Photo Provided Amy and Dick Pellegrini of St. Clairsville pose outside of the Capitol on Monday in Washington, D.C.

WHEELING — The bitter cold and late-hour venue change for the presidential inauguration did not deter some local patriots from joining in the revelry of Monday’s historic day in Washington, D.C.

Amy Pellegrini and her husband, Dick, of St. Clairsville made the trek to the nation’s capitol to join tens of thousands of others in a showing of support for President Donald Trump as he took the oath of office for his second — though nonconsecutive — term.

Pellegrini said they, like the other Trump supporters on hand, originally planned to witness the inauguration from the traditional public viewing area along the National Mall outside the Capitol. The below-freezing temperatures prompted the ceremony to be moved indoors — inside the Capitol Rotunda.

The switch left throngs of people scrambling to make alternative plans while still participating in a celebration that, by all accounts, took over the greater metropolitan area.

“The atmosphere here is wonderful,” Pellegrini said. “It’s just a little confusing because since they moved the inauguration indoors, everyone who was planning on standing outside on the lawn to watch it — they weren’t sure what to do.”

An alternate viewing location was made inside Capital One Arena, but the line to get into the venue was very long, and the arena only holds so many people, Pellegrini said.

“Today, people were waiting to get in line to Capital One Arena to watch it live on the screens there, but they only let 22,000 people in,” she said, noting that some visitors were disappointed that they did not get to view the event in-person. “Capital One Arena only holds 22,000 people, and there’s hundreds of thousands of people here. So people have been wondering just what to do.”

Pellegrini said she and her husband came prepared for the elements and made the most of their migration to the nation’s capital with fellow GOP faithful from across the country, spending most of the day Monday outside.

“We have been outdoors for hours now — hours and hours,” she said. “We have our hunting gear with us — heated gloves, heated vests, heated socks — so we’re doing good. We’re kind of just moseying around. It’s been kind of a stand and wait game.”

In the afternoon, the Pellegrinis were positioned outside of the Capitol waiting for Trump to leave the luncheon en route to the arena in a motorcade parade. During the inauguration ceremony, many remained outside and found ways to watch the event live.

“We watched it on Pennsylvania Avenue on my phone,” she said. “And we watched the motorcade go through to the Capitol.”

While even the line to get into the rally at Capital One Arena on Sunday night before the inauguration was “miles and miles long,” the Pellegrinis did get inside this weekend for a different event altogether. They left for Washington on Saturday and got to catch the Pittsburgh Penguins-Washington Capitals hockey game.

Overall, Monday’s gathering had a much more positive tone than it did in 2016, when Washington was riddled with anti-Trump protests.

“This is a totally different atmosphere than it was during his last inauguration, because I was here for that, and there were protesters,” Pellegrini said. “I haven’t seen one protester here — everyone here is on board.”

Meanwhile, Wheeling attorney Elgine McArdle, former West Virginia Republican Party chairwoman, was invited to attend the inauguration and would have had a prime seat not far from the presidential platform if the event had been held outside as originally planned.

“We would have been right below the stage where he was to be taking the oath,” McArdle said, noting that she received an invitation — which comes with a map showing where you would be seated — from the Congressional Inaugural Committee.

But since the event was moved indoors, only those dignitaries originally slated to be seated on the presidential platform got to go into the Capitol Rotunda. So others had to make alternative arrangements to watch the ceremony.

McArdle said she was able to take in the inauguration indoors, however.

“I watched it at the Omni Hotel with the Republican National Committee chairs,” she said, noting there was a watch party with a big TV in the ballroom. “It was warm and comfortable. I think people were grateful that it was moved inside. There were people waiting to get in line since 8:30 p.m. last night. There was no stopping anyone from coming. Everybody has been still as energized and excited.”

Those watching the event remotely felt free to express themselves, McArdle indicated, noting that crowds openly booed when now former President Joe Biden was introduced. They also booed Hillary Clinton and booed and hissed when Chuck Schumer and other high-profile Democrats were introduced.

The like-minded crowd was a family friendly one that showed great unity and positive vibes, McArdle said.

“It’s wonderful — very exciting,” she said. “Everybody is energized. The speech was absolutely wonderful. Although it was remote — people were still standing and applauding. It was surreal. It was literally as though you were there.”

McArdle said the biggest reaction during the inauguration ceremony by the crowd at the RNC gathering probably came when The Rev. Lorenzo Sewell delivered one of the three benedictions.

“Oh my goodness. Everybody just started cheering. I thought that was probably the most moving part of the event for me,” she said, noting that with the convergence of the inauguration on the same day as the federal Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, Sewell’s prayer truly struck a chord.

The pastor’s energetic and impassioned message quoted lines from both the Declaration of Independence, stating that “all men are created equal,” and appropriately from King’s famous “I have a dream” civil rights speech, praying for “a nation where we will not be judged by the color of our skin but by the content of our character.”

With pedestrians traversing back and forth through the heavily secured areas around the Capitol and other venues, the live broadcast of the ceremony seemed to be showing at every public establishment in the area.

“Bars, restaurants, hotels, gift shops — everywhere in D.C. — the TV was on,” McArdle said.

The entire area was also in gridlock not only because of the crowds, but also because of the streets that were blocked off, she added. If visitors were lucky enough to even get an Uber, they had to be dropped off about three blocks away from their destination in the heart of the action.

McArdle also spent a lot of time outdoors, walking from place to place, heading to the area outside the White House and talking with other visitors from California, Oregon, Texas, Massachusetts and other parts of the country. While she had no interest in the inaugural balls, McArdle said she planned to continue the adventures throughout the day.

“We’ll probably hit some of the local watering holes and watch the National Championship Game later,” she said. “There’s just so much going on, it’s crazy.”