Evening star., 1952-12-24
TwoDances SET
For|naugura|to
Meet Demand
$4,000 Invitations
Will Be Issued;
100000 Seek Bids

Two Identical dances will be
held the night of President-elect
Eisenhower'S Inauguration be-
cause of an unprecedented de-
mand for invitations. ..
The original Inaugural Ball was
scheduled the night of January 20
at the National Guard Armory.
Yesterday it was decided by the
ball committee of the Citizens In
augural Committee to duplicate
everything at Uline Arena.
The decision to expand this fea-
ture of the Inauguration was
taken at the request of Gen.
Eisenhower, according to Joseph
C. McGarraghy, chairman of the
Inaugural Committee.
I'VE reached this important de-
cision at the request of Gen.
Eisenhower who based it on the
unprecedented demand for boxes
and tickets to the ball." Mr.. Nc
Garraghy said.
100000 Requests.
Requests from Republicans for
the coveted bids to the ball have
approached the 100000 mark. Use
of Uline Arena would allow the
number to be invited to be about
doubled. More than $4,000 invi-
tations are expected to be sent.
Mr.. McGarraghy said Gen.
Eisenhower was deeply concerned
by the fact that under the origi-
nal plan many people he felt were
entitled to attend the ball could
not be admitted because of space
limitations.
I'VE agreed to expand the pro-
gram in the hope that by adding
additional space at Uline Arena
we would be able to meet at least
more of the urgent requests for
invitations and tickets than would
otherwise have been possible" he
added.
Identical Entertainment.
The balls will feature the same
bands and same entertainers.
FF1i4is means the Inaugural Com
mittee will have to set up a'Shuttle
system to move the entertainers
back and forth.
1t also means an expanded en-
tertainment program. as some
thing will have to be going on at
both the Armory and Uline while
the shutting is under way.
Guests cannot attend both
dances, according to Mrs. Howard
Coffin, inaugural ball chairman.
Tickets to the balls will specify
which one the bearer may attend.
Mrs. Coffin said guests will be
given tickets to the ball of their
choice wherever possible.
Request for Merchants.
In another development, the
Inaugural Committee asked Wash
ington merchants to check with
the committee before hiring deco
rating firms to trim their store
fronts for the inaugural.
The request was made so that
decorations would conform to the
standards which have been set by
the committee.
James E. Colliflower and Dewey
Zirkin, co-chairman of the Deco
rations Subcommittee. have sent
to local merchants a list of deco
rating firms which have agreed
to comply with the standards es-
tablished. Business firms solicited
by unlisted decorators were asked
to check with the committee.
Mr.. Collif1ower said his group
also will appoint an inspection
subcommittee to check the deco
rations to see that they are up to
par.
The Inauguration Committee
has asked firms to have their
decorations in place by January
Is and to keep them up at least
until January %. To help out. the
committee has kits containing
IL color pictures of President
elect Eisenhower and Vice Presi-
dent-elect Nixon.
They cost $3.50 each and must
be ordered not later than Deem
ber 90.