Governor-elect Dr. Robert Bentley was sworn in at noon Monday, January 17th, as the 53rd governor of Alabama, and leading up to the inauguration was the Inaugural Parade, which left many participants with a sense of honor and pride.

Anslee Henderson, Pike County’s very own Little Miss Troy, was a participant in Monday morning’s parade and expressed her excitement as having been apart of the ceremonies.

“It was freezing there, but I had a lot of fun,” said Henderson, “We did a lot of dressing up for the parade and we even blew up balloons.”

Ashlee Henderson, mother of 7-year-old Anslee, echoed her daughter’s excitement and expressed her sense of pride in being able to participate in Monday’s parade.

“There were close to 100 entries, but not all the entries nominated were chosen to be in the parade, so it was a great privilege that Troy was able to be represented so well,” said Henderson.

Marching bands from around the state were there to provide some of the entertainment during Monday’s inauguration and Troy University’s Sound of the South Marching Band was there to satisfy the listener’s need for good music.

Candice Thompson, a member of the Color Guard for the Sound of the South Marching Band and former saxophone player for the band, could attest to the sizable crowd, the cooler weather and the good music.

“It was cold, but it wasn’t too cold. We’ve played at games where it had been much cooler than what it was, so performing wasn’t a problem,” said Thompson.

“We got there at around 9 a.m. and set up just as soon as we arrived,” said Thompson, “We were the last ones to perform, so we had to wait around quite a bit.”

The honor of being chosen to represent Troy in Monday’s inauguration wasn’t wasted on Thompson and her fellow band members.

“There were a lot of people there at the capitol and they wanted us to play and it was an incredible honor for us to perform. It’s wonderful to be able to shine some light on the talent that we have here in the Sound of the South and wherever we’re allowed to play, that’s exactly what we’ll do,” Thompson said.

Mallory Franklin, Teen Miss Troy, provided an additional reason for being a proud representative for the City of Troy.

“It was a phenomenal privilege to be allowed to be a part of Alabama history,” Franklin said.

And, although it’s difficult to put an exact number of those in attendance during Governor Bentley’s Inauguration, Kay Franklin, Mallory’s mother managed to put it in perspective.

“I know there were over 5, 000 people that participated in the parade itself, so I know there were at least that many during the actual inauguration,” Franklin said.

“It was just so wonderful to be a part of this parade,” added Franklin, “We happened to be on one of maybe a dozen floats in the parade, because the parade was primarily composed of bands.”

Those in attendance representing the Pike County area included Kristen Meeks (Future Little Miss Troy), Sarah Elizabeth Calhoun (Young Miss Troy), Jaci Rushing (Tiny Miss Troy), Jasia Guice (Pre-Teen Miss Troy), Allison Reynolds (Miss Troy), Sydnii Todd (Miss Troy University), Blakley White (Miss Rising Star), the Charles Henderson High School Homecoming Court and Haley Hawkins (Pike Liberal Arts Homecoming Queen).