So, you're excited about one president coming to town today?

Then you would have done back flips at the sight in the back of the House chamber Monday: Nine presidents gracing the state Capitol.

Sure, they were re-creators. And the gaggle of leaders might have been a little less currently relevant than President Barack Obama, since they're all, well, dead.

But the crowd gathered in the chamber still clamored to shake their hands and take photos of the group.

"We're just simple patriots," said Franklin Roosevelt, from his wheelchair.

The guests of honor were part of the Presidents Day Society, a group of nonpartisan history buffs who dress as their favorite commanders-in-chief once a year.

Besides FDR, there was George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses Grant, William McKinley, Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan.

Yes, McKinley was the hardest to identify.

Dressed in costume, the men wouldn't give their real names.

They did say, however, that their plans for later in the day included going bowling and hitting a few bars.

Holiday a hit at Vail

Despite faltering revenue reports and a drop in advance reservations for hotels so far this season, many Vail businesses reported a strong holiday weekend that drew big crowds.

"We've had wall-to-wall people all morning," said Buzz Schleper of Buzz's Ski Shop and Buzz's Boards. "We were almost rented out for the weekend."

And the holiday visitors didn't just come for the weekend, Schleper said. Many people were arriving Monday and planning to stay for the week.

"For every person leaving for the weekend, I've got someone else coming in for the week," he said.

Lodge operators reported much of the same.

"We'll be pretty busy this week, with a few openings in the middle of the week," said assistant front desk manager Rachel Pettengill of the Austria Haus. "Then we're full again for next weekend."

The Tivoli Lodge reported a similar weekend.

Guests filled the Vail Village hotel starting Friday. According to reservations manager Kim Newberry, business was set to slow down for the first few days of this week, then pick back up toward the end of the week.

"The trend has been for people to come for three- or four-night stays. Not that many come for a week or more," she said.