Bicentennial Inaugural Event

Inclement weather forced the cancellation of Kentucky's Inaugural event for the opening of the Lincoln Bicentennial Commemoration.

First Lady Laura Bush was scheduled to attend the opening ceremony. Other invited guests included Kentucky Governor Steven L. Beshear, Pulitzer Prize winner Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Sam Waterston, best-known for his television role as an attorney on Law and Order.

Kentucky's Lincoln sites were to be featured at the kick-off event, as well as other Lincoln-related programs and presentations. The Kentucky Historical Society's HistoryMobile exhibit was also scheduled to make its debut.

"It is disappointing any time you plan for a major event like this and Mother Nature doesn't cooperate," Iris LaRue told a reporter for the Lexington Herald Leader. "But what can you do?" LaRue is director of the Lincoln Museum in Hodgenville.

The unveiling of Kentucky's first marker on the Lincoln Heritage Trail did take place with Governor Steve Beshear and Hodgenville Mayor Terry Cruse participating in the ceremonial unveiling.