Gov. Asa Hutchinson's second four-year term will begin in a two-day inaugural celebration starting Jan. 14 with a casual family-friendly barbecue for family and friends.
On January 15, a prayer service will start the day, followed by Hutchinson's oath of office, an inaugural address, a reception and the inaugural ball.
"Together for Success" is the inaugural theme as the Republican governor and first lady Susan Hutchinson celebrate the achievements of the governor's first term and the opportunities of his second term, the 2019 Inaugural Committee said Wednesday in a news release. The Hutchinsons' daughter, Sarah Hutchinson Wengel, and her husband, Dave Wengel, are co-chairs of the committee.
The casual barbecue will be known as the "Red, White & 'Cue Inaugural Party" from 7-9 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Museum of Discovery in downtown Little Rock.
Committee spokesman Mark Raines said the event can accommodate more than 800 people.
"There are tickets available for purchase at www.HutchinsonInaugural.com," he said. Ticket price is $20 per person, according to the committee.
The inaugural prayer service on Jan. 15 will be held from 8:30-9 a.m. at the Mosiac Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock.
The governor will take the oath of office at 10:30 a.m. in the chamber of the state House of Representatives before giving an inaugural address between noon and 1 p.m. on the front steps of the state Capitol, according to the inaugural committee.
There will be a governor's reception from 1-2:30 p.m. in the state Capitol rotunda, and the inaugural ball will take place from 6-10 p.m. at the Statehouse Convention Center in downtown Little Rock. Tickets to the ball cost $100 per person, and have all been sold, the committee said.
"For the Inaugural Ball on the evening of the 15th, the Statehouse Convention Center location can seat 1,500 people," Raines said late Wednesday afternoon. "The last ticket was sold this afternoon."
Metro on 12/20/2018