When a Republican power couple was invited to attend one of President Donald Trump’s and First Lady Melania Trump’s Christmas parties at the White House, it was not unexpected. But when they offered their “plus ones” to a Park County couple it became a once in a lifetime experience for a fly fishing buddy and his school teacher girlfriend.

Elise Dickens is the deputy finance director at the Republican National Committee and her husband Tom Dickens is the former RNC director of political strategy and a top fundraiser. But during the summer, Tom guided fly fishing trips in the Cody area for the Wyoming Trout Guides Fly Shop. That’s where the couple met Blake Clark, co-owner of the shop, and they invited him to the White House soiree. Clark, in turn, invited Claire Wetzel, a third-grade teacher at Livingston Elementary School.

First, they had to pass background checks. Then they made their way to Washington, D.C., for Friday’s afternoon event. It had to be a quick there-and-back flight because Wetzel only gets two personal days a year, she said.

They arrived at the White House, passed through security and then were allowed to do a self-guided tour of the East Wing of the president’s family residence. Wetzel and Clark spent much of their time marveling at art collections and sampling from buffets in several of the grand rooms.

COVID-19 regulations meant the guests were always in masks unless eating. Buffet lines were behind plexiglass dividers and dished out by servers. While the White House famously served fast food at a couple events for college football champions in early 2019, that was not the fare on Friday. Rather, Wetzel said, there was “tons of delicious gourmet food in kind of bite-sized options.”

Instead of filling up, Wetzel and Clark enjoyed taking in the many great works of art, including many contemporary pieces brought to the collection by Michelle Obama, though the portraits of former President Barack Obama and the former first lady were nowhere to be found.

At about 5:15 p.m. the guests went to the Grand Staircase for a ceremony known as the Presidential Entrance March.

“At 5:45 p.m. [security] started kind of meandering around and saying thank you for coming,” Wetzel said.

Although the president and first lady did not make an appearance, Wetzel said it was a thrill.

“It was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity,” she said. “Our invitations came through our connection [with the Dickens] and where they’re at in their careers. It is awesome they let us join them.”