Jackson Free Press

At the ceremony, the Inaugural Committee handed out 4,000 Magnolia tree seedlings to the attendees. These young trees symbolize the potential for growth within the Magnolia State over the next four years. Everyone's encouraged to plant these seedlings and watch them prosper.

The food remaining from Tuesday night's Inaugural Ball will be distributed to homeless shelters and charity homes in the Metro area by the Volunteers of Gleaners, a non-profit volunteer organization consisting of retirees who distribute food to local soup kitchens. They distribute unused food from foodservice and retail outlets for distribution to shelters and charity homes according to need.

According to our research, this is the first time inaugural events have been held outside the city of Jackson. Five Pre-Inaugural Receptions were held all over state in Yazoo City, Southaven, Tupelo, Meridian, and Biloxi. These receptions provided Governor-elect and Mrs. Barbour an opportunity to reach many people who might not able to come to Jackson for Tuesday's Inaugural activities in order to say thank you and show their appreciation.

Several Mississippi Entertainers performed at Monday night's "Musical Gala" or will be performing at Tuesday night's Inaugural Ball including Steve Azar, Gerald McRaney, Mary Ann Mobley, Sela Ward, Cassandra Wilson, These Days and The Bluz Boys.

The podium used for the Inaugural ceremony is on loan from the White House. It's the "Transition Podium" and was used by President Bush during the transition period between his election and swearing-in.

The large American flag used as the backdrop at the ceremony is on loan from the First Baptist Church in Columbus and has a good bit of history connected to it. It was used by Governor-elect Barbour during several events on the campaign trail including Vice President Cheney's visit to the "W" in Columbus, President Bush's visit to Southaven, election night at the Clarion Hotel, and now at the swearing-in ceremony.