Sunday, February 12, 2023

Andy's Angles: Setting the Stage

 

I had the privilege of doing the set up pieces for the Shapiro inauguration in Harrisburg last month.  This is the 4:00 am view of the stage and seating on Commonwealth Avenue.

After I posted this photo on Facebook, a few people asked why the swearing in is still held outside, in the January cold.  I guess the primary answer is tradition.  We usually hold big inaugurations outside.  I remember the start of Ronald Reagan's second term, in 1985, began indoors because the east coast was in the grips of a severe cold snap.

Ernie Preate's inauguration as Pennsylvania's Attorney General was held in the Forum.  That's a big and ornate theater/auditorium just steps away from the scene you see above.  Simply spectacular.  But, it's undergoing a massive renovation right now.

The Farm show complex can be used in a pinch, I assume.  However, if you have a setting like this, a little cold weather is a small price to pay.