Watch Obama on Harry Truman’s big screen

President Harry Truman is throwing a party from beyond the grave tomorrow to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama. The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum (500 W. U.S.

Hwy. 24) in Independence will broadcast CNN’s coverage of Obama’s swearing-in ceremony on its “theater-sized screen” at 10 a.m. Sorry, MSNBC and Fox News fans. The party lasts until 4 p.m.

Fun fact from our friends at the museum:

The 2009 Inauguration is expected to be the most expensive on record. On Jan. 5, The New York Times reported that President-elect Obama had raised nearly $24 million for the Inaugural. It may surprise some to learn that the 1949 Inauguration of Harry Truman, who was famously frugal, topped all prior spending records. So how much did Truman’s Inaugural Ball cost? $29,000.

Obama’s inauguration may cost $24 million but watching at Truman’s place is free.