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| Springfield Preparing for Inauguration |
(IRN)-It's party time in Springfield.
Governor Pat Quinn will take his first inauguration day oath of office today, and Illinois' vacant Lieutenant Governor spot will be filled by Sheila Simon. Treasurer-elect Dan Rutherford and Comptroller-elect Judy Baar Topinka will be the only other constitutional officers sworn in today who take on new jobs, joining holdovers Jesse White as secretary of state and Lisa Madigan as attorney general.
Thousands of people will attend such events as an interfaith service in the morning, the inaugural ceremony from 11 to 1 at the Prairie Capital Convention Center, a meet-and-greet with Quinn and Simon at the Executive Mansion in the afternoon, and the inaugural ball beginning at 8 p.m. again, at the Prairie Capital Convention Center.
"We sent over 30,000 invitations and we have representation from all across the state and including all walks of life, every demographic group," said Executive Director of the Illinois Inaugural Committee David Rosen. "It's a really inclusive inauguration."
Rosen said attendance at the free events will be full.
The President Abraham Lincoln Hotel is located just behind the Prairie Capital Convention Center. General Manager Brad Cook says hotel reservations are completely booked.
"I like to refer to it as the Olympics because it's one every four years," said Cook. "It's a financial wind-fall. We are able to charge Chicago rates…for our hotel rooms, where normally there isn't that much demand. The whole downtown area is full."
Cook says his hotel will charge 100 dollars more per night than usual and will bring in as much money from inauguration festivities as the hotel brought in for the entire month of December.
(Source: Illinois Radio Network) |
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| 01 10 11 by Newsroom |
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