Hastert and Durbin Co-Chair Jan. 19th Illinois Inaugural Gala

Hastert and Durbin Co-Chair Jan. 19th Illinois Inaugural Gala WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL), Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), former House Republican Leader Robert Michel, and almost all Illinois members of Congress from both parties will be attending the bipartisan Inaugural Gala sponsored by the Illinois State Society of Washington, DC on Jan. 19. The VIP reception starts at 5:30 PM and the dinner starts at 6:30 PM at the Grand Hyatt Hotel at 1000 H Street, NW in Washington, DC. There is also a dancing only part of the evening from 8 PM until 1:30 AM. The society, founded in 1854, is celebrating its 150th anniversary and is the oldest state society in Washington, DC. Tickets are sold to the general public and guests do not need to come from Illinois to attend. Hastert and Durbin are the honorary co-chairs of the event. "The Illinois party is one of Washington's oldest and best Inauguration traditions and it dates back to the Inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln in 1861," said Gala Chairman Suzanne New. "We have seven bands featuring many different styles of music in different ballrooms. They include the world-famous Lester Lanin Orchestra in the City of Chicago Ballroom sponsored by Motorola, Inc. The Lester Lanin Orchestra has played at every inauguration in the last 52 years. Other bands will include Hip Pocket, a rock and roll band from Bloomington, Illinois, and Southern Winds, a country and western band from Virginia. Washington, DC's own Second Nature band will feature the sounds of Motown." Tickets for the Illinois ball may be purchased for $175 each by calling the Illinois State Society ticket sales office in the Washington Board Room of the Grand Hyatt at 202-582-1234. There is also information on the web site at http://www.illinoisstatesociety.org/ or by calling a recorded message at 703-461-3610. Source: Illinois State Society CONTACT: Mark Rhoads of Illinois State Society, +1-703-536-5770 Web site: http://www.illinoisstatesociety.org/ ------- Profile: International Entertainment