A Lake Highlands High School dance and stunt team will bring a little Texas sass to the festivities in Washington later this month, two-stepping, twirling and kicking up boots on inauguration eve.

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Seniors and captains Katie Smith, 17, and David Bott, 18, practice with other members of the Wildcat Wranglers, a dance and stunt team at Lake Highlands High School. The team will perform for a crowd of 11,000 at the Texas State Society's Black Tie & Boots Inaugural Ball.

The 46 Wildcat Wranglers will perform before a crowd of 11,000 at the nation's capital during the Texas State Society's Black Tie & Boots Inaugural Ball.

President-elect Barack Obama may stop in and be among the guests, who include members of the Texas congressional delegation, celebrities and other notables.

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Junior Christine Clemons, 16, listens during practice. The Wranglers have performed at prior inaugural balls, too.

The event is described as all Texas, all the time. Ladies show up wearing boots with their ball gowns and the men sport boots with their tuxedos. The food includes Texas favorites such as quesadillas, chips and salsa.

"It really brings that Texas flair to Washington, D.C," said Jenifer Sarver, the group's media chair.

The Lake Highlands group and several other local young people are trekking to D.C. in the coming days to be a part of the historic evening. A few students are traveling with youth leadership organizations. Some DeSoto High School students plan to travel by bus across the country and interview people along with way about the historic significance of Obama's election for a video project.

"We're going to stop at historical sites related to our history – Little Rock High School, the King Center in Atlanta, the Underground Railroad," said Eric Williams, who teaches video classes in several area school districts. "This trip is all about the journey. The inauguration just happens to be the cap."

Other local students are participating in the Junior Presidential Youth Inaugural Conference, which includes witnessing the official swearing-in of the next president.

For the Wranglers, it's an opportunity not only to perform, but also to see important sites in the nation's capital.

"I've never been to Washington before, so I think it'll be cool to see the history of our country, because all I've done is read about it in books," said senior Beth Morgan, 17.

This is not the Wranglers' first trip to a presidential inauguration. The group, consisting of juniors and seniors, performed at the same ball for Bill Clinton's inauguration in 1997 and for both President George W. Bush and his father.

To be a part of the Wranglers, students must try out and maintain good grades. Students dress in typical western clothing and boots. Some of the stunts include "power flips" in which a boy lifts a girl into the air and turns her 360 degrees.

Trent Gardner, also a senior at Lake Highlands, said he is excited about the trip, though he was not an Obama supporter during the election season.

"I think it's an awesome opportunity," he said. "I'm not an Obama fan, but I think it will be exciting to see the new leader of our country. I think that's kind of special."

Trent also is one of four students who have been selected to lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He and the other students were selected by the school staff and their peers based on an essay about patriotism.

Trent's mother, Janna Gardner, said she is proud of her son and the other students.

"It's an interesting year to be there since it will be the first African-American elected and because of the youth vote," she said. "It's a very interesting time no matter which way you voted."

Staff writer Kathy Goolsby contributed to this report.