Inauguration Blog '05

11:58 p.m. ET

Ballou Makes It Big
See this video feature on how the Ballou Knights Marching Band, from Ballou Senior High School in Southeast Washington, preps for and performs in the inaugural parade. (John Poole - washingtonpost.com)

11:54 p.m. ET

Bob Robinson of Hamilton, Ohio, left, talks to Doug and Jan Surber of Dayton, Ohio, at Ohio's Patriot Ball held at the Washington Convention Center. (Andrea Bruce Woodall - The Washington Post)

11:52 p.m. ET

Maj. Gen. Donna Barbisch and Prof. Dan Holley of California dance at the Liberty Ball at the Washington Convention Center. (Katherine Frey - The Washington Post)

11:50 p.m. ET

washingtonpost.com's David McGuire interviews Brad Arnold, lead singer for 3 Doors Down, at the RIAA inaugural party.

11:48 p.m. ET

Convention wisdom says that the entertainment industry typically allies itself with Democrats, but you wouldn't know it from the enourmous "W" ice sculpture that greeted guests of the Recording Industry Association of America's late night inaugural bash at H2O nightclub in Southwest.

The crowd, a mix of tuxedo-and-gown-wearing ball refugees and urban hipsters, grooved to southern rockers the Blue Dogs while waiting for headliner 3 Doors Down to go onstage. -- David McGuire

11:36 p.m. ET

At the Billionaires Recoronation Ball
"You're not blinged enough," said Tanya Elder in a haughty voice, standing on a curving staircase at Platinum Club at the Billionaires Recoronation Ball.

She directed partygoers to a table selling tiaras, sequined top hats and ties printed with hundred dollar bills.

Accessories make a bigger statement when the partygoers' goal is to stay in character and on message. -- Anne Kenderdine

In the photo, Tracy Ellwanger, of New York, center, and Kat Richter, of New Jersey, are selling items to raise money during the ball. (Stephanie Kuykendal for washingtonpost.com)

11:30 p.m. ET

At the eNaugural.com Ball, longtime Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Lynn Swann was talking about the National Football League playoffs this weekend.

The NFL Hall-of-Famer is hoping for an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles, who both play this weekend.

When asked whom he thought President Bush would root for in that match if he had his way, Swann, ever the diplomat, said he thinks that the president would root for both.

The eNaugural Ball at the Wyndam Hotel was put on by a number of high-tech companies to celebrate President Bush's inauguration. -- Robert MacMillan

11:22 p.m. ET

The Commander-in Chief Ball at the National Building Museum was the final ball visited by President Bush. Here Bush dances with Army Specialist Jazmin Azcona from Ft. Belvoir, who has served in Iraq. Behind them, first lady Laura Bush dances with Lance Cpl. Richard Devon Hansen, who is stationed at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., and was wounded in Iraq. (Susan Biddle - The Washington Post)

11:18 p.m. ET

The Creative Coalition inaugural ball isn't exactly star-studded yet. It's more like star-sprinkled.

The first celebrity guests to arrive were Jonathan Lipnicki, the boy from "Jerry Maguire", and Ryan Pinkston of the shows "Punk'd" and "Quintuplets." Neither of them is of voting age so they have few opinions about politics.

"You've got to have common courtesy to have a warm welcome for your president, no matter who he or she is," said Lipnicki.

While the two young actors weren't opinionated, actor-director Mario Van Peebles wasn't shy about expressing his. "I'm not a Republican per se," he said, while walking the red carpet. "I'm here to represent the coalition and to make sure other interests are cared about. I hope the administration starts to see the world in a holistic way rather than a unilateral way." -- Jen Chaney

10:28 p.m. ET

President Bush and first lady Laura Bush dance on the Presidential Seal at the Commander-in-Chief Ball at the National Building Museum. (Paul J. Richards - AFP)