It's a pilgrimage of sorts that's taking supporters and protestors from KC to D.C.
Many people from Kansas City will make the trip for different reasons.
"Memories - just the opportunity to watch history unfold this upcoming week," said Blue Springs, Missouri business owner Jeffrey Quibell. "It's kind of like when the Royals were in the World Series and the opportunity to buy tickets came, we bought them."
"It's a historic inauguration, and maybe they all are," he explained. "I'm old enough now to have been through quite a few presidential elections, and we have a tradition in this country of getting behind our president. It's been a little bit disappointing some of the things that I've observed in the last few weeks. It's almost like people are in denial that this election occurred the way it did. I know there was a lot of frustration. There would have been no matter what the outcome was."
Kansas Republican Dalton Glasscock will also go to D.C. for the inauguration.
“I've seen hundreds and thousands of Trump supporters, everybody is donning the 'Make American Great Again' hat as you walk around the city,” Glasscock said over the phone on Thursday. “To walk around and see the patriotism from every single person, see the flags that are around the Capitol as well, it's really just an amazing experience.
While just shy of a million people will watch the inauguration in the country's capital, Katherine Hilt and Britten Bolenbaugh will travel to from KC to D.C. to protest the presidency of Trump.
"I think protesting the first day sends him a message. Day 1, here we are. We are not going to allow you to bring us down," said Hilt. "We are united, we are one. We are even broader than sticking together as women is sticking together with disenfranchised communities. We will support you and we will fight for you."
Hilt and Bolenbaugh are organizers for the Kansas City chapter of Women's March on Washington. Their group of a few hundred metro men and women will join more than 300 other groups in the capital for Saturday's protest. While the group with Hilt and Bolenbaugh will spend nearly 20 hours on a bus to march for only a few hours then turn around to come back, they said it's worth it.
"It doesn't matter what your sexual orientation is, your gender preference, it doesn't matter what your religion is. It's a matter of coming together as one and saying no to hate," said Bolenbaugh. "This march is an opportunity for each and every one of us to agree to disagree on different things. Let's do that and let's work together. Agree to disagree is beautiful. Hateful is not."
Daryle Heldenbrand and Brenda Hill are also going to D.C. to march against some of the president-elect’s policies.
“I'm kind of worried of what's going to come about,” said Heldenbrand. “There are a lot of things I think we still need to work on, equal rights, civil rights, and women's rights."
“We want to be heard, and it will be nonviolent,” said Hill. “I am respectful of people with different opinions, but again I want to make sure people are not hurt by what's going to happen."
Police planned for more than 20,000 protestors on Friday and Saturday.
Two groups, with two completely different points of view, fighting for their voices to be heard.
Coverage of the inauguration starts at 9 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 20 on your 41 Action News station.
In all, there are 300 protests of the president elect in the U.S. and every continent, including Antarctica. The Kansas City Women's March takes place on Saturday, Jan. 21 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Liberty Memorial.
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Terra Hall can be reached at terra.hall@kshb.com.
Lexi Sutter can be reached at lexi.sutter@kshb.com.
