A large crowd came armed with costumes, creative signs, and boisterous energy for the No Kings rally in Shepherdstown on October 18.
Downtown Shepherdstown was packed with people for the late afternoon event that began at 4 pm. The crowd stretched halfway down the block on either side of German Street and filled King street in front of the historic market house and town hall. Estimates of the crowd size ranged from 1,800 to 2,000 people according to estimates shared by the event organizers and independent observers, in line with The Observer’s rough count of 400 to 500 people on each corner of the intersection.
According to Shepherdstown Police Chief Mike King, the crowd was peaceful and there were no incidents during the event. Despite the large crowd, the streets were clear and clean as the rally wrapped up around 5:30.
The event was organized by Indivisible Jefferson County. The group’s leaders shared statements after the event describing it as a love-in: “We met in the oldest city in West Virginia to declare our commitment to our nation, our community, and the U.S. Constitution. We love you America.”
A Nationwide Event
AP News, CNN and other news agencies reported that “No Kings” events took place in thousands of locations across the country. AP described a “street party vibe” in the headline for its coverage. Independent analysts put the total participation across the country between 5 million and 6.5 million.
Published 2025 Oct 20. Updated 2025 Oct 23.
By Steve Pearson