Today’s forecast of inclement weather with rain, strong winds and possible lightning caused Gov.-elect Bill Lee to move his inauguration inside War Memorial Auditorium from the traditional site of Legislative Plaza.
Lee said on Facebook,”Due to inclement weather, the Inaugural Ceremony has been moved to War Memorial Auditorium. View the full details for the event at BelieveinTN.com.”
“While the weather doesn’t seem to be cooperating, we are looking forward to a fantastic inaugural weekend,” he said. “Be safe, but still also feel welcome to attend this historic event. We are making every effort to accommodate overflow space for those wishing to attend.”
The inaugural ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. CST. A list of events is here.
War Memorial Auditorium has a seating capacity of 1,661, WKRN said. This will be the first time since the inauguration of Gov. Ray Blanton in 1975 that the ceremony has been moved off of the Plaza. There was no room for the governor-elect at Bridgestone Arena, where the Predators are playing.
No tickets are required to attend the inauguration ceremony, The Tennessee Star previously reported. Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeffrey S. Bivins will administer Lee’s oath of office. The event will be a joint convention of the 111th General Assembly.
The First Couple’s Inaugural Dinner and Ball will be at 6:30 p.m. CST Saturday at Music City Center. Tickets are $250 per person for the business-attire event.
Festivities continue through Sunday with an open house at the Tennessee Residence from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. CST.
Lee planned to hold a controversial 2019 Inaugural Worship Service Saturday morning at the Grand Ole Opry House. The Freedom From Religion Foundation objected to the governor-elect reportedly selling tickets to the worship service as part of his inauguration.
The service was to feature Michael W. Smith, CeCe Winans, Steven Curtis Chapman, Nicole C. Mullen and Matthew West.
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Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
Photo “Bill Lee” by Bill Lee.
Background “War Memorial Stadium” by Thomas R Machnitzki. CC BY-SA 3.0.
[…] offer came on a rainy day when many Tennessee Republicans were in attendance at Gov. Bill Lee’s inauguration at War Memorial Auditorium. Those included U.S. Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN-08), U.S. Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03) and U.S. […]
Great speech