Crowds flock to downtown Savannah on July 4th

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – Despite the heat, many chose to spend their Fourth of July in downtown Savannah.

Businesses open on Thursday hoped for lots of green as people celebrated the red, white and blue.

Nick Pappas, owner of Olympia Cafe on River Street, says that while the restaurant is open seven days a week, they always look forward to holidays.

They are making money, but Pappas says that at the end of the day, it’s their job to make sure everyone feels welcome.

“We are the best ambassadors for the city of Savannah because we are here for 35 years,” he said. “We welcome the foreigners, they come from everywhere, like locals. So, we want everyone to have a good time and be safe. We try for that here in Savannah.”

Indeed, people from all over gathered for the annual Savannah Riverfront fireworks show.

News 3 caught up with Gilbert and Regina Worthy, of Atlanta, as they were on their way to get a good seat.

“We just wanted to get away and relax, come to the beach, we spent all day at Tybee Island today, had a great time relaxing,” Regina said. “I work in the school system for Cobb County School District, so it was just a good time to relax before going back to school next month.”

The fireworks show kicked off at 9:30 p.m. and lasted about 30 minutes.