COLUMBIA, S.C. — A crowd gathered outside of the State House steps Wednesday for the inauguration of South Carolina's governor and other elected officials. Some made hours long trips just to be in attendance.
Some attendees took advantage of the day to learn and experience something new. For others, it was a chance to see government in action.
For 8-year-old Asher Moore, Wednesday was a day he won't forget. He and his friends were at the State House to witness the 2-hour ceremony.
"We have some friends coming. It's kinda like a learning opportunity playdate," Moore said. "I've never seen something like this before."
Keith Brokaw, his wife, and daughters took the day to travel from the Upstate to see the inauguration.
"We're taking advantage of this time," Brokaw said. "We're a homeschool family so this is like a great homeschool opportunity if there's ever been one."
Other attendees didn't have their day planned out as much. Nathaniel Ervine woke up, saw it mentioned on the morning news and decided to show up and witness a piece of history.
"I was really curious about how it goes," Ervine said. "You see it on the TV all the time, but it's not too often you get to go to one."
The pageantry wasn't a favorite for everyone. Cyprus Hartford is a junior at USC who said he saw posts about the inauguration and decided to check it out. He doesn't understand what all the fuss was for. "It's basically a guy gets to renew his contract."
Regardless, for Donna Brokaw, the fuss was well worth it. "I loved what they said. That was amazing. That inspired."