Obama visit creates buzz at Ziggy’s

AMHERST — Call it the Obama factor.
Staff at Ziggy’s Pub & Restaurant said business was buzzing Friday after President Barack Obama’s impromptu stop Thursday afternoon for a beer and take-out ribs, pizza and wings.
Ziggy’s owner, Larry Niehart, said there had been “a little bit of buzz” before Obama’s visit, but he did not find out that the president would visit the bar until 15 minutes beforehand.
He said Secret Service members arrived at the bar and secured the area, and the president arrived shortly after.
Obama then ordered food to go and drank a beer with patrons, including Matt Gibson, who toasted with the president.
“I think it was awesome,” he said, adding that Obama bought him a drink.
Many were in the dark regarding Obama’s visit, including Amherst Mayor David Taylor, a Republican, who said police called him about 5:10 p.m. to say the president was making a stop in town.
Taylor said he’s glad the visit went without a hitch, although there were “traffic jams all over town” after the motorcade got off Interstate 90.
According to Sgt. Mark Cawthon of the Amherst Police Department, police officers were aware that Obama would be coming through the area, but not that he would be stopping at Ziggy’s.
Cawthon said by keeping citizens uninformed about Obama’s visit, the White House staff was able to ensure the crowd was manageable.
“Basically, our obligation was to make a clear path as to where he was going to go,” he said.
Cawthon said the Amherst Police Department made sure to have extra officers on hand, and 10 auxiliary officers were stationed along roads to clear a path for the president’s motorcade. Obama also had his own unit to block off portions of roads, he said.
The largest traffic backup, Cawthon said, was along state Route 2. Traffic was held to a standstill during Obama’s visit, but Cawthon said roads cleared 15 minutes after allowing traffic to move again. He said there were no major problems during that time, and emergency vehicles were able to navigate through the traffic.
Officers from the Amherst, Elyria and Vermilion police departments worked with the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office to control traffic, said Chief Deputy Dennis Cavanaugh.
Cavanaugh said one possible hiccup occurred when a fire broke out at a house at 510 McIntosh Drive at 4:17 p.m.
He said he spoke with a member of the president’s staff to alert them of the fire in case anyone noticed smoke.
When Obama’s motorcade arrived, Fire Chief Wayne Northeim said the Amherst Fire Department had already knocked down the flames with mutual aid from Vermilion.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation by the state Fire Marshal and the Lorain County Fire Investigator’s office, Northeim said.
Contact Cindy Leise at 329-7245 or cleise@chroniclet.com.
Contact Chelsea Miller at 329-7123 or cmiller@chroniclet.com.