Gov. Gina Raimondo and "First Gentleman" Andy Moffit welcome visitors. (click to embiggen)

Newly elected Governor Gina Raymondo and her husband Andy Moffit welcomed visitors to the Rhode Island State House this afternoon, in a 3-hour event that featured performers and food and beverages from around the state.

Admission was free, and most visitors brought donations of nonperishable food items for the Rhode Island Food Bank, whose bins by the State House door were quickly filled as hundreds of folks from around the state came to meet the history-making Governor. At one point, the reception line was an hour long.

Visitors could sample treats from two dozen restaurants and specialty shops while wandering around the State House. "You get to see things you never saw," one visitor said to a reporter, as they wandered around in the conference room behind the House of Representatives chamber.

After the reception in the State House, the Governor and her family hosting a free skating event at the Providence rink.