Ben Davis, left, of Costa Mesa, and Rob Stonecipher, of L.A., share their excitement over getting tickets to see President Obama at the Orange County Fairgrounds. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Adam Ripps, left, consoles Ralph Hardy, who became tearful when he got his ticket. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Hardy had tried to attend Obama’s inauguration, but his car broke down on the way. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Patriotism, the economy and a sense of humor marked the mood as hundreds of people camped out in Orange County overnight to get tickets to see President Obama. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Sade Washington, on leave from active duty with the U.S. Army in Ft. Benning, Ga., was among the crowd to see the sun come up while waiting for Obama tickets. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Steve Mallen, of L.A., hopes to send a message about his worker’s comp issue. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Ben Davis of Costa Mesa sports an Obama shirt, designed by his father. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
My-Dung Tran, 25, of Garden Grove seeks warmth from her sleeping bag. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Linda Williams-Taylor of Chino wears an image of President Obama on her sweatshirt. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
While waiting at the Orange County Fairgrounds, the crowd does the wave. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Not everyone who showed up got a ticket to the Obama town hall in Costa Mesa. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
