Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa will be among the dignitaries present during the Hawaii Presidential Center Inaugural Gala on Jan. 19 in Washington, D.C., according to an announcement.
Arakawa is among several honorary chairs for the event to be held on the glass-encased rooftop of the historic Hay-Adams Hotel overlooking the White House and the Washington Monument.
Other chairs include U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, U.S. Sen.-elect Mazie Hirono, U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, U.S. Rep.-elect Tulsi Gabbard, Gov. Neil Abercrombie, Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz, Honolulu Mayor-elect Kirk Caldwell, Big Island Mayor Bill Kenoi and Kauai Mayor Bernard Carvalho.
The event will take place after President Barack Obama takes the oath of office for his second term on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
The president's half sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, will be a special guest at the Hawaii event at the Hay-Adams.
Proceeds from the inaugural celebration will support the Hawaii Presidential Center Initiative, a coalition of academic, government, community and business leaders, led by the University of Hawaii. The university will develop a proposal for the president for a presidential library, developed in partnership with a research university.
"We believe Hawaii is the perfect place for the Obama presidential center," said UH professor Robert Perkinson, the project's director. "The president is immensely popular here, winning by a higher margin than in any other state. The state and the university are committed to helping the president build an institution here that doesn't just memorialize his administration but tries to carry forward important work."
Individual tickets to the event cost $400 and can be purchased at hawaiipresidentialcenter.com. A similar Hawaii inaugural gala in 2009 sold out in two days.
For more information, call (808) 543-5889 or send email to hawaiipresidentialcenter@gmail.com.
