New Providence, never saw a president in person before and said they were able to catch just a quick glimpse of Bush.

“I saw him but almost missed him because we didn’t know what bus he was in,” Chas Pletcher said. “It was still neat to see him, though. I don’t know if it will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience but it may very well be.”

“It all happened so quickly,” Chuck Pletcher said. “I think they could have slowed the motorcade down a bit.”

(Staff Writers Rory Hassler and Jennifer McMahan-Curliss contributed to this report.)