Watch CBS News

UPDATED: Emanuel's Inauguration Festivities Revealed

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Plans are coming together for the inauguration of Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel, including a free public concert by the band Chicago.

Plans include a number of events over a three-day period for the celebration called "Chicago Together."

Among events being planned are a citywide day of community service and an open house at City Hall.

A new Web site has a breakdown of the official events for the inauguration on May 16, as well as city Treasurer-elect Stephanie Neely, city Clerk-elect Susana Mendoza, and aldermen in the City Council.

Some details were still coming together as of Friday, but CBS 2 Chief Correspondent Jay Levine has learned that the Mayor-elect seemed to be planning it more than a month before he was elected.

Jason Brooks and Billy Bungeroth are part of the band J.C. Brooks and the Uptown Sound. They'll be opening for the group Chicago at the inauguration concert on Saturday, May 14.

Brooks and Bungeroth were rehearsing on Friday as they always do, in Bungeroth's bedroom on the second floor of an Uptown walk-up.

Emanuel first heard the band when they played at one of his fundraisers in January.

"We walk off stage and he comes running up, puts his hand up to mine, he says 'You guys are great, how come I didn't hear about you guys before.' I'm like, 'we've been around.' He says 'You guys gotta play the inauguration," Bungeroth said.

"So I go, 'You're not even elected yet, what are you talking about?' and he's like, 'I didn't say anything, I didn't say a thing, but you guys gotta play the inauguration.'"

Emanuel's plans for inauguration ceremonies will be spread over a three-day period, starting with a citywide day of service from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 14, in which Emanuel, Neely and Mendoza will join Chicagoans in service projects around the city.

Also Saturday comes the free, family-oriented concert at Butler Field in Grant Park, which is set for 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. J.C. Brooks and the Uptown Sound will open for the band Chicago.

A reception and dinner for family, friends and supporters will be held that night at a club called "Venue 1" on the Near West Side. Many of those invited will have donated between $5,000 and $50,000 to cover the costs of the three-day celebration.

"Chicago's such a wonderful city, full of excitement. We want to generate that, not tax the city with additional burdens, but truly a time of coming together, healing and moving forward," said Melinda Kelly, a member of Emanuel's inauguration committee.

Then, on Monday, May 16, at 10:30 a.m. Emanuel and the other elected officials will be sworn in at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. Afterward, from 2 to 4 p.m., Emanuel will host an open house in his new office on the fifth floor of City Hall.

Everyone's welcome at City Hall for the open house, but anyone doing business or seeking to do business with the city will be barred from giving donations to the inauguration ceremonies.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.