A Calgary woman is getting ready for an opportunity of a lifetime. Wendy Partridge is heading to Washington, DC to participate in the Inauguration Parade for US President-elect Barack Obama.
Partridge will not only ride on one of the parade entries but she has also designed and created authentic World War I uniforms that will march past the Obamas on January 20th. Partridge has logged many hours behind a sewing machine the last three weeks in preparation.
"I have had one day off since that fabric arrived, which was Christmas Day, and I've been working seven days a week basically 15 to 18 hours a day locked behind a sewing machine or behind the cutting machine trying to pull it off."
The Calgary costume designer is invited to participate in the Inauguration Parade for Barack Obama after he's sworn in as the next President of the United States.
"I'm just blown away. I think to be a part of this, or to be a witness to this historic event, is just thrilling. There are no words to describe it really."
Partridge has designed hundreds of costumes for Hollywood. But when the curator of the Lincoln Highway National Museum saw her work in the movie Passchendaele, he contacted her to create authentic World War I army uniforms for the museum's Inauguration Parade entry.
"There are 350 million people in the States and I'm just astonished he phoned me."
The Lincoln Highway National Museum has taken part in Inauguration Parades for other U.S. Presidents in the past. On January 20th, the museum's parade entry will include a fire truck and army personnel wearing uniforms Partridge has replicated from 1919.
"The buttons and the badges have all been reproduced. They were done in China and we got them two days ago. The medals, everything has been reproduced. They all are exactly like the originals."
In total, Partridge has created 37 uniforms and an Abe Lincoln outfit. Partridge and her husband will ride on the fire truck along with parade veteran Mickey Rooney. The Obamas will watch the parade from a bullet proof observation stand and around five million people are expected to line the parade route.
Partridge's daughter, Faye, is volunteering her time to help her mom with the costumes. She'll be going to Washington as well.
"When I initially found out it was kind of mind blowing. She already has one of the coolest jobs a mom can have to begin with, but this just kind of takes the cake."
The uniforms will be shipped to Washington on Monday. The Partridge family will travel to the US capital later in the week.
Partridge is not being paid to provide the uniforms for the museum's parade entry. She calculates the cost of her time, the material, and labour at about $40-thousand.
