Dress Rehearsal For Inaugural Swearing-In and Parade - Photos

The stand-ins for the Obamas during rehearsal:

President-elect Barack Obama—Army Staff Sgt. Derrick Brooks
Home unit – 741st Military Intelligence, Fort Meade, MD
Hometown – Fayetteville, NC
AFIC Assignment – Ceremonies Logistics
Time in military – 7.5 years
Deployed – Iraq 2003-2004, Afghanistan 2006-2007
Quote – “This is a great opportunity to be a part of this historic moment.”

Michelle Obama—Navy Yeoman 1st Class LaSean McCray
Home unit – OPNAV Manpower, Personnel, Training & Education Command
Hometown – Miami, FL
AFIC Assignment – Personnel Management
Time in military – 12 years
Deployed Experience – Mediterranean 1992-1993
Quote – “I’m very excited and honored even if it’s for a drill.”
Read more here

Parade dress rehearsal:

Ladies and Gentlemen President H. Obama:


Saluting soldier and marching band:


Motorcycle police lead the rehearsal:


Army marching band:

Inauguration Balls and Events

poster at obamaartreport.com

UPDATE: ClICK HERE FOR THE  10 OFFICIAL BALLS THAT OBAMA WILL ATTEND. 

There are a ton of other balls. Visit here for links and info.

Here is Obama's schedule for inauguration day. 

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17

H.O.P.E. Inaugural Youth Ball
6- 10 PM
The Trinity Center at Trinity University
125 Michigan Ave. NE
Tickets: $75 (advance sales)
Information: www.hopeinauguralball.com
A family-friendly inauguration celebration.

Pre-Inaugural Kick-Off
8 PM-2 AM
Tuscana West
1350 I St. NW
Tickets: $135 (includes open bar from 8 PM-9 PM, dinner and dancing); VIP tickets $200 (includes reserved seating, bottle service, heavy hors d'oeuvres, open bar from 8 PM-10 PM, dinner and complimentary champagne)
Information: www.namgc.org

SUNDAY, JANUARY 18
California State Society’s Presidential Inaugural Luncheon and Fashion Show
11:30 AM
The Ritz-Carlton Washington, DC
1150 22nd St. NW
Information: www.cssdc.org/events.html

Aloha Inaugural Ball
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
2660 Woodley Rd. NW
Tickets: $250
Information: alohainauguralball@gmail.com
Organized by former Obama campaign workers, the ball will carry out a Hawai’I theme with island entertainers and hula dancers, reminiscent of the president-elect’s years in Hawai’i.

MONDAY, JANUARY 19
Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service
Throughout DC
Make it a day ON not a day off and volunteer with Serve DC for many meaningful projects throughout the city.
Information: serve.dc.gov

Free Concert! Aretha Franklin, Nuttin' But Stringz & the Let Freedom Ring Choir
6 PM
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Millennium Stage
Tickets: Free tickets are required. Beginning at 4 pm on January 19, tickets will be distributed one (1) per person, on a first-come first-served basis, in line in front of the Concert Hall.
Information: kennedy-center.org

The Oprah Winfrey Show
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets: Information will be available the week of 12/8 on oprah.com
According to Harpo Productions, Winfrey will host a live episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" from the Kennedy Center Opera House on Jan. 19, the day before Barack Obama takes the presidential oath of office. At least two shows are planned in DC, the second on Wednesday.

Arkansas State Society Inaugural Party for Razorbacks
The Washington Court Hotel
525 New Jersey Avenue NW
www.arkansas-state-society.org
Information: 202-329-6711

Sunshine and Stars (Florida State Society)
Corcoran Gallery of Art
500 17th Street NW
Information: 202-298-7710
www.2009floridainauguralball.com
More

Performers, Poet and Other Inauguration Day Happenings

Update 12-18: full inaugural schedule here. 

The platform, where Obama will be inaugurated, as of 11-14

The theme for the day: "A New Birth of Freedom," commemorating the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth.

The day's events:
Morning worship

Bush and Obama will head to the Capitol

Joe Biden will be sworn in as vice president

Obama will be sworn in as president

Obama will give his address

We will all happily wave goodbye to Bush as he departs

Inaugural lunch, parade then ball.

Read about each of these events and the history behind them here.

Questions are being asked as to how lavish should the celebration be.

Update 12-3: Dionne Warwick to chair the American Music Inaugural Ball. There's also a Creative Coalition Be the Change Inaugural ball headlined by Elvis Costello. Just how many balls are there? 
Possible performers include Beyonce and Bruce Springsteen. 

Who will be the inaugural poet?  I hope it's someone original and not the usual suspects (Maya Angelou). George Bush did not have a poet.  Only 3 poets have read or recited poetry at inaugurations: 

Three poets have read or recited poems at U.S. presidential inaugurations:

Robert Frost recited "The Gift Outright" (PBS transcript) at John F. Kennedy's 1961 inaugural. Frost recited the poem from memory after he was unable to read the text of the poem he'd written for the inauguration, "Dedication" (PBS transcript), because of the sun's glare upon the snow-covered ground. For information on the location of the original handwritten copy of "Dedication," see the article "The Poem Nobody Knew was Lost" and associated video on MSNBC's Web site. A video of Frost reading "The Gift Outright" at Kennedy's inauguration is available through the EarthStation1.com Web site (http://www.earthstation1.com/).
Maya Angelou read "On the Pulse of Morning" at Bill Clinton's 1993 inaugural. A video of the reading is available through YouTube.
Miller Williams read "Of History and Hope" at Bill Clinton's 1997 inaugural. Click here to listen to a RealAudio recording of Williams reading the inaugural poem from the PBS Online NewsHour website.

Apparently, Obama will have a poet -- 1,000 poets have been called upon to submit their work. Obama's own poetry has been published in the New Yorker.

Kay Ryan has been mentioned as a possible inaugural poet. Ryan's bio. 

Red Room: This morning, I saw a picture of Obama with a copy of Derek Walcott's Collected Poems in his hands. I think Walcott would be a superb choice: an excellent poet and a man who has many nations running through his veins. Here is one of my favorite Walcott poems. See what you think.

Who is Derek Walcott?