FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Gov. Andy Beshear will be sworn in at midnight to begin his second and final term. The swearing-in ceremony is a private event. However, there will be a public ceremony about 14 hours later.
First Lady Britainy Beshear said the theme for the 62nd gubernatorial inauguration is “Forward, Together."
“Inauguration Day will be a celebration of the Team Kentucky spirit that moves us Forward, Together,” Gov. Beshear said. “Our health care heroes and public school educators will serve as the parade’s grand marshals, and we’ll have incredible Kentucky artists and community leaders sharing their talents throughout the day.”
After the midnight ceremony, inauguration day kicks off at 8:30 a.m. with a delegation of Frankfort residents bringing country ham, beaten biscuits and white cake to the Beshear family at the Governor’s Mansion. According to the Governor's Office, this tradition, which has been followed for more than 100 years, is said to have started when an outgoing first lady left a baked ham, cake and a platter of beaten biscuits on the dining table for the incoming first family.
During that same time, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and her family will attend a breakfast reception at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History.
Then, at 9:30 a.m., there will be an Inaugural Worship Service at First Christian Church. Following the service, the governor, lt. governor, and their families will board horse-drawn carriages and travel the inaugural parade route.
The public swearing-in ceremony, which is set for 2 p.m., will feature a musical performance by Tyler Childers and a reading by Kentucky Poet Laureate Silas House.
The Grand March is set for 6 p.m. And Inauguration Day ends with the inaugural balls, which is a ticked event and is already at capacity.
