JEFFERSON CITY -- Not everyone here from Cape Girardeau for Gov.-elect Mel Carnahan's inauguration today is a Democrat. Laura Krone, who plays trombone for the Cape Central Marching Tigers, has Republican loyalties but says, "It doesn't really matter much to me. It's great to be going anyway."

On the other hand, Kevin Spaeth is a Democrat whose only other inaugural experience was Jimmy Carter's swearing-in in 1977. "From the standpoint of the Democratic Party, it's been a long dry spell. There's going to be quite a bit of some celebrating," Spaeth said Sunday afternoon.

Carnahan is the first Democratic governor to be inaugurated since Joe Teasdale in 1977.

Spaeth and a group of attorneys from the firm of Richey Rice Spaeth Heisserer & Summers left town Sunday for the pomp and circumstance scheduled in Jefferson City today. Spaeth's traveling companions include his wife Cindy, Joe and Karen Rice, and Kathy and Jay Wolz.

They've been invited to receptions today for incoming state officeholders Bob Holden (treasurer), Jay Nixon (attorney general) and Carnahan himself.

"We've been longtime supporters of (Carnahan's)" Spaeth said of his firm.

Tonight the couples will don black ties and formals for the Inaugural Ball.

Also attending the ball will be Cape Girardeau's Walt Wildman, executive director of the Regional Commerce and Growth Association, along with his wife Norma.

Wildman, whose last inaugural invitation came from Kit Bond, said this one was more personal than political. "I've known Mel and his family for a long time," he said.

Wildman used to work for Carnahan's brother in Van Buren.

The Wildmans will have dinner with state Auditor Margaret Kelly, who beginning today will be the lone Republican among the state's top officeholders.

The trip also will give Wildman a chance to talk with highway officials on Tuesday, but he doesn't plan to buttonhole Carnahan about business matters on his inauguration day.

"We're hoping to get a picture with him," he said.

Members of the Marching Tigers was scheduled to leave at 4:30 this morning for Jefferson City, where they will be one of 16 bands in today's inaugural parade.

"It's an honor to be invited to it," said senior Laura Krone, the Republican trombonist. "We've never been invited before. It's kind of exciting."

Though the 112-member band has played during appearances by President Reagan in 1988 and Vice President Dan Quayle in 1992, drum major J.J. Haycraft called the inaugural invitation "a great thing. This band's done a lot of great things. This tops it all off."

The band will play a rock/pop number called "Everybody's Everything," with the flag team employing American flags instead its usual rainbow array.

One minor concern for the band is the predicted chilly temperature today, expected to be 18-20 degrees at the parade's 10 a.m. starting time. They usually perform in more moderate fall temperatures, but the Marching Tigers have been steadfastly practicing in cold weather during the past week.

The band members have been instructed about the wonders of thermal underwear, but director Ron Nall knows there's no underwear for a brass player's instrument.

"If it gets down to 15 degrees valves on trumpets can stick," he said.

He expects the band members to march for less than two hours. "Once they finish the parade they will change back into their school clothes," he said.

They will witness the inauguration, which will be outdoors unless the weather really turns bad.

The band has been invited to lunch with Auditor Kelly, who was responsible for inviting them. Nall wants to thank Kelly for the unsolicited offer to march, which he supposes must have stemmed from her Crystal City roots.

The members also are expected to meet new state Sen. Peter Kinder, and Reps. Mary Kasten and David Schwab, and will be given a tour of the Capitol.

Nall, who shares directing duties with Neil Casey, is the lone person associated with the Marching Tigers who has inaugural parade experience in Jefferson City.

He was a member of Southeast Missouri State University's Golden Eagles. The governor was Warren Hearnes. The year was 1965.