Georgia's inauguration day to feature party, prayer

ATLANTA - Governor Perdue will begin the first day of his second term with a prayer and end it with a party.

Perdue, incoming Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle and Georgia's other constitutional officers will be sworn in on January eighth at the Philips Arena in downtown Atlanta.

Twenty-thousand invitations have gone out for the afternoon swearing-in ceremony and the evening's black-tie-optional party. The dignitaries, elected officials and everyday Georgians who made the cut for that VIP list will be able to request four tickets each.

And college football fans need not worry. The party will be equipped with a plasma screen television allowing revelers to keep tabs on that night's Bowl Championship Series showdown between Ohio State and Florida, which will decide the season's national champion.

The inauguration is funded by private donations. There is no limit on the size of contributions. Perdue spokesman Derrick Dickey said the donations would be detailed after the festivities concluded.

Perdue raised one-point-four million dollars for his first inaugural and transition after defeating Democratic Governor Roy Barnes in 2002. More than 200 contributors donated up to 50-thousand dollars for the 2003 Perdue bash.

Perdue won a second term in November by defeating Lieutenant Governor Mark Taylor, a Democrat, with 58 percent of the vote.

Inauguration day events will begin with a prayer service at Northside United Methodist Church in Atlanta. The 9:30 am service is open to the public.

After that is the 2 pm swearing-in at the 19-thousand-seat Philips Arena, the home venue of NBA's Atlanta Hawks and the NHL's Atlanta Thrashers.

Perdue will then review an assembly of troops for Georgia's National Guard and the Georgia State Patrol at 4 pm outside the state Capitol at the corner of Washington Street and Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard.

The inaugural ball will kick off at 7 pm at the Georgia World Congress Center. Bennie and the Drifters, the Tams and the Swinging Medallions will be belting out the tunes. Local favorites Hotlanta Dixieland Jazz and the Partytime Band will also be on the playlist.

Tickets to the inaugural ball are 50 dollars apiece for invitees.

Inauguration day falls on the same day as the start of the 2007 legislative session.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)