Handmade signs, apparel and a palpable thirst for change lined the streets surrounding Bond Park on Saturday as hundreds gathered to protest on what many are calling “No Kings Day.”

Spirited demonstrations took place nationwide Saturday on President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday, and Estes Park’s version brought the community out in droves. From late morning to early afternoon, a symphony of chants and cheers was accompanied by a de facto brass section made up of car horns that honked along in encouragement as traffic crept down Elkhorn Ave.

The clamor may not have had the musical value of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a-Changin” or “Revolution” by The Beatles, but the rendition performed on Saturday by Estes Park community members certainly centered around many similar themes as the crowd lifted its collective voice.

One protester, Lisa Marshall, protested alongside her mother as part of a multi-generational pod of attendees. Marshall said that her family has been to at least two other local protests in recent months.

“I think, for a long time, we have taken our democracy for granted and assumed that we would have the right to speak out freely and that our rights wouldn’t be taken away from us,” Marshall said. “We’re learning that this administration has no respect for democracy, so I think that having all these people show up in our tiny little town just shows that we’re waking up. That’s what’s going to make change.”

Many attendees held signs calling for the protection of national parks and supporting park staff as the parks and their workers are under uncertain and threatening circumstances, largely due to many decisions handed down by the current presidential administration. Marshall said national parks serve as an escape and play a critical role in the community’s mental health.

A light police presence drifted through the crowd throughout the day; several members of the Estes Park Police Department thanked the protesters for keeping the demonstration peaceful.

The crowd thinned out as the afternoon rolled on, but the passion displayed on Saturday left behind a residual buzz that lasted even after the hoard dispersed.