Complete list of Obama's 10 official inaugural balls
In case you're already starting to prepare for Barack Obama's inauguration in Washington in 12 days and get dressed for the inaugural balls, here's a list of the 10 where he'll be pretend-dancing onstage with the nation's new first lady, Michelle Obama.
They'll be historically crowded affairs with warm drinks if the lines are moving and hardly enough room to move, let alone dance. (Even more crowded than the drawing of Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Ball above in 1865.)
And forget about finding a cab for two days, especially if it's snowing or raining.
But they'll likely mellow in the memory over the years as a grand time. If you don't have an invitation yet, you might want to take the gown back.
--Youth Inaugural Ball - Young Americans ages 18 to 35; Washington Hilton.
--Obama Home States Inaugural Ball - Illinois and Hawaii invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
--Biden Home States Inaugural Ball - Delaware and Pennsylvania invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
--Eastern Inaugural Ball - CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT, PR and USVI invited guests; Union Station.
--Mid-Atlantic Inaugural Ball - MD, VA, DC, NY, NJ and WV invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
--Midwest Inaugural Ball - KS, IN, IA, MI, MN, ND, NE, OH, SD, WI and MO invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
--Southern Inaugural Ball - AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN and TX invited guests; National Guard Armory.
--Western Inaugural Ball - AK, CA, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY, AZ, CO, NV, NM, UT, OK, GUAM/AS invited guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
--Neighborhood Inaugural Ball - DC residents, additional guests; Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
--Commander-in-Chief's Inaugural Ball -- Enlisted active-duty and reserve military; National Building Museum.
The Times' own Mary Forgione has an even more detailed account of the Obama balls over here on our Daily Travel & Deal Blog.
Also, be sure to click on the "Read more" line below to see the actual menu from Lincoln's Ball. Looks like they put on a pretty good feed back in those days! Our favorite item: Beef a la mode.
--Andrew Malcolm
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Illustrations from the Smithsonian Institution.
Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000. A veteran foreign and national correspondent, Malcolm served on the Times Editorial Board and was a Pulitzer finalist in 2004. He is the author of 10 nonfiction books and father of four.
Johanna Neuman is a veteran Washington correspondent for both The Los Angeles Times and USA Today, having covered presidents and politics as far back as Ronald Reagan. A former president of the White House Correspondents Assn., she authored a book on media and foreign policy, “Lights, Camera, Wars.” Most recently she was co-author of the 
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I also want to know what Beyonce will be singing at this event.
Posted by: Gavin | January 09, 2009 at 01:51 PM
Sir, Beyonce does not belong anywhere near any of the Inaugurations. Therefore, she was not invited to sing. Offer declined!
Posted by: Natalie | January 09, 2009 at 05:20 PM
Beyonce will sing at one of the balls madam! What do you mean she was not invited?
Posted by: jordan | January 12, 2009 at 03:51 AM
Quite frankly, I hear these official Balls are quite stuffy and more like a glamour cattle call. I would reather go to the more entertaining Balls like the Blue Diamond Inaugural Ball where Jackson Browne will perform. Will probably be less snobbish.
Posted by: Mark69 | January 12, 2009 at 03:55 AM
how do you get tickets to the youth ball?
Posted by: Ramona | January 12, 2009 at 03:55 AM
How do you get tickets fo the Neigborhood Inaugural Ball?
Posted by: VALERIE DALE | January 12, 2009 at 08:26 PM
Are full length gowns required/recommended for all the official balls?
Posted by: GB | January 12, 2009 at 08:26 PM
Beyonce will be singing at one of the balls, and matter fact she HAS sung at a ball. Which was the Neighborhood Ball.
Posted by: Michael | January 20, 2009 at 06:06 PM