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Scrantonians celebrate Biden inauguration

Joe Biden's inauguration as the 46th President of the United States carried a special significance in his birthplace of Scranton.

SCRANTON, Pa. — In any other year, the presidential inauguration of a Scranton native would be a big celebration in the Electric City. But on this day, City Hall was closed out of an abundance of caution. The mayor was concerned about threats of violence during the inauguration.

It turned out to be a peaceful day with Scrantonians watching the inauguration at home.

"Rest assured that part of me is always in my hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania."

On the eve of the inauguration, President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden sent a video message to the people of Biden's hometown of Scranton.

"I've always believed that home is where your values are set, where your view of the world begins to form, along with your place in that world. For me, That's north Washington Avenue in Scranton."

The inauguration scene in Washington D.C. unfolded on TV screens on North Washington Avenue in Scranton.

Virginia McGregor was recently appointed as treasurer of the Democratic National Committee by Pres. Biden. She might be in Washington D.C. if it weren't for the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, she watched the inauguration at home with her family.

"I don't think I'd rather be anywhere else in the world than right here on North Washington Avenue in Scranton, Pennsylvania, surrounded by friends and family. Everybody in the community is so happy about this. You can feel it. It's in the air," said McGregor.

Nearby, Hank's Hoagies was very busy with takeout orders. The place is a regular stop for Biden when he is in Scranton. The staff had shirts made for the inauguration, saying, "From our house to your house to the White House."

"Oh, yeah, we had lots of orders all week, and we had to have them all ready for noon for the big inauguration," said Tom Owens at Hank's Hoagies. "The whole area's very excited."

The Scranton Inaugural Committee asked Scrantonians to celebrate safely at home, take part in virtual watch parties, and commemorate the day in a socially distant way.

Students from Marywood University created a replica presidential podium and placed it at the Scranton Children's Library so that today's kids from Scranton can picture themselves as president.

It's unclear what the Biden presidency will mean for his birthplace, but supporters of the president say they're celebrating the significance of the leader of the free world being a native of Scranton.

"Joe said that all of the values that sustained him through life, he learned them in Scranton. And I think it's our staying power. We get knocked down, but we get ourselves right back up. We want to be in the mix, right? We want everyone to know that Scranton is here, and we want to participate in all that's good that's going on," said McGregor.

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