Jam, day of service precede inauguration

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Crowds catching Bruce Springsteen and Bono jam at the Lincoln Memorial hint at the throng expected to witness Barack Obama's inauguration as U.S. president.

While Sunday's musical extravaganza attended by an estimated 400,000 was a joyous, rockin' event, Monday's events preceding the Obama swearing-in were expected to focus on service as is tradition to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day, The Washington Post reported

But officials and city denizens alike say they're bracing for Tuesday's swearing-in ceremony and parade and the crush of millions of people expected to witness the historic moment when Obama becomes the 44th president.

The Rev. Bernice King, King's youngest child, said Obama's inauguration is a "significant milestone" in the work and vision of her father when he delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

"I believe that we still have a lot of work to do, which relates to racial equality and economic equality and even in the other areas my father talked about: the triple evils of poverty, racism and militarism," King told the Post. "(But) I think the inauguration actually lays the foundation and the groundwork for continuing my father's unfinished work."

Up to an inch of snow was expected in Washington Monday, creating slippery commuting conditions, AccuWeather.com said.

Obama will be sworn in in brisk conditions, forecasters said, with an expected high of 32 degrees Tuesday. However, a cold northerly wind will make the temperature feel more like the teens during the morning and the lower 20s in the afternoon.