Freeze in Capital Doesn’t Halt Warmup for Inauguration

WASHINGTON — It was so cold at Sunday’s mock presidential inauguration that the Marine Band couldn’t play because its instruments were frozen.

But that was just about all that went wrong as about 3,000 people gathered in subfreezing darkness at 5:30 a.m. in front of the Capitol to practice the Jan. 20 swearing-in ceremony for President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore.

Military personnel wearing civilian clothing stood in for the Clinton family and other ceremony participants as the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee held the rehearsal.

“We staged this to work out unforeseen glitches,” said Marine Maj. Don Holmes, rehearsal coordinator. “There weren’t any.”

Army Sgt. Heather Johnsen of Fremont, Calif., was Hillary Rodham Clinton. Dressed in a heavy gray overcoat, she made her way to a seat behind the podium beside the stand-in Chelsea Clinton, Army Pvt. Annie Gay of Chatham, La.

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The two stood and watched as Marine Cpl. Richard Sorrells of Chester, Iowa--as Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist--had Marine Sgt. Heath Kuhlmann of Midland, Texas--as President Clinton--promise to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

The oath of office completed, the stand-in president’s stand-in wife and daughter joined him at the podium and waved to a multitude of empty seats.