Virginia is getting back from the federal government about half the $5.7 million it spent buttressing security at the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine announced yesterday that the state will receive $2.8 million to offset expenses by 51 state and local agencies for the swearing-in of the nation’s first African-American president.

A young man stands on a barrier above the massive crowd on Washington’s National Mall, his hand raised triumphantly. Amateur photographer Paul Loveland of western Henrico County captured the powerful image on Jan. 20—President Barack Obama’s Inauguration Day. And yesterday, that image became part of the record of the history-making day, appearing in the “Official Barack Obama Inaugural Book.“

Because Barack Obama’s inauguration came so near Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday, and because during his rise the newly inaugurated president had referred to Lincoln so often and had been linked to Lincoln so persistently—he was a tall gangly lawyer/politician from Illinois, who had almost exactly as little and as much experience in office as Lincoln had, and in the same places. And because Obama had come to national attention—as Lincoln had—largely through the distinction of a particular speech (Lincoln at Cooper Union; Obama at the Democratic Convention of 2004).

Army National Guard Capt. Jarrod C. Blevins and Army National Guard Pfc. Joshua D. Merrick participated in the 56th Presidential Inauguration on Jan. 20. They were part of the largest contingent of National Guard members to serve in Washington. More than 7,000 Army and Air National Guard members from 31 states and territories provided the 2009 Presidential Inauguration with military working dogs, consequence management planning and ceremonial, logistics and medical support through the Armed Forces Inaugural Committee.

Virginia spent roughly $7 million on the inauguration of President Barack Obama. But the state’s hotels and motels took in an extra $28 million during the week surrounding the inauguration, compared with the same week last year, according to state tourism figures provided yesterday by the office of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. The reason? Hotels in Virginia represent 46 percent of the capacity in the Washington region. During the week of the inauguration, revenues per available room increased 108 percent, to $159.46 per room from $76.82 per room. That translated into an additional $28 million in room revenue.

Highlights from Cosby High School’s three-day trip to D.C. for Barack Obama’s inauguration.

History and circumstance ensured yesterday’s drama. President Barack Obama’s presence and oratory met expectations. Every Inauguration celebrates the American experiment. In sentiment and tone, Obama delivered. Hail to the chief. Rituals convey majesty. They assert the traditions that nurture individual talent. Yesterday offered ruffles and flourishes, as well as manifest goodwill. Obama cited sacrifice and called for renewed responsibility. If his speech lacked phrases as arresting as John Kennedy’s “ask not,“ then it captured its audience—which in this instance was not only the nation but the world. Obama’s reliance on cadence reflected artistry. His voice would accelerate at precisely the right moment. His sentences grew into paragraphs. Paragraphs echoed as though they originated deep in the rich veins of liturgy. Style can indicate substance—and regarding presidential leadership often is substance; yesterday gave Americans a glimpse of what will be. Style cannot foretell judgment, however, and the quality of judgment is not known until it is required. Tests are inevitable.

Barack Obama, sworn in today as nation’s first African-American president, called for “a new era of responsibility” to restore America at home and abroad.

“With malice toward none.“ “Fear itself.“ “Ask not.“ Americans await today’s Inaugural Address with great expectations. The times, the circumstances, and the person combined to make the event memorable even before it occurred. Barack Obama will deliver his first speech as president in the context of war and economic turmoil. John Kennedy’s Inauguration may have marked generational change, but the nation did not confront challenges on a scale similar to today’s. Franklin Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln entered office during eras of absolute crisis. Lincoln’s greatest speech—the Second Inaugural cited above—was delivered as the Civil War was nearing its end. Wounds still bled.

Society is breathlessly awaiting the unveiling of Michelle Obama’s inaugural gown. Everyone is trying to get in on the act. Women’s Wear Daily asked notable designers to sketch what they believe she’ll wear Tuesday night. Designer Vera Wang already confirmed to New York newspapers that she isn’t the designer. The easy bet is designer Maria Pinto of Chicago, who has dressed Obama before. Pinto gowns run from $1,200 to $5,000—not exactly recession chic, but reasonable for a couture dress.

Just 10 months ago, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s expletive-filled sermon clips about America almost brought down Barack Obama. Now, the president-elect faces a new round of public ire because he invited the white evangelical Rick Warren to deliver the Inaugural invocation. So, Obama has found trouble for being too close to Jeremiah Wright and for being too close to Rick Warren—two religious leaders who stand far apart from each other.

The national mood seems strange. Economic uncertainty gives many families good reason to fear bad news. The excitement of an Inauguration—of this Inauguration—lends an air of festivity amid the gloom. A balance of wary but steady, concerned but confident may be the one the citizenry needs to strike. Historic references abound. Barack Obama enters the White House at the most difficult hour at least since Ronald Reagan’s first term, and probably since Franklin Roosevelt confronted the Great Depression or even since Abraham Lincoln was greeted by secession and the inevitability of civil war. He inherits a mess. In Eliot’s “Burnt Norton,“ we read: “What might have been is an abstraction/Remaining a perpetual possibility/Only in a world of speculation.“

On Jan. 20, 2005, George Bush was sworn in as president of the United States. On Jan. 20, 2009, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States. The University of Virginia decided to suspend classes on only one of these important days. Can you guess which one? Arthur Garson Jr., the executive vice president and provost of UVa, announced by e-mail that classes will be suspended on Jan. 20, 2009 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., in honor of the inauguration of Barack Obama. In 2005, while I was an undergraduate at UVa, classes carried on as usual for George Bush’s Inauguration Day.

Commuter rail service from Fredericksburg is sold out for Inauguration Day, as travelers look for ways to enter and leave the nation’s capital without a vehicle. The Virginia Railway Express sold its last ticket yesterday for 15 trains scheduled to run each way on Tuesday, when two major interstates and all of the bridges to Washington will be closed to personal vehicles.

Middle school kids can make some noise. For an hour yesterday at Richmond’s Binford Middle School, the rumble that comes as 450 or so students stomp their feet and slap their hands was encouraged.