If judged by the sheer amount of people in attendance, the First Friday 1-year anniversary happy hour yesterday was a resounding success – by 6 p.m., it was almost impossible to move through the super-packed front bar of Lounge 201, and by 7 the First Friday crowd was, by necessity, spilling over into other parts of the bar. But let’s delve a little deeper (with photo evidence!), shall we?

Who/what First Friday was good for:

1) Girls who like men in seersucker suits. They were plentiful:

2) Ridiculously-named drink specials:

Derek Hunter holding Lounge 201’s special First Friday drink menu, which included the The McCain (a straight-up martini), The Red State Tini (a cosmo), and The First Friday Fizz (a collection of randomness).

3) Young Ohioans–non-first-Friday regulars were out in droves to meet House Republican Leader and Ohioan John Boehner:

4) My predictions-–I was right about Boehner being a red wine man. Though I have no photographic evidence. And the wine was quickly discarded when Hunter bought the congressman a margarita.

5) Corporate sponsorship–DC Young Republicans are apparently now being sponsored by KFC.

Washington Planner’s Jonathan Strong and fiancé Anna Beth Hill model the free KFC political t-shirts the group was handing out. That’s Colonel Sanders on there above the words.

And What First Friday Was Bad For:

1) Me not being an idiot–I knew Boehner was from Cincinnati, but somehow didn’t realize he hails from my actual hometown, a small little hillbilly suburb of the city called Reading where NOBODY is from. Boehner even told me, “I’ve never just met anybody out in DC who’s from Reading!” He (and his 12 brothers and sisters) went to the Catholic school my family goes to, he worked during high school at the bar (Eddie’s Cafe) I frequent on Christmas breaks, and grew up a few blocks from where I grew up. I called my mom today and said, “How did I not know John Boehner was from Reading?” Her apt response: “I don’t know, you’re an idiot?”

All right, and that completely unnecessary personal note aside, some more First Friday photos:

Young Republicans KFC T-Shirt Table (aside from the “Right Wing” t-shirts, they also had shirts, I guess for the libertarians, that said “Right Wing, Left Wing, It All Tastes The Same To Me”).

I asked people’s names, but of course I don’t remember any of them. If you know who any of these people are (or if you are these people), let me know.

John Boehner with Will of the Heritage Foundation.

Boehner working the crowd.

Heritage Will again (man, once I remember somebody’s name, I sure take a lot of photos of them) with Cato Trade Policy Analyst Sallie James.

The crowd.