FERRIDAY, La. &045; With a full schedule of events and celebrations, Mayor-elect Gene Allen and his administration will be sworn into office at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday.

Pastor Justin Conner will introduce Allen during the inauguration ceremony at the Ferriday town hall.

&uot;We’re ready to hit the ground running,&uot; Allen said.

According to Conner, both he and Alex Promise plan to share ideas with Allen and help move Ferriday forward and restore its dignity.

&uot;We’ve joined together with one ideal to do whatever it takes, whatever measures are necessary to bring Ferriday to where it’s supposed to be,&uot; Conner said.

Odeal Montgomery, mayor of Ferriday from 1996 to 2000, said she is looking forward to Allen’s administration.

&uot;I think it’s gonna be another landmark in time for the citizens of Ferriday,&uot; Montgomery said. &uot;I think it’s gonna be a great day for the town of Ferriday.

Conner will take part in the inauguration ceremony as the ceremony emcee.

The ecumenical services at Mount Beulah Baptist Church will start off the inaugural ceremonies at 8 a.m. on Thursday. The services will include scripture read by Pastor Charles Chandler and prayers for unity, peace,

the nation and the new administration given by Elder Willis J. Ellis, Pastor Pat Roller, Pastor Lula Grayson and Bro. Roger Johnson respectively. The guest speaker for the services will be Pastor Willie Birdon, president of the Tri-Parish Ministerial Alliance.

The inaugural ceremony program, scheduled at 11:30 a.m. at the town hall will include: an invocation given by Father Jamie Medina, Pledge of Allegiance, a welcome to Ferriday by Senator Charles D. Jones and State Rep. Bryant Hammett, mayoral prayer by the Rev. Promise and introduction of mayor-elect by Conner. At that point, Allen will receive his oath of office by Judge Kathy Johnson and give his inaugural address to the public. The ceremony will also include songs by Brenda Allen Bowman and Effie Phillips and a benediction by Dr. Eugene Williams. A reception will follow afterward.

There will also be a special meeting at the town hall sometime early Thursday afternoon where Allen will recommend his administration to the town council. Members of the recommended administration include: Derrick Carson to serve as town attorney, Robert Davis as chief of police, Brenda Carter as town clerk and Herman Smith as fire chief.

From 4 to 6 p.m. Allen, along with other community leaders, will have a mini-inauguration ceremony at the old seventh grade gym across from town hall. There, Allen will talk to and answer questions from the younger citizens of Ferriday.

At 7:30 p.m., the Borderline Reception Center will host an inaugural gala. Sponsors for the inaugural gala include Delta Bank, Concordia Bank & Trust, Imogene’s Restaurant and Tensas State Bank.