Donald Trump
A day after the Washington Post called out Donald Trump for claiming that “all the dress shops are sold out in Washington” by women looking for gowns to wear to his inaugural ball (a flat-out lie), it’s being reported that the Arkansas State Society has had to cancel its planned Arkansas Inaugural Gala due to poor ticket sales.
According to the 4920 News website (KHBS-KHOG Fort Smith-Fayetteville), the event was canceled due to low demand for tickets. The website for the event said the “early bird” price for the tickets, beginning Dec. 26, was $200. The 4029 site said tickets were “at least $125,” and the event was to be held at the National Press Club. The website reports that Arkansas State Society President Glen Mahone said “planners canceled the event before any ticket … had been sold. Mahone believes the event will be revived eventually.”
The Arkansas State Society posted this notice on its website:
“The Arkansas 2017 Inaugural Gala has been cancelled at this time due to unforseen circumstances. Please accept our deepest apologies from the entire Arkansas State Society Board of Directors as we know that this is a beloved event for all of our fellow Arkansans. We sincerly hope that you will still enjoy other inaugural events that are offered within our Nation’s Capitol. Please go to Guide to the 2017 Presidential Inauguration for other local event information.
“Again, we apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause. For additional information please contact Gala Chair Glenn Mahone at 202-302-9941.”
This news comes at about the same time as news that British classical pop singer Charlotte Church announced that she had refused an invitation to perform at the inauguration because she thinks Trump is “a tyrant.”
Here’s the tweet in which Church refused the invitation:
Well, she forgot to add the “Felecia” after “Bye,” but the four poop emojis make Church’s feelings on the matter pretty clear, it seems.
As Yahoo reports, “With 10 days to go before Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, the 30-year-old former child star who crossed over from singing classical arias as a tween to more mainstream pop as an adult joins a list of other artists who have reportedly said ‘no’ to performing for the real estate billionaire. A glance through Church’s Twitter feed from 2016 finds a number of retweets from the singer critical of Trump.
“Former Celebrity Apprentice star Trump has said he’s not interested in attracting ‘A-list’ celebs to his inaugural festivities, which so far will include appearances from fellow reality TV star Jackie Evancho, Big & Rich, country rapper Cowboy Troy, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and a handful of marching bands. The tweet from Church came shortly after [DJ] Moby said he was also reportedly asked to DJ at an inaugural ball, a request the proudly liberal EDM star said he’d gladly entertain if ‘#trump released his tax returns.’
“Another reality TV singer, Rebecca Ferguson — who was runner-up in the seventh season of Britain’s The X Factor — said last week that she would perform, but only if Trump’s team allowed her to sing ‘Strange Fruit,’ the legendary protest song against racism made famous by Billie Holiday. (In other words, no.) Elton John, Gene Simmons, Garth Brooks are among the other artists who have reportedly declined to appear.
“A spokesperson for the Trump campaign could not be reached for comment at press time.”
