4 FROM AREA TO ATTEND INAUGURAL FESTIVITIES

The day after Christmas was anything but a holiday for Ronald Yersak.

His attic burned and his bathroom flooded.

Then the 60-year-old Dexter man went to the post office, where the news was much better: He had been invited to attend President Clinton's inauguration.

Yersak said he and his wife, Bonnie, probably will spend about $400 to $450 a day during the long inauguration weekend in Washington.

It cost them $300 for inaugural ball tickets alone. "There is nothing free," he said.

The ball, however, is still a bargain compared to the $3,000-a-ticket inaugural ball that will feature entertainment by Barbra Streisand.

There are 14 inaugural balls on Jan. 20, culminating a day in which Clinton will be sworn in again as president.

The Yersaks initially wondered if they could afford to go, particularly since they still must pay for repairs to their house.

But they quickly decided it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity they couldn't pass up.

"I am putting it on my Mastercard," he said. "We are going to go to everything we can go to."

Vicki Abernathy of Jackson also has been invited to the inauguration ceremonies. She will attend the same ball as the Yersaks. It will be at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

There are a whole series of parties and inaugural events on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 18 and 19, leading up to inauguration day. A huge fireworks display over the Washington Mall will highlight activities on Jan. 18.

Clinton will be sworn in on the Capitol steps in a noontime ceremony. That will be followed by a parade.

Both Yersak and Abernathy were delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last August. Both said they were honored and thrilled to be invited to the inauguration; that it is a chance to be a part of history.

The Yersaks, Abernathy and Abernathy's friend and fellow Democrat Susan Estes of Jackson plan to travel to Washington Jan. 17. They will return home Jan. 21. Abernathy and Estes plan to fly to Washington. The Yersaks haven't decided if they will fly or drive.

"If I have to shovel snow to get there, I will do it," Ronald Yersak said.

The son of Polish immigrants, Yersak feels he is living the American dream. "I am definitely a product of this country."

Yersak said he and his wife are looking forward to the ball.

"She is going to have an evening gown, and I am going to wear a black tie and tails for the first time im my life," he said.

Yersak said he hopes to shake Clinton's hand at the ball. The president traditionally makes an appearance at every ball.

Yersak said he and Clinton both came from humble origins: Clinton grew up in Hope, Ark.; Yersak in Blackwood Terrace, N.J., where there was no running water. Yersak said his family got their water from a well inside the house. He never envisioned he would attend a presidential inauguration.

Neither did Abernathy. In her late 40s, Abernathy has gone from a job as airline stewardess to selling furniture.

Abernathy is a staunch supporter of Clinton. But she said the inauguration transcends politics; it is a time to celebrate being an American.