WASHINGTON — Mikaila Vigeant came to the inauguration of 45th president of the United States with the hope she might catch a glimpse of him from afar when he took the oath of office Saturday morning.

“We were just about to cross the street, when we heard the sirens,” the 9-year-old said, breaking into a broad smile, “And then and he and his motorcade drove past us and I got to wave to him.”

Did he wave back? “Absolutely.”

Dressed in a bright pink down jacket, Mikaila, whose favorite President so far is Teddy Roosevelt, was with her grandfather Bill Vigeant of Troy, NY, for the historic event.

They were at the base of the Capitol on their way to see President-elect Trump at the Lincoln Memorial for the inaugural concert; they saw Trump as he was traveling from a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Washington is filled with school groups, families and busloads of people from all over the country; they were buying souvenirs from street vendors, a choir group was spontaneously singing “America the Beautiful” and families like the Vigeant’s were holding hands and celebrating the peaceful passage of power.

They were all either heading to the Memorial for the concert or streaming into congressional offices to pick-up their inaugural tickets for Friday’s big day.

Even folks who did not support Trump.

Edison Nicholson of Erie, Penn., a 48-year-old program director of the Youth Leadership Institute was one of them, “I did not support Mr. Trump, but I respect the office and the process and as our President I respect him,” he said.

“I want him to be successful, we have a moment to move the country forward and I wanted to be part of that, I wanted to respect this and hopefully bring our country together.”

Nicholson, who is African-American, says people should stop trying to continue the divide and should focus on making him successful, “It’s like they always say, if he is successful, we all are.”

Nicholson was joined by 55 other folks from Erie who were at a pizza reception hosted by their congressmen, Republicans G.T. Thompson and Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.

“We gave out over 400 tickets today,” Kelly said. Earlier, his office was filled with folks from his Western Pennsylvania blue-collar district, comprised of rural farms and former manufacturing towns.

“We could have easily given out double that,” he said, as streams of people poured in looking for maps and dressed in red-white and blue or Pittsburgh Steeler gear, including several “Terrible Towels” the rally towel Steelers fans use to whip up support on and apparently off the field as well.

Trump famously twirled the towel last September the day after his first debate at a massive rally in Ambridge, Penn., a suburban Pittsburgh steel town that has seen better days.

Mara Cruz Staab, who was born in Panama, stood in Kelly’s officer with her husband Chris Staab near bursting with excitement, “I am so thrilled that he won, to be an American and to be able to have the honor of attending this inauguration. This is the people’s inauguration,” she said.

Dressed in elegant black wool suit and gold paisley tie holding the arm of his equally classically dressed wife, Don Navarro and Kim Pichanick were a striking couple as they waited in line for their inaugural tickets.

The Dallas couple and business partners walked a mile to get to the line and it did not bother them at all. “For anyone who is complaining about the traffic, or the inconveniences they need to think about how lucky we are to live in a country like ours, that gives us the freedoms to attend and celebrate or protest or something in between,” he said.

Navarro is the son of an illegal immigrant who came here from Mexico in 1927. “My father was so proud to eventually become an American citizen.

He always taught us to never speak Spanish outside of the home, to assimilate with the customs, languages and traditions of the country, and to be proud to be an American,” he said.

The 70-year-old and his wife who own a management consulting and business advisory company in Dallas said they loved the great vibe all around the city, “It really is remarkable, everywhere you went people were happy, you would have thought this was going to be awful with all of the press reports,” Pichanick said.

Navarro said he is a Republican on fiscal issues, on the border he wants to see Trump focus on the security, “That is critical, you will many more Hispanics over like him if he concentrates on keeping us safe,” he said.

About 20 minutes into the concert, Trump and his wife Melania walked down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to the Rolling Stones’ “Heart of Stone.” They then took their seats with the rest of the Trump family.

While he sat with his family Trump was clearly enjoying the inaugural concert, smiling, swaying with the music and even singing, despite all of the criticisms ahead of his inaugural celebration, the event was a joyful event.

“This is what is all about, the country, the people, and all we can achieve,” Navarro said. “It is not about the celebrities, it is about celebration.”