Bands played, Korean and American flags fluttered, and giant balloons soared above the massive Kia Motors plant in West Point as hundreds of invited guests streamed through a towering red inflatable arch for Friday’s grand opening celebration at Kia’s first U.S. manufacturing facility.

The elaborate festivities put an exclamation point on a phrase prominent on Kia billboards along Interstate 85: “Proud to be in Georgia.”

Guests first entered a “product display tent” with snazzy Kia vehicles arranged around flower-bedecked tables heaped with an array of foods, including tiered trays of mini muffins, colorful fruit displays and silver bowls of sausage biscuits.

Then it was on to a reception, with more food and more flowers, staged in a “banquet room” created within the plant itself. Event organizers used miles of tall blue velvet curtains and dramatic portable ceilings to transform a section of the gigantic automotive plant into a reception hall. Production was shut down during the event, but Kia Sorentos, in various stages of assembly, rolled past on overhead conveyors as guests sipped coffee and munched on fancy pastries.

“It’s big!” said Hogansville City Manager Bill Stankiewicz, describing both the plant and the event, as he chatted with Hogansville Police Chief Moses Ector.

Stankiewicz said he’s been in many automotive plants during his previous career with a uniform supply company. “But they were older plants. They didn’t look like this. This place is immaculate.”

The plant’s parts and supply area was transformed into a temporary “auditorium” with a high tech stage and seating for more than 500 invitees - a blend of political dignitaries and diplomats, Kia dealers and supplier representatives, bankers, business people and community leaders. Kia’s “executive leadership team” from Korea filled seats on the front rows, along with local and state leaders who had been part of the project’s development.

More than 70 media representatives covered the event, including 48 journalists flown to Georgia from Korea by the company.

The hour-long ceremony opened with a now-familiar Kia commercial, shot in Troup County, showing a little boy on a bicycle, traveling through time and ultimately discovering the Kia plant.

“I identified with that little boy,” Gov. Sonny Perdue said in his remarks, “because when I first toured this facility it inspired the same wonder and awe in me.”

The same big screens that displayed the ad were used to introduce the new Kia Sorento, a CUV manufactured in the West Point plant. Amid flashing lights and pulsating music, a shiny white Kia like the one featured in the video materialized at center stage, to rousing applause.

The ceremony closed with the traditional ribbon-cutting.

“Please bring your white gloves with you as you join us on stage,” master of ceremonies Michael Sprague, a Kia vice president, instructed the assorted dignitaries before the ceremonial red banner was snipped.

The guests then filed into the spacious plant cafeteria for a full course meal, prepared by Kimble’s of LaGrange, food service provider for the cafeteria. Three entrees - beef, pork and chicken - were offered along with multiple salads, vegetable dishes and desserts.

“Have you ever seen such an elegant affair,” asked Vivian Harrell of West Point, attending with her husband, Colville, and son and daughter-in-law, Cal and Lori Harrell. Kia had invited them and other property owners whose land became the Kia site to attend the grand opening ceremonies.

Other special guests included some 20 members of the Korean War Veterans Association, brought by bus from Atlanta.

Atlanta’s large Korean community has “been really good to us,” veteran James Conway said.

“We’re real proud to be here. We love Kia,” added fellow veteran Edwin Johnson.

West Point City Councilman Darren Kelley used the short walk from ceremony to cafeteria to shake hands with Kia associates gathered in teams along the way.

“Where do you live?” Kelley asked repeatedly, getting a wide variety of answers, including LaGrange, Newnan, Atlanta and Columbus.

Each employee from out of town got a personal invitation to relocate to West Point.

One worker said he commutes from Gadsden, Ala.

“Can you imagine that drive?” Kelley said. “He told me he wants to move here, but hasn’t been able to sell his house.”

The councilman believes the economic downturn, which has held down the expected boom from Kia jobs and related businesses, may have been a blessing in disguise because, “We’ve had more time to get ready,” and not be “steamrolled” by growth.

LaGrange City Councilman Willie T. Edmondson said he hopes the next wave of Kia hiring will “be favorable to Troup County.”

“We have a lot of people out of work due to plant closings. … I certainly hope Kia will look favorably on those people because they are trainable and have very good work records.”