MIDLAND Midland Mayor Wes Perry set a high standard for outgoing President George W. Bush's welcome back to the Tall City.

"It'll be the biggest party Midland's ever seen," he said Wednesday at Centennial Plaza. The downtown park will host the welcome back event immediately after Bush flies back from Andrews Air Force Base following the Jan. 20 inauguration of Barack Obama as the nation's 44th president.

It will be the first public appearance for Bush and first lady Laura Bush in their hometown since a Jan. 17, 2001, sendoff days before he took office. Bush did return briefly for a fund-raiser for Republican Congressional candidates in October.

Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans said information would be released later on which dignitaries would attend and if Bush had any other plans for his time in Midland.

"We don't have all the details yet," he said. "We'll continue to feed those to you over the next couple of weeks."

In Wednesday's White House press briefing, Press Secretary Dana Perino said Bush would leave Midland after the event to fly to Waco and stay at his ranch in Crawford.

Evans said it was natural that the Bushes return to Midland - where they spent the most time of anyplace they've lived - immediately after leaving Washington, D.C.

"One of his principles is loyalty," he said. "This is home. This is where he grew up."

Around 3,000 tickets will be available for the event, which will start around "4:30ish," Perry said.

But Evans said anyone who wants to go will be able to, and that the tickets were required merely as a security measure.

Evans said the event isn't intended to take anything away from Obama's first day in office, but instead it will celebrate the "passing of the torch."

"It's a great celebration for America - what an unbelievable day," he said. "It shows the strength of our great democracy."

George W. Bush Welcome Back to Texas

>> When: Mid-afternoon Jan. 20.

>> Where: Centennial Plaza, 105 N. Main St., Midland.

>> Tickets: About 3,000 will be available for free at locations to be announced.

>> Call: 413-5033.