President Obama To Join House Democrats At 3-Day Retreat In Cambridge
CAMBRIDGE, Md. (WJZ)-- Maryland's Eastern Shore gets ready to host a V.I.P.
President Barack Obama is visiting the area Friday.
Weijia Jiang explains the reason for the president's trip and the impact on the community.
Small town Cambridge on Maryland's Eastern Shore is on the national stage in a big way. The streets are buzzing as the locals anxiously wait for the president.
"It just builds a lot of excitement with a lot of local people," one Cambridge resident said.
"The fact that they chose Cambridge to come yet again for their meeting, it's an honor that they have come to our fair city," Victoria Jackson-Stanley, mayor of Cambridge, said.
President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are expected to arrive at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort on Friday to address House Democrats who are camped out for their annual retreat which lasts for three days.
"My peers from all over the country are coming to the great state of Maryland, coming to the great Eastern Shore, and it's almost as if you're showing off your state," Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger said.
In downtown Cambridge, business owners are especially excited.
"They came last year this time, everybody saw a 25 percent increase in their business overnight," Patrick Fanning, chef and owner of The High Spot Gastro Pub, said. "We anticipate a little bit more this year because we're a little bit more prepared for it."
Fanning is preparing a special menu for the entire week featuring a state staple.
"When you're in Maryland, you can't serve anything but the freshest crab meat," he explained.
It's fuel to get through mounds of work as Democrats hash out a plan to regain the majority after losing it last year. The meetings are mostly behind closed doors and even getting on to the hotel property is difficult.
The president's remarks are not open to the public though the theme of the event is to reignite the American dream.
"I hope what we hear from the president is what we heard at the State of the Union-- about how we're going to create jobs, do what we need to do for America, bring back the spirit that we all need to," Ruppersberger said.
And here's a note of irony: The Democrats are meeting in a district held by Republican Andy Harris. And just last week, their GOP counterparts had their retreat in heavily Democratic Baltimore City. Of course in both cases, Maryland was in the spotlight.
The mayor of Cambridge warns visitors to expect traffic heading into town. The retreat ends Friday.
