Gov.-elect Jon Huntsman Jr. announced Tuesday that an interfaith music service and a Statehood Day party will bookend the Jan. 3 traditional swearing-in ceremony, and all of the events will be geared to public participation. While the inauguration will require tickets and have limited seating, the Statehood party at the E Center in West Valley City will be open to all and include free food and entertainment.

"I want this to truly be an open house at which all Utahns feel comfortable," Huntsman said at a news conference at the Utah National Guard Headquarters in Draper. He vowed that the state birthday party, on Jan. 4, will be reminiscent of the festivities surrounding the declaration of Statehood.

"We hope to duplicate in some nature the excitement and spirit of this day going back to 1896," the governor-elect said.

While the State Capitol is undergoing a four-year renovation, the inauguration ceremony - during which Huntsman, Lt. Gov.-elect Gary Herbert and other elected officials will take their oaths of office - will be moved to Abravanel Hall in downtown Salt Lake City. Huntsman will be the first chief executive sworn in outside the Capitol since 1917.

The symphony hall has more than 2,800 seats, though it is unclear yet how many will be available for the public. A live video image will be piped into room in the adjacent Salt Palace Convention Center for an overflow crowd. Live television coverage also is expected.

The events - including the traditionally glitzy and ceremonious inaugural - will cost "well in excess" of $100,000. That is more than previous inaugurals, partly because of the three days of events and partly because the Capitol isn't available for use, according to Inauguration Committee Chairman Max Farbman, who worked on former Gov. Mike Leavitt's inauguration ceremonies.

Previous inaugurals have cost between $35,000 and $40,000, said Mike Deaver, director of the Huntsman ceremony.

The state, through the National Guard, will kick in at least $20,000, Farbman said, but private donors will have to cover probably tens of thousands of dollars in expenses. Some of the funding may come from an invitation-only gala on Jan. 6. That black-tie party will cost $250 a ticket, Farbman said.

As is tradition, the Utah National Guard will host the inaugural.

"I, along with others, will just be special guests," Huntsman said.

The interfaith music service, to be held at the historic First Presbyterian Church at 12 C Street and South Temple, will include groups from various denominations in the state. Huntsman says it "will be representative of Utah's cultural and religious diversity."

Some details of the inaugural events have yet to be finalized, such as how many seats will be available for the public at Abravanel Hall.

tburr@sltrib.com

Inaugural events

Jan. 2: Interfaith Music Service at the First Presbyterian Church

Jan. 3: Inaugural ceremony at Abravanel Hall

Jan. 4: Statehood Day party at the E Center in West Valley City