Gloria Borland was so confident of a Barack Obama victory in November, she didn't waste any time booking a location for an aloha-style inaugural ball in the nation's capital.

She reserved the largest ballroom space in the city - in April.

“;Our inaugural committee is made up of people who believe in Obama,”; Borland said in a telephone interview from Washington, D.C. “;We're just very passionate Obama supporters.

“;I came up with the idea for the Aloha Ball back in January, right after the Iowa caucuses. ... I had the idea and reserved the space.”;

The “;Aloha Inaugural Ball”; at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park hotel is among at least three inauguration week gala events that will feature a Hawaii theme playing off Obama's roots.

Borland, a Hawaii native who is producing a documentary about Obama's life in Hawaii scheduled for release this month, chose the Marriott because of its size - the hotel was the same venue for the Texas State Society's Black Tie & Boots Inaugural Balls in 2001 and 2005, celebrating President Bush.

Those events attracted 12,000 people the first year and 14,000 upon Bush's re-election. Borland hopes to keep the crowd at a more manageable 8,000.

She plans to model different spaces throughout the hotel on themes in Obama's life, such as Punahou, Makiki, basketball and the University of Hawaii, where his parents met.

“;We know the majority of the people will be from the mainland, maybe 70 to 80 percent,”; she said. “;We wanted to show them what 'live aloha' means.”;

The event is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 18, two days before the inauguration.

While the Aloha Inaugural Ball promises to be among the larger events, the honor of hottest ticket in town goes to the Hawaii State Society of Washington, D.C., which is holding its Hawaii Inaugural Ball for the first time on the night of the inauguration.

Of the numerous balls that are held at every inauguration, the Hawaii State Society's event was the first to sell out, with the $200 tickets snapped up within days of Obama's historic victory Nov. 4.

“;The night of the election and the next day, the man who was handling our ticket sales for us had people lining up at his front door and checks arriving,”; said Sarah Ulis, president of the Hawaii State Society.

“;We went from at one point thinking we were going to have a very nice party for about 200 people and maybe having no more than 500, to talking with the hotel and managing to spread out a little bit more and managing 1,000 people.”;

Ulis said she expects to find out this month whether her event, at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, becomes one of the balls officially sanctioned by the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

Sanctioning would mean promotion of the ball by the committee and a recommendation to the president that he make an appearance, Ulis said.

“;That doesn't mean he will,”; she added. “;But we have so many reasons to believe he will due to his ties to Hawaii.

“;The people we are expecting, people from Punahou School, we are expecting - we think - his sister, Maya (Soetoro-Ng) and of course we're going to have such great entertainment that night representing the best of Hawaiian music, I can't think he wouldn't come.”;

Ulis also began planning for the ball back in April, adding that the event would have been held regardless of who won.

“;Both candidates had ties to Hawaii and we felt this was the time and place - in this new era - to reintroduce Hawaii to the rest of the world through this inaugural ball in the nation's capital,”; Ulis said.

  The high interest in - and quick sellout of - the Hawaii State Society's ball prompted at least one other event.

Hawaii Democrat A.J. Halagao was among those turned away when he tried to get a ticket. So he asked local party officials about holding a ball of their own.

The Hawaii for Obama Inaugural Gala is set for Jan. 18 at the Hay Adams Hotel, and is expected to draw about 200 people.

“;The major reason is we wanted an event where people from Hawaii could gather together and celebrate this historic moment that we think is good for America and also for Hawaii and I think we've done that,”; Halagao said.

“;In no way are we discouraging the (Hawaii State Society) ball, but I think a lot of people who worked on Hawaii for Obama were not able to get a ticket.”;

Back home, Hawaii Democrats also have planned an inaugural ball in Waikiki for Obama supporters who are unable to make the trip to Washington. The Aloha Inaugural Ball at the Royal Hawaiian is scheduled for the night of the inauguration, Jan. 20. Organizers say they expect about 1,000, with tickets selling for $250 each, and $1,000 each for VIP tickets.