Several Marshall area residents traveled to Washington, D.C. for Donald Trump’s second presidential inauguration on Monday.

John Alcorn was among those who made the trip. However, he wasn’t able to get a seat at the indoor venue for the celebrations. But he said the trip was still a positive experience.

“It was great. It was very positive and uplifting,” Alcorn said of the atmosphere in Washington. “We didn’t see any protesters.”

Alcorn spoke to the Independent by phone on Monday. He said he and a fellow member of the Lyon County Republicans had received tickets to the inauguration about a week and a half ago.

Temperatures in Washington were around 14 degrees with wind chill, Alcorn said. As a result, the inauguration ceremony and presidential parade were moved indoors. With limited seating at the Capital One Arena, there was a long wait for the crowd to try and see the celebrations, Alcorn said.

“They only had 20,000 seats,” he said. “To get in line was nuts.”

After waiting in line for hours, Alcorn said, “We didn’t get let in.” While the trip didn’t turn out as originally planned, it was still worth it, he said.

“To experience D.C. during this time is pretty cool,” Alcorn said.

Back in southwest Minnesota, local state legislators also share their thoughts on the inauguration. Rep. Chris Swedzinski, R-Ghent, said he saw part of the ceremonies on television. It was interesting to see the ceremony held inside the Capitol instead of outdoors, he said.

Aside from the ceremonies, Swedzinski said, “I look forward to a new administration.”

“In visiting with a lot of my constituents, there’s a lot of frustrations with the costs of doing business and the costs of living,” he said. People’s desire for change showed up in the outcome of the election, he said.

State Sen. Gary Dahms, R-Redwood Falls, said he was unable to watch the inauguration, but he was also looking forward to a change in government.

“This will be a change,” he said. “I think it’s going to be interesting to see how things go.”

Members of Congress from Minnesota also released remarks on Monday’s inauguration. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, spoke at the inauguration and focused on the legacy of American democracy.

“This ceremony marks what will soon be 250 years of our democracy. It is the moment when leaders, elevated by the will of the people, promise to be faithful to our Constitution, to cherish and defend it. It is the moment when they become, as we all should be, the guardians of our country,” Klobuchar said in her remarks.

Klobuchar said the U.S. Capitol was an appropriate place to hold the ceremony.

“It is a fitting reminder of the system of checks and balances that is the very foundation of our government. Three equal branches of government,” she said. “So, as we inaugurate a new President and Vice President, let us remember that the power of those in this room comes from the people: the construction workers who build our country, the teachers and health care workers who nurture us, the troops defending our freedoms, and yes, the firefighters in Los Angeles putting themselves on the line for us. Our democracy’s strength and grit must match theirs.”

“It was an incredible honor to take part in the peaceful transfer of power established by our country’s founding fathers and witness history as our 47th President of the United States took the oath of office,” Rep. Brad Finstad, of Minnesota’s First Congressional District, said in a statement.

“In November, the American people decisively placed their trust in President Trump to lead our country in a new direction; to secure our border, reduce waste in government, uphold the rule of law, lower costs for hard-working families, and restore America’s dominance on the global stage,” Finstad said. “Now we go to work to earn that trust.”