Another 'Not Really Sports Related' Moment

The President's State Dinner.

What a day at the White House yesterday! Our President and First Lady represented well during yesterday's State Dinner events, and we were there to capture the action!

After the Prime Minister and the President held their press conference earlier in the day, Mrs. Obama held an event in the White House for the 20 young mentees where they received history on former State Dinners and protocol for the event.

Here, President and Mrs. Obama pose on the steps of the White House with India's Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Mrs. Gursharan Kaur during last evening's State Dinner.



In attendance...
Actress Alfre Woodard (President's Arts and Humanities Council), Dr. Sunjay Gupta, Blair Underwood, Deepok Chopta, film composer AR Rahman, Colin Powell and wife, Congressman John Conyers, Congressman Elijah Cummings, Katie Couric, Eric Holder, Mayor Fenty and wife Michelle, Gayle King (no Oprah), Senator John Kerry, Secretary of State Hilliary Clinton, and others.

Did you know....
*** The first State Dinner for a foreign head of state was held for King David Kalakaua of Hawaii by President and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant
***The previous State Dinner held at the White House was for President and First Lady of Ghana, hosted by President Bush on September 15, 2008
***The centerpiece bouquets were composed of hydrangea, garden roses, and sweet peas to create a deep fusion of plum, purple, and fuchsia

On The Menu...
Guest Chef Marcus Samuelsson and White House Exec Chef Cristeta Comerford and her team created the dinner menu of potato and eggplant salad, red lentil soup w/ fresh cheese, chick peas and okra, smoked collard greens, coconut aged basmati, pumpkin pie tart, passion fruit and vanilla gelees, chocolate dipped fruit, roasted potato dumplings.



Performances
Chicago Jazz artist Kurt Elling, Jennifer Hudson and the National Symphony Orchestra provided the evening's entertainment.

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President Issues Statement on The Passing Of Abe Pollin

"Michelle and I were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Abe Pollin – a giant in the world of professional sports and someone I was proud to call a friend. Abe was a man who knew that being an owner wasn’t just about winning championships, although his teams had plenty of success. It was about helping young athletes become good people as well as good players. And it was about being part of a community. Abe believed in Washington, D.C. when many others didn’t – putting his own fortune on the line to help revitalize the city he loved. He was committed to the teams he guided, generous to those who needed it most, and as loyal to the people of D.C. as they were to him.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Irene, his sons Robert and James, and the entire Pollin family."

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