CHICAGO (WLS) — While Illinois is mostly thought of as a blue state these days, close to 2.5 million people in the state voted for Donald Trump. So, it’s no surprise there are a lot of Illinois folks already in Washington D.C. or on their way there ahead of Inauguration Day.

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Pastor Corey Brooks delivered his Sunday sermon at New Beginnings Church in Parkway Gardens one day after returning from Washington D.C. and just a few hours before going back there for Monday’s presidential inauguration.

“Regardless of who the president is, as an American, we all need to be supportive and praying for the success of our president,” Pastor Brooks said.

A vocal Donald Trump supporter, Pastor Brooks has attended and spoken on behalf of the incoming president at his rallies. He said his presence at the inauguration festivities serve a more practical purpose.

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“We’re networking,” Pastor Brooks “We’re trying to meet as many people as we possibly can. There’s a lot that we’re trying to do on the South Side of Chicago. We’re building a $45 million facility across the street. We’re getting ready to start one school in four locations.”

That networking is crucial according to Illinois GOP Co-Chairman Aaron Del Mar, who was already in Washington D.C. this weekend. Del Mar likened the pre-inauguration events to the Super Bowl of politics.

“One of the main things we are doing here is to find ways to bring other resources back to Illinois and be able to heard from the government side,” Del Mar said. “There’s a lot of concern right now in Chicago about mass deportations, so that’s something I’ve got my ear next to.”

Not everyone in Washington D.C. this week is there to celebrate Trump’s inauguration. Thousands converged on the nation’s capital yesterday to participate in the “People’s March,” speaking on on immigration, women’s reproductive rights and a host of other issues.

READ MORE | Protesters descend on Washington ahead of inauguration

While protests continue, both camps are mostly being kept apart Sunday, with thousands lining up in advance of Trump’s rally Sunday afternoon. The rally was thrown together at the last minute to make up for the last minute decision to move the inauguration ceremony indoors due to the cold weather.

“It’s great. The crowd is ebullient,” former Illinois RNC member Richard Porter said. “It’s a little rainy, but it’s not dampening anyone’s spirits. I’ll tell you what. It’s a big day. The day before the big day.”

More than a quarter of a million tickets were handed out for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration Monday.

Due to the expected freezing temperatures, the 60th inauguration was moved inside the U.S. Capitol and the inaugural parade will now be taking place at Capital One Arena.

Now, hundreds of thousands of people are not only looking for things to do while they are visiting the nation’s capital, they are also hoping to find the perfect spot to view Trump take the oath of office.

If you are wondering why some don’t scrap their plans and watch from home, money may be an issue.

Madison Jones and her friends traveled from North Carolina for the inauguration. Jones told WTOP that she is paying $1,600 for a two-night stay in D.C. She hopes she will be able to attend Sunday’s Trump rally at Capital One Arena.

“Main thing is listening to him speak and sightseeing,” Jones said.

While a lot of those that call the D.C. area home only visit the tourist sites in D.C. when they have friends or family in town, Brandon Moore and his friends from Ohio fit in a year’s worth of sightseeing.

“We went to the Capitol and walked around. The Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, the Bible Museum. Just about anything we could get to we went inside,” said Moore.

Moore hopes the inaugural tickets he received from Vice President-elect JD Vance’s senate office will get him into the Capital One Arena. If not, Moore said he and his friends will make the best of it.

A lot of the folks in town are taking in the Memorials and monuments, including Stacey Rayford. He and his friends came to town from Louisiana after snagging inaugural tickets from the office of Majority Leader Steve Scalise.

“It’s going to be a historic event on multiple levels, and we wanted to be part of it,” Rayford said.

While he is not sure where they will watch the swearing-in ceremony, Rayford told WTOP he knows the type of place he wants.

“We’re going to find somewhere warm and some good food to eat, and hopefully have an opportunity to socialize with some of the people we have things in common with,” said Rayford.

An hour after their plane landed, 21-year-old LeBron Maverevedze and his father wanted to witness Trump become the 47th President of the United States, which may be surprising to some, considering they are both Canadian.

“The United States President is considered the president of the world, since it’s a superpower. So, we all have to support whoever is gonna be inaugurated,” Maverevedze said.

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Local and state snow crews are preparing to treat secondary and neighborhood streets throughout D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

“It’s me and three other fellas, so it’s fairly small,” said Jason Swain with the Department of Public Works in Kensington Maryland.

He says his team may be small, but they’re mighty and ready.

“We get the plows ready, make sure everything’s working,” Swain said. “We have salt, which has been kindly given to us by the state, ready to put into the spreaders.”

He says the biggest hurdle when plowing snow, oftentimes, is cars.

“Some people don’t have driveways, but if they’re going to park on the street, try not to park directly across from each other because when we come through, you literally got inches between the edge of our plow and the cars,” Swain said.

In the District, plenty of people decided to step out before snow crews put plow to pavement for a potential all day snow event.

“Mayor Bowser activated the snow team, and they’ll begin their operations tonight, treating and then plowing roads throughout the day tomorrow,” said Clint Osborn with the District’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.

D.C.’s smaller plows will be on back roads and alleys, while heavy trucks will focus on primary streets.

“We’ll have a full deployment out throughout all day tomorrow into Monday as we support the inaugural activities in the District,” Osborn said.

Icy conditions in Prince George’s County during the region’s last snowstorm led to different strategies this go round.

In a statement, the county’s Department of Public Works and Transportation says, “We have implemented adjustments to strengthen our response, and these improvements have prepared us for this round of winter weather.”

The biggest piece of advice for tomorrow:

“Tomorrow would be a good day, since it’s a Sunday, to stay home,” Swain said. “Read a book, have some hot chocolate, relax. Can come out after we finish.”