AUGUSTA – Gov. John E. Baldacci will lead a remembrance ceremony for former President Gerald R. Ford at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Blaine House.

The ceremony will provide an opportunity for residents and state employees to pay tribute to Ford, who died Tuesday at his home in California at the age of 93, according to a press release issued Friday by the governor’s office.

President Bush earlier this week declared Tuesday, Jan. 2, a national day of mourning.

The brief ceremony will include participation by the Maine State Select Honor Guard and the Maine Army National Guard, the press release stated. Baldacci is expected to read a proclamation honoring the former president.

Although most federal offices will be closed, state agencies will remain open, Baldacci said.

The governor has directed state agencies and supervisors to allow employees the flexibility to observe Ford’s funeral in Washington, D.C., on television.

The former president’s casket is scheduled to arrive at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Washington National Cathedral. The service is to begin at 10:30 a.m.