Preparing for Presidential Inauguration Ceremony
By Jonathan Ng
Washington D.C.- On Monday January 21, President Barrack Obama will celebrate his second term in office as he takes the oath as the President of the United States at the 57 formal President Inauguration Ceremony.
According to the U.S. Constitution, the President of the United States is required to be sworn into office on Jan. 20, however, due to the fact that Jan. 20 falls on a Sunday, President Obama has decided to do a private ceremony on Sunday and push back the national ceremony to Monday because public institutions will not open that day.
Despite the date change, the 57th Inauguration Ceremony is expected to be one the biggest Presidential Inauguration Ceremonies to date with an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 people who are expected to attend.
“The official theme for the 2013 inauguration is “Faith in America’s Future,” commemorating the United States’ perseverance and unity, marking the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and the placement of the Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol Dome in 1863”, according to dc.about.com.
The planning for this event was approved in March of 2012 with a budget of $1.2 million. With the Senate taking the lead on this project, the presidential inauguration is expected to be the hottest thing in town.
The events following the 2013 Presidential Inauguration are: The Morning Service, The Procession to the Capitol, The Vice President’s Swearing-in Ceremony, The President’s Swearing-In ceremony, The Inaugural Address, The Inaugural Luncheon, The Inaugural Parade, and The Inaugural Ball.
President Barack Obama is drawing an A-list of performers for his inaugural festivities, including a massive gala expected to draw more than 35,000 revelers.
Katy Perry, Smokey Robinson, Usher, Alicia Keys and Brad Paisley are among the stars planning to sing at Obama’s inaugural galas Jan. 21 and a children’s concert on Jan. 19. Also signed up are Marc Anthony, Stevie Wonder, John Legend and the cast of “Glee.”
The concert and the two official inaugural balls are being held at the Washington Convention Center over the Martin Luther King holiday weekend when Obama begins his second term. The performers join top talent already announced for Obama’s signing ceremony Jan. 21 on the West Front of the Capitol, including Beyonce, Kelly Clarkson and James Taylor.
The committee in charge of the day’s events is the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC), which is composed of Chairman of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee Charles E. Schumer, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senator Lamar Alexander, Speaker of the House John A. Boehner, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.
Together they have worked with others to plan out most of the day’s events, however, some projects of the event are still under development.
One of the main issues that have risen as a result is the construction of the Inaugural Platform.
According to inaugural.senate.gov, the inaugural platform is constructed entirely from scratch for each inaugural ceremony.
This year, the JCCIC has solidified a plan to construct the inauguration platform to be over 10,000 square feet, enough to hold over 1,600 people including: the President and Vice-President-elects and their families, members of U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, Cabinet members and nominees, Justices of the Supreme Court, Former presidents, Joint Chiefs of Staff, governors, and the diplomatic corp. Completion of the platform should be just done just before the inauguration.
Many adjustments have been made to the inauguration since construction began in November and the construction crew and the JCCIC continue to work very hard until the very last day before the ceremony goes live.
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