As Gov. Andy Beshear enters his second term as Kentucky’s governor, he will take part in another tradition-filled inauguration on Dec. 12. The ceremony includes country ham, a 21-gun salute and the Inaugural Parade.
Beshear has released plans for his second inauguration alongside Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman. The 62nd Kentucky gubernatorial inauguration will be Dec. 12, with a string of events over the course of the day.
The celebration will be one of only three second-term inaugurations in state history since a state constitutional amendment allowed governors to run for another consecutive term in the 1990s. The inauguration traditions, however, remain the same a governor’s second time around.
Celebrations will begin at 8:30 a.m. with the Inaugural Breakfast Reception at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History. The swearing-in ceremony takes place at 2 p.m following a parade to the Capitol.
The full schedule of events can be found here, and members of the public choosing to attend are asked to RSVP.
The chair of the inaugural committee will be Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray. Beshear also named Thomas K. Elliott, a bank administrator who was killed in the Old National Bank shooting this year, as his honorary chair. Elliott served in the role when Beshear was first elected in 2019.
The theme this year is “Forward Together,” Beshear and First Lady Britainy Beshear announced earlier this month.
“We’ve gotten through the tough times and we’ve gotten through them together. Now we’re gonna get some more good times and we’re going to get to those together,” Beshear said.
Several portions of the day will be broadcasted on KET, including the Inaugural Parade, the swearing-in ceremony, and the Grand March in the Capitol Rotunda.
The day will also include a number of Kentucky-specific traditions. For example, the morning of the inauguration, a delegation of Frankfort residents bring a gift of country ham, beaten biscuits and white cake to welcome the governor’s family.
The Beshear administration is also holding its second poster contest for children in honor of the inauguration. Winners and their families will be invited to the Capitol for the inauguration and be recognized by the governor, with the winning artwork framed and displayed in the Capitol.
“It’s important to make sure that our children’s voices are represented. We can’t wait to see what Kentucky’s children think we can do when we move forward by working together,” said Britainy Beshear. “December 12 is going to be an amazing day for our commonwealth. We can’t wait to share it with everybody.”
Sylvia Goodman is Kentucky Public Radio's Capitol reporter. Email her at sgoodman@lpm.org.
