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So, your inauguration invitation got lost in the mail (don’t you hate it when that happens?), but that doesn’t mean you can’t watch Tuesday’s historic moment among friends and strangers. Here’s a local viewing guide from your friends at The Brooklyn Paper.

Beep beep

Borough President Markowitz has thrown open Borough Hall for the festivities, starting at 10 am.

Brooklyn Borough Hall [209 Joralemon St., between Court and Adams streets in Downtown, (718) 802-3700].

Bars and restaurants

Barbes, that legendary jazz club in Park Slope, will have its TV blaring and the bar fully stocked. Also check out Cafe Shane in Prospect Heights.

Barbes [376 Ninth St. at Sixth Avenue in Park Slope, (718) 965-9177]; Cafe Shane [794 Washington Ave. between St Johns and Sterling places, (718) 399-9001].

O-BAM-a

The Brooklyn Academy of Music will show the event live on every screen.

BAM Rose Cinemas [30 Lafayette Ave. between Ashland Place and St. Felix Street in Fort Greene, (718) 636-4100].

Explore history

Families can watch the main event, plus spend the day playing, making arts and crafts or teaching their kids about why it’s such a big deal to have an African-American president at the New York City Explorers. There will even be trivia contests.

New York City Explorers [388 Atlantic Ave., between Hoyt and Bond streets in Boerum Hill, (718) 625-6923]. $10.

Other events

Lose the Bush

For the more vindictive among us, one event will focus less on the incoming president, and more on giving the outgoing one a swift kick in the rear.

Southpaw in Park Slope will host a farewell party to celebrate the departure of the Decider, hosted by DJs Alex Grashow and Jah C, with replays of the day’s events on a giant screen.

Goodbye party for Bush at Southpaw [125 Fifth Ave. at St. Johns Place in Park Slope, (718) 230-0236]. 6 pm. FREE.www.spsounds.com.

The inaugural balls

Two big balls will be held in Brooklyn on Jan. 20, and just like the president, you can traipse from one to the other over the course of the evening.

The first event, held at Smack Mellon, an art gallery, and will feature a “farewell speech” by Dick Cheney (played by an impersonator, unfortunately) and a cash bar. Food will be sold by Red Hook Park’s Latin food vendors.

A second event at the Bell House, a newly opened concert hall and bar on Seventh Street, will honor the transition of power while also raising money for PS 261, a Gowanus elementary school. Plenty of food and wine will accompany a re-broadcast of President Obama’s inaugural speech, followed by music and dancing.

And though you won’t be serenaded by the Marine Corps Band, there will be plenty of live music at both events. The Bell House will feature a South African music ensemble and a spoken-word performance by Brooklyn-based poet/musician Karen Gibson Roc, and Smack Mellon will have DJ $mall ¢hange.

PS 261 Inaugural Ball at the Bell House [149 Seventh St., between Second and Third avenues in Gowanus, (718) 643-6510]. 7 pm. $75 per person. For info, visitwww.ps261.org.

Smack Mellon Inaugural Ball [92 Plymouth St. at Washington Street in DUMBO, (718) 834-8761]. 7 pm. $25 per person. For info, visitwww.smackmellon.org.

©2009 The Brooklyn Paper

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