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KEVIN GUTTING

A capacity crowd at the Academy of Music rises for the swearing-in of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States during a live telecast of the inauguration Tuesday.

NORTHAMPTON - At the conclusion of "Air and Simple Gifts," the final interlude before President Barack Obama took the oath of office, a hush overcame the jubilant audience watching the inauguration live at the Academy of Music this morning.

People sat, some leaning forward, with clasped hands. A man in the fifth row held his hands in prayer, pressed up against his lips.

Kara Kritis-Harper of Northampton held her fingers to her cheek and placed her other arm around her 9-year-old daughter, Chloe.

It was an anxious moment for the 800-member crowd, which had hooted, hollered, danced, clapped and at times booed throughout the preliminaries in the inauguration ceremony.

The lights went out. Like the people in Washington D.C., the audience in Northampton stood as Obama took the podium, raised his hand and pledged to serve and protect America.

As Obama said the oath's final words, the crowd erupted in happy shouts, embraces and applause. In the third row, Theresa Vincent, a Malaysian immigrant who voted for Obama in her first election, put her arms around her husband, Ken Johnston of Amherst, and friend, Liz Powers of Northampton, squeezing the two closer to her.

"I was crying the whole time," Vincent said. "There's a lot of work to be done. There's a lot that we can do, that has to be done and the work doesn't stop at (Obama's) election."

The Academy of Music was one of the largest area venues to host a screening of the 44th presidential inauguration. Valley residents said they took time off work and stood in line outside in the cold January weather to celebrate Obama's historic presidency with the community.

"I'm just so excited to be part of the moment. I had to bring my daughters," said Kritis-Harper, who brought daughters Chloe and Hanna to the Academy. "A black American president is a dream come true and I'm excited my kids get to witness it too."

As Chloe spelled her name for the Gazette, Kritis-Harper had to add one more comment: "I also am glad to see George Bush leaving the White House," she said.