Inauguration 2020: Tate Reeves to be sworn in as Mississippi’s 65th Governor Tuesday morning

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Tate Reeves will be sworn in as Mississippi’s 65th Governor Tuesday morning, but the forecast is now impacting plans for the ceremony.

It will now be held inside the State Capitol in the House chamber.

Crews spent the morning putting the finishing touches on the outdoor staging that was constructed for the swearing-in ceremony.

Inaugural Committee Chair Leigh Reeves knew from the start the role was an undertaking with many moving parts.

“It’s a ton of planning,” said Leigh Reeves. "In fact, you are doing probably events that would take normally a year to plan in two months. So, it’s intense. "

There are plenty of logistics for planning the inaugural events with Mississippi weather always being a possible wrench in those plans.

“You’ve got to have a plan A, a plan B and then a plan C,” added Reeves. But the committee made the judgment call mid-afternoon Monday.

“Versus chancing the weather, it looks like it’s going to be a 50/50 shot," she said. "And so we’ve decided to just go ahead and move the ceremony inside so that we can make it as nice and comfortable as we can inside the chamber.”

The parade that was set for 2:00 p.m. Tuesday is now canceled.

“We’re kind-of putting our cards on the table with that one just to see where the day takes us," Reeves explained. "And if we can get a break in the weather and we still have some willing participants ready to maybe to weather a little bit of weather, we’re ready to roll with that.”

Rewind to January of 2012 for a similar scenario.

Rain forced the ceremony for Governor Phil Bryant inside too. The rotunda was packed with folks watching on monitors and huddling inside from the rain.

That decision, though, wasn’t made until the morning of. This year’s committee is hoping making the decision with more advance notice will help it go on without a hitch.

“TV monitors positioned throughout the Capitol," described Reeves. "We will set up some chairs. Some of those chairs that are being set up outside, we’ll re-position those inside.”

The House gallery will be filled with family, officials and those participating in the program. Therefore, members of the public will be watching from those monitors in the hallways and potentially in conference rooms throughout the Capitol.

In 2012, the outdoor stage was later used for Phil Bryant’s State of the State address in. That is being discussed as an option this year, but, again, would all depend on weather.

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