WASHINGTON — Spouses of those serving in the armed forces, military and civilian colleges, gay musicians, service dog trainers and a drill team from President Barack Obama’s hometown are among the diverse groups that were invited Tuesday to participate in next month’s inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue.
The Presidential Inaugural Committee has started sending out invitations to groups nationwide to march behind Obama from his swearing-in at the Capitol to the White House on Jan. 21.
The first wave selected includes the marching band from Miami University of Ohio, the alma matter of GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan where first lady Michelle Obama spoke during the final weekend of the campaign. Also selected was the Virginia Military Institute, a traditional performer in inaugural parades.
Others include Military Spouses of Michigan, the Lesbian and Gay Band Association of St. Louis, Chicago’s South Shore Drill Team and marching bands from Little Rock Central High School and Washington’s Ballou Senior High School.
“The talented groups chosen to participate in the inaugural parade reflect the spirit, values, and diversity of our great nation,” Obama said in a statement.
The application process was run by the military, beginning in October before the election and continuing through the end of last month. The Joint Task Force — National Capital Region is charged with supporting inaugural ceremonies and reviewed about 3,000 online applications to make sure they met minimum requirements before presenting about 300 applicants to the Presidential Inaugural Committee for final selection.
The process included members of military bands reviewing video and audio files of performances to judge the skill of marching bands, musical acts and drill teams. Other applicants included floats, silent marching groups, dancers and other performers.
More than 20 were invited Tuesday, with the committee still reviewing applications and planning to continue to invite others on a rolling basis to represent all 50 states.
Committee officials say they don’t have a specific target size for the parade, but about 130 groups with close to 15,000 participants were selected in 2009. This time organizers say the parade is expected to be smaller, keeping with plans to downsize the overall size of the event from Obama’s historic first inauguration, when a record 1.8 million people packed the National Mall.
Inaugural parades are a time-honored tradition following the president’s swearing in, beginning with the local militias that accompanied George Washington from his Virginia home to New York, where his inauguration was held in 1789. Thomas Jefferson charted the modern day route in 1805 when he rode a horse to the White House after being sworn in for his second term, followed by a spontaneous procession of local workers and a Marine Band. President Dwight Eisenhower had the longest parade in 1953, lasting more than five hours. President Jimmy Carter walked along Pennsylvania Avenue during his parade, which has since become traditional practice for the presidents as they begin their new terms.
The parade shuts down one of Washington’s main thoroughfares, and involves the temporary removal of all street lights along the Pennsylvania Avenue route.
Costs of the parade are covered by the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s fundraising. Participants must pay their own travel costs to attend, but the committee said it is trying to help them find affordable accommodations at a time when many Washington hotels are booked or charge inflated rates.
Obama begins his second term at noon Jan. 20, and is planning a private swearing in at the White House with limited media coverage. His public inauguration will be on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, Jan. 21, a Monday, since the ceremony is not traditionally held on Sundays.
Front Section, Pages 2 on 12/19/2012