In frigid temperatures, beneath gray skies, hundreds lined the streets of Dexter Avenue in Montgomery to watch state leaders be sworn into their positions of leadership on the steps of the state capitol.

Alabama state flags adorned the pillars of the building and a red carpet was rolled out from the entranceway to a podium where state leaders gave brief remarks after being sworn in during the Inauguration Ceremony.

Before the swearing in ceremony began, the Alabama Air National Guard flew jets over the capitol and the Booker T. Washington Magnet High School Choir sang the National Anthem.

Among those in attendance were former Alabama Governors Robert Bentley, Bob Riley and Jim Folsom, Jr, as well as former U.S. Senator and Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Reps. Martha Roby, R-AL, and Bradley Byrne, R-AL.

Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill was sworn in for his second term and used the opportunity to boast that more than 1 million Alabamians have been registered to vote under his tenure and roughly 750,000 have been purged from voter rolls because they either “moved away, passed away” or got “put away.”

Newly-elected Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall led the crowd in a moment of silence for slain Birmingham Police Sgt. Wytasha Carter, who was killed in a shooting Sunday morning, and vowed to lead the state as its chief law enforcement officer.

Newly-elected Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth was also sworn in before Gov. Kay Ivey took the oath of office as the first Republican woman to become the Governor of Alabama.

Ivey is preparing for her first full term as governor, after stepping into the role from her previous position as Lt. Governor when former Governor Robert Bentley resigned amid a bevy of allegations.

“Alabama is a state where dreams do come true,” Ivey said. “And here in Alabama, anything is possible.”

Ivey talked about growing up in Wilcox County, at a time when women could not confidently aspire to such high positions, and the “support and confidence” she received from her parents.

“My pathway to this spot was not predetermined or even likely,” Ivey said.

Ivey also promised to “keep Alabama growing.”

“I work for those who voted for me, as well as those who did not,” Ivey said.

A full slate of events was planned for the day, including a parade that launched at the closing of the Inauguration Ceremony and an Inaugural Gala that took place that evening at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center in Montgomery.