DemNotesBlog for Colorado Democrats by State Party First Vice Chair Dan Slater

Okay, I’ve been a bit lax in my posting duties to DemNotes over the holidays — hope you all enjoyed the break.

There’s a lot going on as we transition into a Democratic Governor to join the expanding majorities in the Democratic House and Senate.

FIRST, be sure you get to the West Steps of the State Capitol early on Tuesday morning, January 9. That’s when and where the actual inauguration ceremonies will take place. And it won’t just be the swearing-in of Governor Ritter and the other statewide officials. The Ritter Inaugural committee has promised “music, dance, and other live cultural performances” following the inauguration.

The last time we inaugurated a Democratic Governor and Lt. Governor was 1995. You won’t want to miss this!

AFTER the inauguration festivities, join Governor Ritter and Lt. Governor O’Brien for hot beverages and light refreshments as they receive people in the Capitol Rotunda. It should truly be a wonderful day of rejoicing after some hard-fought elections last year.

THEN, ON FRIDAY, January 12, we get to let our hair down a bit and rejoice some more. Normally, the incoming Governor holds inaugural events on the same day as the inauguration. But Bill Ritter is a new kind of Governor. Because the Ritter folks realized that holding festivities on a weeknight might hinder the ability of some folks to make it to the events, they’ve scheduled their inaugural dinner and concert for the following Friday — January 12.

This is “the” place to be Friday night. The demand has been so much more intense than anybody had thought possible. Originally, the inaugural dinner was set to be held at the Colorado Convention Center. Tickets to the dinner sold out in nearly no time at all. Thankfully, we have a Governor-elect and an inaugural team that understands how important it is to be flexible and to let as many people be a part of this as possible. That’s why the Ritter Inauguration folks yesterday announced that they are adding a second inaugural dinner for Friday night. It will be identical in all respects to the original dinner, except that it will be held across the street at the Hyatt Regency Convention Center.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Saturday). Get your tickets tomorrow by going to:
http://ticketswest.rdln.com/Artist.aspx?contentID=9556

Note that there is currently an indication on the website that the dinner tickets are sold out. As of this writing, that only applies to the dinner at the Convention Center, not the one at the Hyatt. Hyatt tickets don’t go on sale until tomorrow (Saturday).

After the dinner, there are still some tickets available for the inaugural concert. The concert will feature country music star Jessi Colter. In addition, you can see Mariachi Vasquez, the Spirituals Project Choir, and the West African drum and dance troupe Kissidugu. You can get tickets to the concert at the same link mentioned above.

But the inaugural festivities aren’t done there. Bill Ritter will be a Governor for ALL of Colorado. That’s why, the day after the inaugural dinners and concert, there will be a front-range whistle stop train tour from Fort Collins to Pueblo, with free rallies along the way. Then, once they get to Pueblo, they’ll have another inaugural dinner — a bit less formal, though, than the night before. This one will be a spaghetti dinner at the Union Depot in Pueblo. If you live in Southern Colorado, you definitely won’t want to miss this!

For details on all of these events, you should definitely check out the Ritter Inaugural Website. It’s easy to find, just go to:
http://www.coloradopromise.org/

Whatever you do, try to make to something. It’s going to be a great week welcoming the new BLUE Colorado!