Organizers of a Washington, D.C., pre-inauguration cocktail reception for those with South Dakota connections are hoping for a large crowd.
Gov. Mike Rounds won't be among the attendees, citing budget concerns.
Jack Jacobson, vice president of the South Dakota State Society, said he's expecting good attendance at the semi-formal cocktail reception Jan. 19 at the late President James Monroe's former executive mansion in Washington.
However, Jacobson said Rounds already has declined an invitation. The governor has asked those in state government to try to reduce spending in tight economic times.
"He wants to follow that lead that he's sent and not do any extra travel himself either," Jacobson said.
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The event is the fourth to be hosted by the South Dakota State Society since its reformation a year ago. While no formal invitations will be mailed, online invitations already have been distributed to current and past members of South Dakota's congressional delegation as well as those connected with the society.
The event will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the James Monroe House. Tickets to the event are $50 for adults, $25 for students and $15 for children. The event will include hors d'oeuvres and three drink tickets.
The house, now home to the Arts Club of Washington, was the executive mansion for Monroe early in his presidency.
Jacobson said those eager to celebrate the inauguration and network with those in the South Dakota political arena are welcome to attend, even if they haven't received an invitation.
The history of state societies stretches back more than a century, but this month's event will be only the fourth held since Jacobson and others reformed the society. It originally disbanded about 30 years ago.
A native of Tea and a graduate of Augustana College in Sioux Falls, Jacobson said the society offers an opportunity for South Dakotans in the nation's capital to keep in contact.
"It's a great networking opportunity for folks from other states who move to Washington," Jacobson said.
The group originally planned to hold a brunch, but the large number of people expected to fill the city for Obama's inauguration means tighter security.
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"The logistics just don't work this year," Jacobson said. "There's a lot of complication with having as many people in Washington as the city's expecting."
