LIHU‘E — As America gets ready to welcome in its new president, Kaua‘i residents who were not able to travel to Washington, D.C., for the big event have the option of rising early Tuesday morning and tuning into the official
LIHU‘E — As America gets ready to welcome in its new president, Kaua‘i residents who were not able to travel to Washington, D.C., for the big event have the option of rising early Tuesday morning and tuning into the official ceremony conducted via live television broadcast.
Tomorrow, both KMBG9 and KHON2 will be covering Inauguration Day live, including activities surrounding the first-ever Hawai‘i State Society Inaugural Ball.
The ball, to be held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C., reportedly sold out in record time, as residents jumped at the opportunity to celebrate the moment island-born Barack Obama would be sworn into office as the 44th president of the United States.
According to the invitation, the ball is set to “evoke the genuine warmth of the people of Hawai‘i” while guests can indulge in Asian-Pacific food, drink and entertainment and mingle with honorary chairmembers such as U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono and U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye.
Steve Uyehara, anchor at KMBG9, said live broadcasts will begin as early as 2 a.m. and continue until 8 a.m. There will be no Sunrise news report on Tuesday morning. Instead, the station will cover the morning’s events while periodically cutting in live with reporters Grace Lee and Stacy Loe. Obama’s swearing-in and speech will re-play at 12 p.m., commercial free.
Uyehara also noted that an extended two-hour news special will occur from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday evening, as well as a one-hour report from 10 to 11 p.m.
Reporter Vanessa Stewart said that a similar schedule is to take place for KHON2 where they sent crews to Washington, D.C., as early as last week for live coverage. She said that starting at 4 a.m. a Fox special report will air, then continue with local news from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. and rejoin with Fox news for the official inauguration.
“History is happening this year in so many ways,” said Felicia Cowden, who is opening up the Kilauea home where she schools 11 middle-grade students, to other students, their friends and parents for a neighborhood inauguration ball of their own.
“We are going to watch the events and make a party out of it,” she said.
Cowden said that there will be a “three-big-screen-TV environment” where a “teen-directed look” at the inauguration will take place.
“It’s a day of school for us, but we’re opening our doors to everyone else,” she said.
Starting at 8 a.m., guests are welcome to participate in the potluck event.
“We want it to be a fun celebration and welcome those from all sides of the political sphere; Republicans and Democrats are equally welcome,” said Cowden.
For more information about the Kilauea neighborhood inaugural ball, call Felicia at 828-9865.
Inauguration schedule
President-elect Barack Obama will officially be sworn into office at 12 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (7 a.m. Hawaiian). The scheduled events are as follows:
• 3 a.m. HST
Gates open.
• 5 a.m. HST
Preliminary festivities begin, including music by the United States Marine Band, the San Francisco Boys Chorus, and the San Francisco Girls Chorus.
• 6:30 a.m. HST
Call to order and welcoming remarks: The Honorable Dianne Feinstein
Invocation: Dr. Rick Warren
Musical selection: Aretha Franklin
Oath of Office administered to Vice President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr. by Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, the Honorable John Paul Stevens
Musical selection: John Williams, composer/arranger; Itzhak Perlman, violin; Yo-Yo Ma, cello; Gabriela Montero, piano; Anthony McGill, clarinet
• 7 a.m. HST
Oath of Office administered to President-elect Barack H. Obama by the Chief Justice of the United States, the Honorable John G. Roberts, Jr.
Inaugural address: The President of the United States, the Honorable Barack H. Obama
Poem: Elizabeth Alexander
Benediction: The Reverend Dr. Joseph E. Lowery
The National Anthem: The United States Navy Band “Sea Chanters”
• Coco Zickos, business writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 251) or czickos@kauaipubco.com
