CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Ohio’s first capital will look and sound different Wednesday. Streets along the Scioto River will close at noon, Chillicothe City Schools will send students home early, helicopters will be overhead and law enforcement officers from across the region will be on nearly every corner between Yoctangee Park and Ohio University Chillicothe.
Here is what residents, commuters and rally-goers need to know before President Donald Trump arrives.
The schedule
Doors at the Shoemaker Center, 101 University Drive, open at 3 p.m., according to guest guidance sent to ticket holders. The president is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. Sen. Jon Husted is scheduled to speak, and the rally is also expected to feature Vivek Ramaswamy and U.S. Rep. Mike Carey.
Organizers are telling confirmed guests to arrive no later than 4 p.m. Admission is first come, first served, and once the venue reaches capacity no one else will be let in — a ticket does not guarantee a seat. The Shoemaker Center’s bleachers hold roughly 2,400 people.
Where to park
Guest parking is free and located in the main lots off University Drive, with the parking entrance at the south end of University Drive. From the lots, guests walk across campus to the general-admission line, which forms near the Shoemaker Center on the northeast side of campus. The drive running east from the main lots toward the Shoemaker Center is marked no parking.
Overflow parking is at the Ross County Service Center, 475 Western Ave. Guests should expect a walk from any lot to the building, and the line itself is outdoors.
How the president gets here
The president is expected to fly Air Force One into the Columbus area and transfer to Marine One for the short flight south. Marine One — the call sign for any Marine Corps helicopter carrying the president — is expected to land at the Yoctangee Park annex along the river, where the white-topped helicopters were spotted Monday conducting a test landing alongside support aircraft. From there, the motorcade will make a short drive to the OU-C campus; Secret Service agents canvassed homes along High Street this week, telling residents the motorcade is expected to travel that route. Expect the motorcade to move in both directions, with rolling closures before and after.
Road closures
The City of Chillicothe announced the following will be closed from noon through 9 p.m.:
- Yoctangee City Park Annex
- Kopp Street
- The Paint Creek Recreational Trail and floodwall from Kopp Street to the Riverside Street access ramp
No parking will be permitted on High Street between Main Street and Kopp Street from noon to 9 p.m. Police and parking enforcement officers went door to door to notify residents, and vehicles left on the street are subject to towing. The city said additional closures will occur throughout the day as needed, which typically means unannounced, short-notice closures along the motorcade route and around the campus.
As of Wednesday morning, no closures had been announced on U.S. 23, U.S. 35 or U.S. 50, but drivers should expect temporary holds on U.S. 23 and Western Avenue near campus whenever the motorcade moves. With guest parking funneling onto University Drive and overflow onto Western Avenue, both will be congested from early afternoon on. If you don’t need to be on the north side of downtown or near the OU-C campus between noon and 9 p.m., stay away from it.
Schools
Chillicothe City Schools will dismiss early: the Intermediate School at 12:15 p.m., the Primary School at 12:25 p.m., and the Middle and High Schools at 12:30 p.m. All after-school practices are canceled. Parents should expect pickup lines to be slower than usual as closures begin.
Protests and counter-events
The Ohio Democratic Party has scheduled a 1 p.m. news conference in front of the Chillicothe Police Department at 28 N. Paint St., where Mayor Luke Feeney and former Pixelle paper mill employees will criticize Husted. PETA plans to station a costumed “dinosaur” with a banner near the Shoemaker Center around 6:30 p.m. as the motorcade passes. Other demonstrations are likely to form along the motorcade route and near campus without advance notice. Expect them to add to congestion on Paint Street downtown in the early afternoon and along the route to campus in the evening.
Security
The U.S. Secret Service is in charge of the venue and the motorcade route, and it has called in help. Law enforcement sources told the Guardian a Secret Service planning briefing was held last week with local agencies, and officers from multiple surrounding counties have been assigned to the detail alongside the Chillicothe Police Department, the Ross County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol. Expect a visible presence throughout the city, including rooftop positions, marked and unmarked vehicles, and checkpoints near the campus perimeter. Everyone entering the Shoemaker Center will be screened by the Secret Service.
The weather
It’s a good day for a line. Expect a high near 76 degrees with partly sunny skies and only a 10 percent chance of rain. But the line is outdoors and will last hours, and temperatures will drop quickly after sunset, reaching the mid-40s overnight. Bring a jacket for the walk back to the lot.
What to bring
- Your ticket (printed or on your phone) and a photo ID
- A fully charged phone — cell service near large crowds often slows to a crawl
- A jacket or layers for after dark
- Comfortable shoes; every lot is a walk from the venue
- Patience
What not to bring
The Secret Service’s prohibited-items list for this event, as sent to ticket holders:
- Aerosols and spray containers
- Alcoholic beverages
- Balloons and balls
- Banners, signs and placards, and any supports for them
- Drones and other unmanned aircraft
- E-cigarettes
- Explosives of any kind, including fireworks
- Firearms and weapons of any kind
- Glass, thermal and metal containers
- Laser lights and laser pointers
- Mace or pepper spray
- Noisemakers, including air horns, whistles, drums and bullhorns
- Packages
- Structures
The list closes with a catch-all: anything screeners decide poses a threat to the event’s security will be turned away. Bags and umbrellas are not named on this event’s list, but screeners at past presidential rallies have routinely refused large bags, backpacks and umbrellas, so leave them in the car to be safe. Surrendered items are not returned.
Getting home
The hardest part of the day will be leaving. Thousands of people will try to exit the campus lots onto University Drive and Western Avenue at the same time the motorcade heads back to the park annex for the president’s departure, and police will hold traffic until Marine One has lifted off. Plan on sitting for a while after the president finishes speaking. If you can, linger on campus for 30 to 45 minutes rather than rushing to your car.
The Guardian will update this story throughout the day as closures and conditions change.
