Nancy Bowersox planned to join 54 others on a bus to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration Monday.
She’s 88 years old and lives in Middleburg in Snyder County. That’s a long way from Washington, D.C., and the Capitol steps where Trump was to take the oath of office for his second term as president.
She wasn’t worried about dealing with what is a long, tiring day even for people far younger than her.
“I’m a Trump fan,” Bowersox, 88, of Middleburg, said Monday morning. “I never went (to an inauguration) ... I was ready to take the chance.”
When the Trump team decided Friday to move the inauguration inside the Capitol Rotunda, organizer Ned Germini wanted the trip to go on as planned. After two days of people cancelling, Germini called it off.
“As the weekend went on, that was impossible, because it just became bad news, bad news, bad news,” Germini said.
The bus company agreed to refund passengers' money, he said.
Bowersox was disappointed at the cancellation.
“Well, I don't think there'd be a next time for me,” she said.
Hank Baylor Jr., 77, of Lewisburg, a retiree and a historian, bought a ticket for the trip, too, despite suffering from multiple sclerosis. The disease forces him to walk with a cane.
Baylor planned to pack his electric scooter to allow him to move around more easily.
“This is an inauguration that's going to go down in history more than many, because of the nature that he's coming back again, and you know, it's going to be some major changes, and to be able to be part of that is something that I thought, well, that would really be cool,” Baylor said. “I jumped at the opportunity, and I was really looking forward to it.”
Baylor took the cancellation with an "oh-well" attitude.
“You know, things happen, and I think for the betterment of all, it's too cold and it's very dangerous as well,” Baylor said. “It is something that is going to be a monumental event, and it's a shame that I can't go, but however, it's just a little bit of a disappointment. And it's good to see that we're going to carry through the change of command in a very democratic way.”
