It has been an "in-your-face" race for president in the South Bend area…and it continues Wednesday night.

That's when the locals come face to face with Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama.

A rally is planned at South Bend Washington High School for 10 p.m..

The school gym will seat about 3,000 people.

Tuesday, it became clear rather quickly, that won’t be enough.

Scoring tickets to Senator Obama’s South Bend rally was easier for some than others.

DiAnne Taylor-Cook works in an office that is in the same building, and right across the hall from the South Bend Obama campaign office.

“I got permission to leave work and go down there and get my tickets,” said Taylor-Cook while clutching a pair of passes to the rally.

Volunteers who distributed the tickets said they ran out in about 40-minutes time.

“Its history for South Bend, you know amongst all the controversy that's on line right now, it's good history for South Bend,” said campaign volunteer Oliver Jackson of South Bend.

In an attempt to make sure the visit was seen in a good light, maintenance crews today were checking the light bulbs in the Washington High School parking lot.

It’s sure to be dark at the conclusion of a political rally that starts at 10 p.m. Wednesday.

“I was really surprised at that time,” said South Bend School Board President Sheila Bergeron. “I never heard of a rally starting that late, but they must know what they're doing.”

“My whole thing was for the kids,” School Board Member William Sniadecki said of the late start, “Now how is that going to involve our kids and how many is going to be able to come out.”

While the timing and location of the visit has stirred some controversy, some prefer to stay focused on the big picture.

It’s been 40 years since local residents had the chance to complain about the details of a presidential campaign visit.

“Personally, I think its cool that he's coming to Washington, but that he's in town, that he's in our community, that the party his campaign feels its important and necessary to come to our community,” said Obama supporter Lynn Coleman, “for me that's exciting.”