The first order of the day at the state Capitol Wednesday was assigned to four young pages:

Climb to the third floor, enter the Journal Star office at the top of the stairs and crawl through the screenless window to the roof. Then go up the ladder, over the newly installed copper gutters to another roof and up another ladder.

There, at the next landing, Tim Fresburg of Holdrege, Rhianna Needham of Bellevue, Brennen Miller of Lincoln and Drew Guiney of Omaha hoisted a Nebraska flag to signify the beginning of the 101st session of the Legislature.

Other young ones — much younger — attended the opening day of the Legislature with parents and grandparents.

Bellevue Sen. Abbie Cornett’s 2-year-old daughter Cameron, who had awakened Wednesday on the wrong side of the bed — make that the wrong side of the planet, her mother said — accompanied her mom.

“Even chocolate didn’t work” to coax her into a better mood, Cornett said as she carried her around the chamber.

Maxwell and Allen Pirsch, 3-month-old twin sons of Omaha Sen. Pete Pirsch, came to opening day, as did Speaker Mike Flood’s son Brenden, 2, and Lincoln Sen. Tony Fulton’s son Basil, 2, with siblings.

Changes at the Capitol Wednesday included more than new faces, a passel of visitors and newly renovated and cleaned ceilings, walls and doors.

Only a few “veteran” senators kept the seats they had occupied for at least two years.

Lincoln Sen. Amanda McGill, now 28, gratefully gave up her designation as youngest member, and thus chairman, of the one-person Enrollment and Review Committee, a tradition that requires the youngest to make the motions that move bills to review for proper spelling, punctuation and grammar.

As new chair of the select committee, Omaha Sen. Jeremy Nordquist, 27, joked his hearings would be brief and he probably wouldn’t use his two priority bills.

“I may run for speaker in two years. Keep that in mind,” he said.

Omaha Sen. Brad Ashford took the vacated seat of Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers — and used the chair Chambers shunned. The District 11 senator always stood or leaned against the desk behind him.

On Wednesday, Chambers stood at the back of the room, no longer a senator, to watch the swearing in of his successor, Sen. Brenda Council.

It was essential, Chambers said later, for the constituents in his district to see he supports her and the changing of the guard.

“We all have to work together to make her successful,” he said.

His departing wish for his former colleagues and the freshman senators was they treasure, nurture and protect the institution.

He got the last of his 38-year collection of papers, books and memorabilia out of his Capitol office Tuesday night, in time for an overnight cleaning and carpet shampooing by state workers.

“Free at last. Free at last. Thank whoever needs to be thanked, I’m free at last,” Chambers said.

Chambers’ first-floor office, which has five rooms, will become the home of the Education Committee and its new chairman, Sen. Greg Adams of York.

The massive moving project for old and new senators began Wednesday afternoon, with 30 to 35 senators moving in or to a different location, said Chuck Hubka, legislative services coordinator. All two-year senators who had been sharing an office will now get their own. Six freshman senators, by tradition, will have to double up.

Four crews of movers from Two Men and a Truck are moving four offices at a time, and by 5 p.m. Friday, senators and their staffs will be in their offices and ready to go, Hubka said.

With all the change, a lot of tradition still lingered at the Capitol.

Assistant sergeant-at-arms Sally Gordon is back for her 25th year of working at the Capitol.

She’ll turn 100 on March 26.

Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com.