Douglas Emhoff arrived at 11:35 am to the Belle Chasse YMCA in Plaquemines Parish, across the Mississippi River from New Orleans. He was wearing a blue sport coat, tan khakis and a blue dress shirt. He shook hands with newly-elected Congressman Troy Carter, a Democrat from New Orleans, Kirk Lepine, Plaquemines Parish president, and others. He was then escorted through the lobby to 20 four and five year olds who had been fidgeting while waiting for Emhoff. They were sitting at a long white table. Their lunch was waiting on their side table.
“Hi kids!” Emhoff said in greeting. “Are you hungry? Sorry I’m a little late.”
Emhoff quickly followed instructions to don a pair of blue plastic gloves and then began pulling the lunch items on a tray to be served to the children: chocolate milk, spaghetti and meatballs, corn and a banana.
“Are you the special guest?” a boy named Beck asked. “I’m the special guest,” he answered.
Emhoff took a seat next to Beck. “Do you like bananas?” he asked. He peeled Beck’s banana by squeezing the top first. “That’s my technique,” he said.
Emhoff moved to an adjoining room where an instructor was pitching a blue ball (slightly bigger than a softball) to kids swinging a plastic bat. Emhoff took over the pitching duties. Six kids hit rockets off of him, one that he had to dodge. “You guys are really good hitters,” he said. Emhoff seemed in good humor and smiled throughout.
At one point, he bounced the ball on his knee as if he had played soccer.
At the third and final stop, Emhoff grabbed a corner of a parachute that about 20 kids were lifting up and down.
Press was then ushered out of the room.
