The moment of truth arrived Tuesday morning as Ed Rendell was sworn in as the 45th governor of Pennsylvania on the steps of the State Capitol, while fans, supporters and elected officials braved bone-chilling temperatures.

People had been waiting for more than an hour for the program to begin. Rendell's official swearing-in ceremony was scheduled to start at 11:30 and was expected to be a lively event with songs by the Keystone State Boys Choir, introductions, fanfare and invocations. But it wasn't until 11:45 a.m. that House and Senate members began to file out of the Capitol to their seats, making the usually tardy Rendell wait. By 11:55 a.m., House Majority Leader John Perzel made brief opening remarks before Rendell was sworn in by his wife, Third Circuit Court Judge Midge Rendell, precisely at high noon. Their son Jesse held the Bible.

Were Republicans trying to put a damper on the day by holding an early legislative session?

No, actually it was Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll's 45-minute speech at her swearing-in ceremony in the Senate Chambers at 10:30 a.m. that held up the program.

But Rendell didn't miss a beat and kept his remarks rather brief, which was a good thing since the poor boys in the choir standing there without coats were turning blue.

In his speech, Rendell called for cooperation between the Democrats and Republicans.

"I call on my fellow elected officials to work cooperatively in the months ahead. Let us put public interest over partisanship, people over politics and, recognizing the commonality of our interests, let us work together to effectively respond to the crisis facing us and restore Pennsylvania," said Rendell.

He also reminded everyone of the dark days ahead: a weak economy and a public school system desperately in need of reform. He also touched on skyrocketing unemployment and a looming major budget deficit.

"The next four years promise to be an exciting and challenging time and together we will face many long and difficult days, days that will require courage, and I ask for everyone's help in the work that lies ahead of us," he said.

But despite the problems ahead for the new administration, no one fretted too much. That was tomorrow's problem. Today was party day!

The three-hour inaugural parade got off to a late start with 30 marching bands and more than 5,500 marchers.

The new governor and his wife greeted all the bands as they marched past the reviewing stand and Rendell autographed the inaugural programs for fans.

That night, the inaugural ball was wild with more than 10,000 guests who ate and drank their way around the State Farm Show Complex, which had no lingering smell of livestock. A music concert at the Farm preceded the ball.

Many of the guests had been in Harrisburg since Monday night, having attended an exclusive fundraiser for Rendell in Hershey. More than 500 people paid $5,000 apiece for that party.

The food at the ball disappeared quickly despite the 2,220 pounds of beef, 2,000 pounds of shrimp, 2,000 pounds of chicken and 1,500 pounds of turkey breasts. Assorted libations were in abundance though there was a shortage of water.

Jerry Blavat, Sha Na Na, the CTO Band and the City Rhythm Orchestra entertained.

Ball attire ranged from mini-dresses with lots of cleavage to elaborate ball gowns for the women; most of the men wore tuxedos, like Wayne Spilove, who was an inaugural committee finance chair.

Spilove had just returned from Seoul, Korea, where he went with Herb Vederman on an economic summit for Rendell. The purpose was to entice Koreans to come here to do business. According to Spilove, the trip was a success and he and Vederman met with officials from Samsung. Spilove brought Korean diplomats and ambassadors of industry to the inaugural ball. Vederman, meanwhile, is now Rendell's special economic adviser in his cabinet.

Michael Horwits, a teacher at Roxborough High School, brought a group of 22 senior students who are part of "Student Voices" from the Annenberg Public Policy Center. They are studying government and civic participation in the governor's race.

Next year, Horwits said they will study the mayor's race as well as City Council.

Looking ahead to 2004, Jim Eisenhower said he is out to raise money for his attorney general race while he works this year at Ballard Spahr. "I'll be doing John Estey's work," said Eisenhower.

Estey, another Ballard attorney, is now Rendell's chief of staff. Eisenhower's wife, Nora Dowd, is Rendell's secretary of aging.

Judgeships were a hot topic at the ball as well. David Wecht, the Allegheny County Register of Wills, is running again this year for one of three spots on state Superior Court. He is looking for a campaign manager. And Allegheny County Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey Manning is running for the one spot on the state Supreme Court.

Michael Williams, the president of OutFront, a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) lobbying organization, attended the ball and has recovered from the open-heart surgery that was performed a few months ago. Rendell received a lot of support from the LGBT community.