Inauguration Committee Plans Gala Events, Regulated Funds
- By Unknown
- Dec. 07 1996 00:00
The president, risking overexposure of his campaign slogan, will use it one more time as a theme for his Jan. 20 inauguration: "An American Journey -- Building a Bridge to the 21st Century."
"He wants it simple, dignified, elegant and a message to come out of it," Terence McAuliffe, co-chairman of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, said of Clinton's inaugural plans, which will be unveiled Friday. And, to keep the festivities free of the kind of the suspicions that have cropped up over campaign fundraising, McAuliffe will announce that no donations greater than $100 will be accepted to finance the $30 million celebration. In the past, large contributors have donated thousands of dollars to help pay inaugural costs.
The event will be financed, in part, by a $9 million surplus from the last inauguration and the sales of tickets to the Inauguration Gala, which will cost $100 to $3,000 apiece for those invited.
The party being planned around Clinton's recitation of the 35-word oath of office will be no small affair: 12 official inaugural balls, a parade with bands from across the country, dozens of unofficial parties, performances by Hollywood celebrities, a poet, an opera star and public events.