Come January 20, the ever popular Texas Black Tie and Boots Ball will not be the hottest ticket in town. But Washington event planners may face a run on grass skirts and a spike on orders for pupu platters. Hawaii, the birthplace of President-elect Barack Obama, will be a logical inspiration for decor for at least the next four years.
The Presidential Inaugural Committee for the 44th president of the United States has not yet been established. But already one still-unsanctioned ball has embraced an Hawaiian theme and sold-out all 750 tickets. Organizers of the Hawaii State Society Ball, with a budget of $250,000, have booked a ballroom at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Southwest Washington, The Washington Post reported. Ball chairman Micah Kohono Mossman, a consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton, has requested Asian-Pacific foods and island music. Planning is still under way for leis and, perhaps, a waterfall.
Still, the organizers cannot count on a hula by Obama and his wife. "Our fingers are crossed that even if we don't get that sanction, he'll still come by," Mossman told The Post.
