SCRANTON, Pa. — President Donald Trump is scheduled to arrive in Scranton sometime Thursday afternoon to participate in a live televised town hall meeting put on by the Fox News Channel.
Fox News satellite trucks have been lining North Washington Avenue for a few days, and we've seen Secret Service agents going in and out of the Scranton Cultural Center all day.
Starting Thursday at noon, several blocks downtown will be shut down to street traffic and foot traffic will also be restricted in front of the cultural center.
That's causing some businesses downtown to change things up for tomorrow.
"The majority of the small businesses even on Adams Avenue are shutting down tomorrow," said Brett Stevens.
Because of restricted parking and traffic, Eden: A Vegan Cafe on Adams Avenue is one of several downtown businesses staying closed during the president's visit.
"Rather than trying to fight with getting here and our employees leaving, we're just going to end up shutting down for the day just because, more or less, the hassle of it," said Stevens, a chef at Eden.
Tammy's Stained Glass Treasures is also closing. The owners say customers would have no way to get there.
"It's costing me a lot of money because I had to cancel a class, and I had people coming in. It's kind of sad. And they're not happy they had to be rescheduled either because my schedule's pretty tight," Tamara Pilger said.
Traffic will be shut down on Adams and North Washington Avenues, as well as Mulberry and Vine Streets starting at noon on Thursday.
Parking will be off-limits around the event all day.
"Pedestrians will still be walking, and hopefully they'll be a lot of people around town."
Brothers Tom and Bill Sheakoski say they'll still be making pizza at Pizza by Pappas, even though their part of North Washington Avenue will be closed around lunch.
Business may be slow, but the brothers say it's worth it.
"The president's coming, and I know everyone has different feelings about the president, but my mom always tells me stories about when she was a kid she got to go see Franklin Roosevelt and, you know, it was a big deal to her and something she still remembers in her 90s now," Bill Sheakoski said.
Blue Bee Bistro on Linden Street will be open, too. Owner Jenna Illing says all the fanfare is overwhelming but worth it.
"Trump and everything that comes with him, excitement, and all the controversy, it's going to be a rough day, I think. I think there's going to be a lot of emotions, but we're excited about it," Illing said.
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