Kentucky Lantern
Voters gave Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman a second term. Next week, they’ll be inaugurated again at the State Capitol in Frankfort.
The 62nd inauguration on Tuesday, Dec. 12, will feature Kentuckians to celebrate a theme of “Forward, Together.” The festivities include an inaugural ball, a parade, performances and more.
Silas House (file photo)
During the public swearing-in ceremony Tuesday afternoon, Grammy-nominated artist Tyler Childers will give a musical performance and Kentucky Poet Laureate Silas House will give a reading. Both are Eastern Kentucky natives.
KET will broadcast events throughout the day on TV and on its website, ket.org.
Schedule of Events
Inauguration events begin at 8:30 a.m. EST and continue throughout the evening. A detailed schedule can be found at the inaugural website.
• Inaugural breakfast reception at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, 8:30 a.m.
• Inaugural worship service at the First Christian Church, 316 Ann St., 9:30 a.m.
• Inaugural parade, begins at Capital Avenue at the end of the Main Street bridge and ends in front of the Capitol, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Inaugural prelude on the Capitol steps, 1:30 p.m.
• Public swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol, 2 p.m.
• The Grand March in the Capitol rotunda, 6 p.m., doors open at 5 p.m.
• The Inaugural Ball on the Capitol grounds, ticketed event, 7 to 11 p.m.
Tyler Childers (Wikimedia Commons)
Parking information
Free parking and a shuttle service will be available on Inauguration Day. All Capitol parking areas will be permit-parking only.
Capital Avenue, Shelby Street and other roads around the Capitol will be closed between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The shuttle service will be available at the remote parking location at the Cabinet for Health and Family Services building off Martin Luther King Boulevard between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Those with a handicap license tag or mirror hang tag may park in a designated parking lot at Shelby Street and Lafayette Drive, on the west side of the Capitol.
For people who attend the Breakfast reception, a Frankfort Transit bus will go between the Fourth and Logan streets shuttle stop to the History Center from 8:15 to 9:45 a.m. The shuttle will also go to Capital Avenue for the parade.
Parking will be available for the Grand March Tuesday evening on streets around the Capitol, including Capital Avenue, Shelby, Todd, Campbell and Fourth streets.
A map of street closures, parking, shuttle locations and the parade route can be found here.
Poster contest
As part of the inauguration, the governor and First Lady Britainy Beshear will recognize winners of a “Forward, Together” poster contest for children. The deadline to postmark submissions was Tuesday, Dec. 5. Winners, as well as their families and school representatives, will be invited to the Capitol on Tuesday, where their artwork will be displayed.
