Virginia’s citizens overwhelmingly voted for Abigail Spanberger to serve as the 75th, and FIRST WOMAN Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Greg and I were fortunate enough to be there for some of the Inauguration Weekend festivities. We drove into Richmond on Friday afternoon and went straight to the Made in Virginia Market, a public, free-to-attend market that featured more than 40 local artisans, small businesses, and food vendors, many minority owned, from across the Commonwealth, The event also featured live musical performance from Virginia artists

The highlight, of course, was to connect with then Governor-Elect Spanberger but we enjoyed supporting these small local businesses. The crowd got bigger as the hour of her anticipated arrival neared and as you can see by the photos, she was just as excited to see us as were to see her!

We were up early the next day in order to get back downtown for the Inaugural Ceremony. By happenstance, we ran into friends from back home, and eagerly waited in the long line to gain entrance to Capitol Square, which we could see through the fence. We were giddy with excitement!

Once we passed through security, we walked by tables loaded with Inaugural Ceremony Programs, heated seat cushions, blankets, hand warmers, and reusable mugs filled with hot chocolate. Perfect for the cold day and to take home as momentos!

Despite the rain and 45 degree temperatures (not bad at all!), we found our seats and settled in. The rain stopped almost exactly as the clock struck noon, and the ceremony began.

First to be sworn in was Jay C. Jones, who made history as the first Black attorney general in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Next was Ghazala Firdous Hashmi who made history as the first Muslin elected to state wide office, the office of Lieutenant Governor. “She was sworn in by placing her hand on the Quran, marking a significant moment of religious diversity in state leadership”.

And finally it was time for the swearing in of Abigail Spanberger who became the “first female governor in Virginia’s 250-year history when she took the oath as the 75th governor. Wearing white in a nod to the suffrage movement, she broke a long-standing gender barrier in the Commonwealth”. 

She noted “It is the honor of my life to stand before you and take the oath today. The history and the gravity of this moment are not lost on me — I maintain an abiding sense of gratitude to those who worked generation after generation to ensure women could be among those casting ballots, but who could only dream of a day like today”.

She also said “we do not have to see eye-to-eye on every issue in order to stand shoulder-to-shoulder on others”. You can follow this link to read her full remarks.

Tears filled my eyes throughout the ceremony, it was that powerful.

The 75th Inaugural Parade came next with over 40 entrants celebrating the theme “United for Virginia’s Future”.

The parade featured diverse groups including the Virginia National Guard, the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums, the VMI Corps of Cadets, fire fighters, paramedics, and other emergency response workers from across the Commonwealth, local HS and University marching bands, Virginia’s Public University Team Mascots, the Girl Scouts, and Virginia State Park Rangers. Education, youth leadership, and student organizations marched alongside cultural, civic, and community organizations. The full list of entrants can be found here.

A favorite for me was seeing the heritage musicians from the Crooked Road Music Trail, which has sites located primarily in Southwest Virginia. As one of the marching string band members said in a Cardinal News article “I forget that the majority of people in this world don’t really see fiddles and banjos on a regular basis,” Dilg said. “And so just seeing all the looks of joy on everyone’s faces was really cool.”

The last group to come through was the Norfolk State University Marching Band. “Founded in 1975, the award winning Norfolk State University Spartan “Legion” Marching Band located in Norfolk, VA, has made a name for itself as one of the premier Marching Bands in the country. The “Legion” consists of 250 staff and student musicians, dancers, and flags from states nationwide”. This high energy, exciting marching band played “We Are Family” for the newly inaugurated Governor.

The energy and musical excellence were the perfect way to celebrate the end of great day!