Cold Weather Kept New Bedford High Band From 1985 Inauguration

It’s been a long time since a presidential inauguration was held indoors due to weather conditions. The last time it happened was in 1985 when Ronald Reagan began his second term.

That was 40 years ago, and some kids from New Bedford were supposed to be there but ended up getting shut out when it moved inside.

In deciding upon the U.S. Capitol Rotunda for his second inauguration, President-elect Donald J. Trump posted on Truth Social, “There is an Arctic blast sweeping the country.”

Cold temperatures and stiff winds create dangerous wind chills that could threaten the safety of spectators gathering outdoors.

Trump posted, “I don’t want to see people hurt, or injured, in any way. It is dangerous conditions for the tens of thousands of Law Enforcement, First responders, Police K9s and even horses, and hundreds of thousands of supporters that will be outside for many hours on the 20th (In any event, if you decide to come, dress warmly!)”

Trump invited spectators to view the inauguration from the Capitol Center, where they could also enjoy the inaugural parade.

The New Bedford High School Whalers Marching Band, selected to participate in President Ronald Reagan’s 1985 inaugural parade, raised over $20,000 for the trip to D.C. – but Mother Nature froze them out.

An air temperature of seven degrees with wind chills of -40 degrees put the parade on ice.

SouthCoastToday.com recalls, “The extreme cold of that January 1985 day forced the cancellation of what would have been the 50th inauguration parade.”

The site reported, “The Whalers, like most of the rest of the country, ended up watching the inaugural festivities on TV.”

Fox News recalls that “President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961 had similar temperatures – a high of 26 and a low of 19. It was held outside, even after a storm dumped 8 inches of snow the previous day.”