Kansas inauguration connections

Playing in the band

Nancy Martin of Newton gets to brag every inauguration that her son, Jeff, is playing in the Air Force band.

But it’s not so much fun for Jeff: He thinks it’s boring, she said.

“They usually have to get out there before it’s light, and it’s cold and it’s dark and there’s a lot of waiting,” Nancy Martin said. “You think about the practicalities of playing at the White House. It’s not all that much fun.”

Jeff normally plays the trombone, but he’s playing the euphonium in the parade this year. He has been playing in the band for a little under 20 years, and some years he plays directly behind the stage, Martin said.

“I just hope they don’t get rotten fruit thrown at them,” Martin said. “There is going to be a lot of protests, I understand.”

Back after many years

Diana Saunders used to be one of the people responsible for testing the water safety of the White House for the Navy. That was back in 1988, for Ronald Reagan, and she hasn’t been back to Washington since.

So she’s eager to show her sister Vicki Clemons the rich diversity the city offers. Saunders was raised in Oxford and graduated in a small class of farmers’ kids, she said.

It was eye-opening to work in the Navy with an immigrant who wasn’t allowed to go with her to the White House until he earned his citizenship, she said.

President-elect Trump isn’t as anti-immigrant as people sometimes think, Saunders said: “You can say one sentence five different ways to five different people and each one of those people will have heard a different message,” she said.

Saunders is also excited because Friday is her birthday.

Rooting for small business

Phillip Hayes of Haysville is not a big fan of crowds. But attending an inauguration has been on his bucket list for awhile. He was particularly excited to pick up his tickets from Rep. Mike Pompeo on Wednesday because he’s a small-business owner and thinks it’s time for fewer regulations. He thinks that’s what Trump will bring to Washington.

On Wednesday, Hayes and his wife, Amy, visited the World War II Memorial in Washington; it was the birthday of Amy’s grandfather, a veteran of World War II. On Thursday, they are attending the wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington and listening to Toby Keith afterward.

For Friday, Hayes has brought a Nikon camera in addition to his iPhone. He plans to wake up early to try to get a good spot in the standing section, right behind the chairs. It’s first-come, first-served, and security will be tight, he said.

“Some of the highways are shut down, some of the metro stations are shut down,” Hayes said. “So to try to get down to the Capitol through security and transportation hurdles early in he morning to get the best seat, is going to be interesting.”

This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 6:18 PM with the headline "Kansas inauguration connections."