FRANKFORT – Gov. Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman were sworn in for a second term at the Kentucky State Capitol surrounded by friends, family and constituents.
Beshear and Coleman were celebrated by members of the Commonwealth and the Frankfort community throughout a schedule of Inauguration Day festivities on Tuesday, Dec. 12.
8:30 a.m.
For some early risers, the day kicked off with the Inaugural Breakfast Reception at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History.
The reception was hosted by members of Franklin County and Frankfort and included music by the Kentucky State University Jazz Collective and other artists, according to a pamphlet given out to attendees at the swearing-in ceremony.
The food at the reception was provided by Kentucky State Parks and three local bakeries.
9:30 a.m.
The breakfast was followed by the Inaugural Worship Service at the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).
The service included music, readings and hymns from local Frankfort, Lexington and Louisville area leaders, according to the pamphlet.
11:00 a.m.
The police-barricaded streets of Capitol Avenue quieted as the crowd anticipated Beshear’s appearance in the Inaugural Parade.
A sheriff and state trooper paved the way for nurses to walk at the front of the parade, followed by the Kentucky Education Association (KEA).
Beshear and his family were pulled by a horse in front of Coleman.
The crowd waved and cheered as he passed, thanking him for his work and congratulating him on his win.
Kelly May, a Frankfort commissioner, said he’s excited that Beshear won.
“We had a compassionate, empathetic leader through a state of emergency who’s proved that he can bring us together and work towards a common (goal),” May said. “I’m excited to continue to see how that leadership will move us forward and continue to get us headed in the right direction.”
Beshear shouted thank you’s to educators as he passed the KEA building.
Beshear, Coleman and their families were escorted to a stage at the Kentucky State Capitol building where they were able to watch and wave to the units following them in the parade.
The units represented dozens of organizations and elected officials across counties.
This included high school marching bands, cheer teams, Western Kentucky University’s marching band, Frankfort Transit, Kentucky Emergency Management, Kentucky State Parks, the Frankfort mayor, Kentucky Democrats, the Mayfield mayor and many other groups eager to thank and wave to Beshear as they passed.
There was a brief intermission between events as individuals claimed their seats for the swearing-in ceremony.
1:30 p.m.
Filling this time before Beshear and Coleman made their entrance down the Capitol steps was a prelude from the 202nd Army Band of the Kentucky National Guard and the Kentucky State University Concert Choir.
2:00 p.m.
Rocky Adkins, Beshear’s senior advisor, opened the ceremony and presided throughout.
Adkins thanked the governor for leading the state forward and not driving the state to the left or right.
“That’s what this administration has been about from day one. Being one team. Being team Kentucky,” Adkins said.
2:23 p.m.
Jack Coleman, a former Kentucky politician introduced his daughter, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, before she addressed the crowd.
Jacqueline Coleman spoke on notes of education reform, equal representation, mental health and universal pre-K.
The crowd often erupted in cheers as she paused between sentences.
Jacqueline Coleman said what unites Kentucky is “far greater” than what divides it.
She said that her faith in Kentucky has never been stronger as she noted the hardships Kentucky faced throughout the past four years.
“We lost over 19,000 of our fellow Kentuckians to COVID. Tornados devastated entire communities in the west and the flooding upended countless lives in the east,” Jacqueline Coleman said. “It was the worst of mother nature and yet the best of humanity.”
2:36 p.m.
Following her address, she took the “Oath of Office.”
The oath was conducted by Supreme Court Justice of Kentucky Debra Hembree Lambert.
2:39 p.m.
While the ceremony featured multiple musical artists, including Ben Sollee and Walker Montgomery, Adkins returned to the stage to introduce an artist from his hometown.
Adkins said that along US-23, the “Country Music Highway,” sits a town that he represented for over 30 years.
“Kise, Kentucky is just outside of Louisa … it’s where my good friend Tyler Childers comes from,” Adkins said. “From Kise and Lawrence County, he’s gone around the world taking Kentucky with him everywhere he goes. He makes me, he makes us awfully proud.”
Childers performed “Universal Sound” alongside two of his band members.
Adkins said this is one of Beshear’s favorite songs.
2:48 p.m.
Beshear took the podium for the last address of the ceremony.
Beshear said he is enthusiastic and hopeful for what will be accomplished for the Commonwealth.
He listed what he planned to do for Kentucky during his next term: make high-speed internet accessible, invest in educators, rebuild and revitalize communities damaged by natural disasters, increase good-paying jobs and introduce more infrastructure projects.
“Your lieutenant governor and I will be there personally every step of the way,” Beshear said. “We love you, and we will get the job done.”
