The scene under the Capitol rotunda at the last inaugural ball, Jan. 14, 2009.
OLYMPIA, Jan. 11.—The inaugural ball, an event that looms so large in the fabric of the state’s political and social life that some of the state’s top elected officials wound up weighing in on the location this year, is set for Wednesday at the state Capitol. Everyone who’s anyone will be there, and this is worth knowing – if you haven’t gotten your ticket yet, you can buy one at the door.
The event, a tradition in this state since the appointment of the first territorial governor in 1853, follows the inauguration of a new governor, once every four years. Organized by the citizens of Thurston County as a salute to the lawmakers and political figures who make the capital city hum four or five months of the year, the ball is no doubt the grandest public party in the state. Set in the marble halls of the Capitol, the fancy-dress gala features multiple bands, high cuisine this year provided by the Washington State Chefs Association, and for those who know the eight-count step, even a bit of big-band dancing. Thousands attend, and hotel rooms and tuxedo rentals often are booked months in advance.
Guest of honor, naturally, will be Gov.-elect Jay Inslee, who will take the oath of office earlier in the day.
Washington State Wire checked in with organizers of the event early this week. At that point, 2,000 advance tickets had been sold, and planners reported that tickets would be available at the door. Maximum capacity of the Capitol is 5,000, and in previous years sellouts have occurred. Advance tickets are available through the ball’s website. The event begins at 7 p.m., cost is $100.
And as always, there’s a story behind this year’s event.
Capitol the Favored Location
There’s always a story, jokes Lisa Cosmillo, the publicity chairwoman for the Inaugural Ball committee and a former city editor at The Olympian. Eight years ago, when recount after recount put the outcome of the governor’s race in doubt, the planning went on even though no one knew whose inaugural would be celebrated. Made it a little hard to print programs. (It was Gov. Christine Gregoire’s day, as it turned out.)
And this time out, it was location, location, location. Since 1989, the state’s centennial year, the event has been held at the Capitol Campus itself, though prior to that time the ball had been held in various locations in the greater Olympia area, including the armory, local hotels and St. Martin’s University. But something about the ambiance of the state’s grandest public building seemed to capture the public imagination.
Organizers this year decided to move back to St. Martin’s, due to logistical concerns – parking was limited, tenting on the Capitol’s north promenade had caused wear on the sandstone, and staircases were a problem for the elderly. But there was a hue and cry from the electeds. “We never wanted to move,” Cosmillo said. “We just felt that we didn’t have a way to do it that we could afford.”
But the political types – they knew how to get things done. Dealing with agencies, brokering compromises? That’s their business. The upshot is that the Capitol remains the location and the food tents will be located in the south parking lot, easier to access for those in wheelchairs. Parking still might be limited, but Intercity Transit’s DASH shuttle and other shuttle vehicles will run from the downtown area all night long.
Demonstrates Importance
Secretary of State Sam Reed.
It would be a mistake to make too much of it, except for one thing – the controversy demonstrated the importance that many attach to the event. Secretary of State Sam Reed, who will be making his farewells Wednesday night after 12 years in office, intervened along with Rep. Sam Hunt, D-Olympia. “I think ceremony and protocol are very important to the political process,” Reed said. “The fact that new people are being elected to public office and others are being re-elected I think is very important, and it is important that it be treated with a sense of ceremony and celebration.
“I think the inaugural ball is a very important matter, a special evening of everyone coming together after what sometimes can be divisive campaigns. All of the people of both our parties come together in a festive occasion, have a good time to connect – and hopefully that carries over into the legislative session in terms of relations between the legislators and state officials.
“And so that is one of the reasons why I spoke up right away when they talked about putting it into St. Martin’s University basketball gymnasium. I think the elegance of the Capitol and the significance of the Capitol have become a very important part of the governor’s ball, and we would really be losing something by going away.”
Reed said he and Hunt are considering legislation that would heighten the ball’s official status, making the Capitol the permanent location, perhaps placing some of the elected officials on the steering committee. How well that would sit with a locally-organized event that has a more-than-century-old tradition of its own is, of course, a delicate matter to be decided in the back rooms by those directly involved.
All-Volunteer Event
In the gallery of the Temple of Justice, Gov. Ernest Lister and elected officials spent two hours shaking hands in 1913. Photo appeared a few days later in the Seattle Times.
Organization of the ball is an all-volunteer affair, Cosmillo said, involving several hundred citizens of the greater Olympia area. Some have been involved for decades, and there is a tradition that those who play a role with the Inaugural Ball committee groom their successors. “It is our party for the people that support and run our state,” Cosmillo said. “They support our community when they come here, everybody knows the business bump is huge, and we are honored to host them here.”
History shows that the first such event took place in 1853, when Olympia residents held a welcome dinner and reception at the Gallagher Hotel for Isaac Stevens, the first territorial governor. The first ball after statehood took place at Olympia’s Columbia Hall on Nov. 18, 1889, following the swearing-in of Gov. Elisha Ferry.
This year’s ball marks the 100th anniversary of the Temple of Justice, which opened with the inaugural ball of Jan. 15, 1913. Some 1,500 people trundled up the hill from the old state Capitol building, now the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, following the inauguration of Gov. Ernest Lister. It had been 16 years since the then-Republican-leaning state had elected a Democrat as governor, an outcome caused by the historic split that year between the Republicans and the Bull Moose Progressives. Exuberant Democrats chartered boats to carry them from the cities surrounding Puget Sound and they thronged the capital city for the swearing-in ceremonies. Newspapers recorded that the inauguration drew such an enormous crowd that the floor of the old Capitol sagged several inches – and attendees were lucky that it held. At the Temple of Justice, home to the Washington Supreme Court and the state law library, Lister and others spent two hours shaking hands in the reception line.
This year’s event features numerous performers, including the noted Johnny Lewis big band, Michael Powers with rock, blues and Top 40, and the Jessica Blinn Quartet, with classic small-group jazz. Special guests include local dignitaries, top brass from nearby Joint Base Lewis–McChord, and even royalty – the Capital Lakefair Queen and Court.
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