WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of military families and children from across the mid-Atlantic region will be honored during a special concert for kids on the eve of President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration, organizers announced Wednesday.
Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers are slated to perform at the Monday night event, along with Demi Lovato and Bow Wow. Usher, Billy Ray Cyrus and Keke Palmer also are scheduled to appear at the Verizon Center in downtown Washington. The concert will be televised on the Disney Channel.
Michelle Obama and Jill Biden will host the event with their families. The audience will include active duty, reserve and guard forces, as well as wounded warriors and families of fallen soldiers.
“So many of our military members, they get deployed to foreign regions and have to leave their children behind,” said Lt. Cmdr. Brenda Steele of the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee, who has served in Afghanistan. “Now our incoming commander in chief and the new first lady to-be, they’re rendering honors to us.”
The Presidential Inaugural Committee said tickets have been distributed to families through the Department of Defense and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, which serves about 35,000 children annually.
“Our kids have been closely following the election process and actually conducted mock elections,” said Kerrin Torres of the Boys & Girls Clubs. “They coined Barack Obama as the Boys and Girls Clubs president.”
Obama’s inaugural committee also announced plans to distribute more than 1,000 free tickets to the general public for its Neighborhood Inaugural Ball on Tuesday, where the Obamas are expected to have their first dance. Performers will include Beyonce, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys and Stevie Wonder. Tickets are being distributed through local groups, such as the D.C. Foster and Adoptive Parent Association.
The event will be broadcast live on ABC, and inaugural organizers are encouraging viewers to participate by hosting their own parties at home.
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Presidential Transition
January 14, 2009
Inaugural eve concert to honor military families
- Presidential Transition
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<img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/new.gif" border=0> 3:59 p.m. Barack Obama’s speech receives good reviews from locals in Capitol
Paxton Williams awoke early Tuesday and hiked 20 blocks to stand in line.
Tessa Foti rose at 4:45 a.m. to board a bus that would take her and other classmates through the Capitol’s frigid temperatures and to a glimpse of history. - <img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/extra.gif" border=0> Inaguration slide show<font color="#ff0000"> w/ Inauguration Day slide show</font>
- <img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/extra.gif" border=0> 2:34 p.m. President Obama's inaugural address full text<font color="#ff0000"> w/ Inauguration address video </font> "My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors."
- <img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/new.gif" border=0> 2:45 p.m. Inaugural parade kicks off Barack Obama leads off an inaugural parade down America’s main street that pays homage to pioneers who paved the way for the nation’s first black president.
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<img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/new.gif" border=0> 1:41 p.m. Students, faculty gather at MSSU for inauguration
- <img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/new.gif" border=0> 1:51 p.m. Missourians celebrate Obama inauguration Missourians are marking the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama with gatherings at bars, movie theaters and concert halls.
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<img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/new.gif" border=0> 12:51 p.m. MSSU professor recalls civil rights era struggle, hurdles to black voting
Henry “Bud” Morgan downplays what he did in the early 1960s. As a graduate student at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, he verified the identities of three African-Americans who sought voter registrations.
- <img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/new.gif" border=0> 12:03 p.m. Ex-President Bush and wife leave capital for Texas Former President George W. Bush and his wife have left Washington for their Texas home, after eight years in the White House.
- <img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/new.gif" border=0> 12:00 p.m. Instant change at White House Web site At precisely 12:01 p.m. EST, the White House Web site, the online bastion of the Bush administration for the past eight years, was updated to reflect President Barack Obama’s assumption of office.
- <img src="http://www.joplinglobeonline.com/images/zope/new.gif" border=0> 11:40 a.m. How well do you know your inauguration history?
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