Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama enjoyed the company of hundreds of Ohio Valley residents during a barnyard barbecue Wednesday afternoon.

Obama arrived at Piergallini Farms in Smithfield, Jefferson County, around 4:30 p.m. for the invitation-only event.

The presidential hopeful addressed the crowd for about 20 minutes in an informal setting as they sat on bales of hay.

Obama urged people to come together and told the crowd the election is "about you."

"We will not just win Ohio, we will win this general election and you and I together are going to change this country," Obama said.

He said after visiting all states except Alaska, he learned that America is a beautiful place and that Americans are sincerely good people.

"We are truly blessed to be here in America," Obama said. "People are hard-working, they are generous, they believe in community and being good neighbors."

He also said he wants to invest $15 billion to revamp automakers to build high-efficiency cars in the U.S., and said he wants to use energy in a way that doesn't pollute or accelerate global warning.

In attendance were many local officials as well as steel representatives.

Obama's campaign workers had been working around the clock preparing for the event on county Road 10 near Smithfield, and on the menu was barbecued pork as well as other traditional barbecue foods.

Earlier in the day, Obama spoke to a small group at Kent State University in New Philadelphia.

During the visit, he appeared to have gotten confused and misreferenced where he was, calling New Philadephia "New Pennsylvania."

The McCain camp brought to light Obama's mistake, issuing a statement reading, "Out of desperation, Barack Obama has argued that he's experienced enough to be president because he's an expert manager at running his own presidential campaign -- but today he didn't even know where his campaign was."

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