Tickets for Obama’s inaugural ball sold out

The Hawaii-themed inaugural ball for President-elect Barack Obama is sold out, even though there’s no assurance Hawaii’s native son will stop by.

The Hawaii State Society in Washington, D.C., said it has sold all 750 tickets to the Jan. 20 ball for $200 apiece.

“We’re very hopeful the president will come,” said Micah Kohono Mossman, the ball’s chairman. “We’re doing everything we can – and when I say everything we can, I mean everything we can.”

To nail down a visit by Obama and the new first lady, the society must get its formal party designated an official ball by the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

“Our fingers are crossed that even if we don’t get that sanction, he’ll still come by,” Mossman said. “We’ve got some old basketball buddies putting on the peer pressure. We’re working all angles.”

A number of other states have been holding inaugural balls for years, and earlier this year Mossman came up with the idea of Hawaii joining the tradition.

Some enterprising ticket-holders are offering theirs for sale on the Internet for $1,200 to $2,000.