Obama’s Inauguration Tick-Tock and NewsHour Viewing Guide

A military band conductor rehearses the “Stars and Stripes” on the eve of ceremonies marking the second inauguration of President Barack Obama at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Photo by Jason Reed/Reuters

Updated Jan. 16: We’ve just gotten word of the official program of President Obama’s inauguration ceremony on Jan. 21 at the U.S. Capitol. (All times are Eastern.) The PBS NewsHour will have special live coverage of events from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET:

• 9:30 a.m. – Musical Selections: PS 22, Staten Island, N.Y., and Lee University Festival Choir, Cleveland, Tenn.
• 10 a.m. – Musical Selections: The U.S. Marine Band
• 11:30 a.m. – Call to Order and Welcoming Remarks: Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
• 11:34 a.m. – Invocation: Myrlie Evers-Williams, Mississippi-born journalist and civil rights activist
• 11:38 a.m. – Musical Selection: Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
• 11:46 a.m. – Oath of Office Administered to Vice President Joe Biden: By Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor
• 11:50 a.m. – Musical Selection: James Taylor
• 11:55 a.m. – Oath of Office Administered to President Obama: By chief justice John Roberts
• Noon – Inaugural Address: President Obama
• 12:21 p.m. – Musical Selection: Kelly Clarkson
• 12:26 p.m. – Poem: Richard Blanco
• 12:30 p.m. – Benediction: Rev. Luis Leon
• 12:34 p.m. – The National Anthem: Beyonce
• 2:36 p.m. – Parade Starts

Original Story:

In a couple of weeks, President Obama will be sworn into office for a second term twice: privately at the White House on Jan. 20, and at a public ceremony at the Capitol the following day.

According to the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a president’s term begins on Jan. 20. Since it falls on a Sunday, President Obama will be one of a handful of presidents making the oath of office twice — on the designated day to adhere to the law and again on Monday, as per tradition.

Photo of Statue of Freedom, seen here atop the Capitol in July 2010, by Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

Facts and Figures: The theme of this year’s inauguration — the nation’s 57th — is “Faith in America’s Future.” This year’s celebration also marks the 150th anniversary of the placement of the Statue of Freedom atop the Capitol dome.

The day holds a number of traditional elements: a morning worship service, procession to the Capitol, and an evening inaugural ball. It also contains some individual selections. This year, first generation Cuban-American Richard Blanco will read one of his poems. And singers Beyonce, Kelly Clarkson and James Taylor will perform.

The inaugural parade will begin at the steps of the Capitol building, travel along Pennsylvania Avenue and end at the White House. (View a list of this year’s parade participants so far.)

Thousands are expected to stand in chilly weather on Jan. 21 to watch the public inauguration ceremony. To put it in perspective, the coldest inauguration on record was Ronald Reagan’s second swearing-in in 1985, when temperatures dipped to 7 degrees Fahrenheit. The ceremony was moved inside to the Capitol Rotunda. (See more past inauguration firsts on the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies’ website.)

For those wishing to keep warm inside, the PBS NewsHour will have a special live coverage starting at 11 a.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 21, hosted by senior correspondents Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff. They’ll be joined by political analysts Mark Shields and David Brooks, and presidential historians Richard Norton Smith, Beverly Gage and Annette Gordon-Reed.

The website team will report on the people and process of this year’s ceremony and the history of inaugurations past. Online features will include:

• An interview with Stephen Ayers, the architect of the Capitol who oversaw the inaugural stage construction (see a time-lapse of the construction of the stage);
• A report on presidential second terms throughout history;
• A presidential history quiz (bone up on the presidential inaugural addresses dating back to 1789);
• An inauguration lesson plan for teachers;
• And reporting assistance from a team of student journalists, who won a NewsHour competition and will travel to Washington, D.C., to help cover the inaugural events. (Read their upcoming reports here.)