Capitol turns to evening of glam for Gov. Andy Beshear’s inaugural Grand March
For one night every four years, the inside of the capitol becomes magic.
Flowers sprout up on the columns and railings, symphony music echoes along the marble and Kentucky’s political class dons their finery to participate in the Kentucky gubernatorial inauguration’s Grand March.
The Louisville Orchestra played as a procession of former governors starting with Julian Carroll and going through Gov. Andy Beshear’s father, Steve Beshear, started off the event. They were followed by the major political players in Frankfort who started on the third floor and walked down to the rotunda — people like Senate President Robert Stivers, Speaker of the House David Osborne, Senate Minority Leader Morgan McGarvey and former House Minority Floor Leader Rocky Adkins.
Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and her family were greeted by a large round of applause when they appeared on the staircase on the third floor, an ovation matched only by the applause for the new Gov. Beshear, his wife Britainy and their two children, Will and Lila.
This year, there was a tidbit of Kentucky history: former Lexington Mayor and now Transportation Secretary Jim Gray and his partner Eric Orr became the first same-sex couple to enter the Grand March.
