Hundreds watched as Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and the First Lady walked down 65 marble steps during the Grand March. The couple was preceded by newly-elected Lieutenant Governor Jerry Abramson and other constitutional officers.
The Owensboro Symphony Orchestra played as they descended to the Capitol Rotunda. It's the 25th Grand March to be held at the current state capitol. The Governor and First Lady danced before heading to the Governor's Inaugural Celebration at the.Frankfort Convention Center.
As a big supporter of buying local, the First Lady wore a gown designed by Cathy Miller of Lexington as she and the Governor waved to guests at the ball.
Instead of having several balls at multiple locations, Governor Beshear requested just this one in order to cut costs. It was around $400,000, that's about a half a million dollars less than the one in 2007 and It was mostly paid by private donations.
The decorations are one of the ways they're saving money. All of them were bought locally and on sale. The white cloths that cover the 60 tables at the ball were all made from recycled plastic. The 2,000 silver balls that hung from the 30-foot ceilings were inexpensive. And the 12 to 14 foot tree braches that were in the lobbies and arena were cut from a Franklin County farm and sprayed white and wrapped with lights. 15 volunteers spent the day decorating the convention center. And even though the celebration was scaled down from year's past, it wasn't any less fun for those who attended.
