Parade wrangler deals with toilets, buses

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- The man organizing President-elect Barack Obama's inaugural parade said he hoped the prospect of record crowds will not scare people away from Washington.

Peter Gage, 30, who began working for the Obama campaign, told USA Today he is dealing with unprecedented challenges as the United States prepares for the first black president.

"You can prepare for inaugurations like the ones we've seen in the past. But nobody has ever worried about where to put 10,000 buses before," he said.

Gage and the 28 people on his staff are dealing both with the parade itself -- 13,000 people are expected to march -- and the logistics of crowd control and comfort.

The marchers will include the traditional, like cadets from Virginia Military Institute. VMI first marched in President William Howard Taft's parade in 1909.

The World Famous Lawn Rangers, who hail, like Obama, from Illinois, are known for dances with toilet plungers and other household tools.

But Gage said the main thing is to "roll out as much of the red carpet as we can" for those coming to Washington to watch.