From central Pennsylvania cities and towns and from downtown Washington offices, local Republicans and supporters of President-elect Donald Trump poured into the capital this week to watch the presidency change hands.

Knots of Trump backers have made their way to Washington as Trump prepares to take the oath of office, joined by student groups and curious observers. In Altoona, many GOP members plan to stay local as they watch the inauguration from the comfort of a warm bar.

“I can tell you this is a happier day for me … knowing that Donald Trump is going to be in the White House,” Rep. Bill Shuster, R-9th District, said Thursday.

Shuster is set to attend the inauguration at the National Mall, alongside fellow Congress members and national Republicans. The event drew controversy before it began, with dozens of Democratic lawmakers boycotting the proceedings and thousands of protesters expected.

That didn’t seem to faze Shuster, who hailed the transfer of leadership regardless of protests or electoral opposition.

“A Democratic president from the other party is going to hand off power to a Republican, and to me it is just a magic moment in our country — the peaceful transfer of power,” he said. “Nobody went to jail, nobody got shot, nobody got beaten in the streets. I think it’s just a great day in America.”

Several local Republicans were set to attend, Blair County GOP Chair Lois Kaneshiki said — among them Altoona Mayor Matt Pacifico.

A busload of Huntingdon County Republicans was scheduled to leave this morning for the inauguration as well, she said.

Religious groups — among them Faith Baptist Church of Altoona, headed by the active and conservative Pastor Gary Dull — are set to attend. Faith Baptist members plan to distribute tens of thousands of commemorative inaugural religious tracts in Washington, Dull said in a written statement.

“As a patriotic citizen of the United States, I have attended the inauguration of both Democratic and Republican presidents, not because I have totally agreed with one being inaugurated, but because I am an American citizen … and am thrilled to witness such a unique change of power between an outgoing and incoming president,” Dull wrote.

Several local student groups traveled to Washington, as well, including a team from Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School and another from Juniata College in Huntingdon.

“People are excited,” said Juniata College Assistant Professor of American History Dennis Plane, who is leading the college group. “It’s exciting to be a part of history, regardless of whether you’re excited about who the new president will be.”

Members of Congress were assigned hundreds of thousands of tickets to distribute to district residents, but tickets would be all but impossible to obtain by normal means in the last hours before Trump takes office. Some remained available online through scalpers this week, although media reports indicate prices have remained lower than for past inaugurations.

Many local Republicans seem satisfied not to fight the ticket process, the heavy security and the frigid temperatures, instead watching this morning and afternoon at Zach’s Sports and Spirits along Sixth Avenue. The party runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Zach’s indoor patio.

“They’ll be standing for long periods of time (in Washington); we don’t know what the weather is going to be like,” Kaneshiki said. “We thought it would be more enjoyable watching it on TV up here.”

Mirror Staff Writer Ryan Brown is at 946-7457.