Baltimore's Inner Harbor was the place to celebrate the Fourth of July
BALTIMORE -- Inner Harbor was the place to be to celebrate the Fourth of July in Baltimore.
In light of the mass shooting in Brooklyn this past weekend, Baltimore Police stepped up their presence at Inner Harbor all day to ensure the festivities go off without incident.
There were multiple events all day at Inner Harbor, with fireworks kicking off around 9:30 p.m. after a full orchestra performance.
Charlie and Surrita Hurt said they were happy for a blue, sunny sky for the holiday following Canada's wildfire smoke.
"Even though it's sunny and it can be hot at times, the clouds come [in for a little bit with a] little breeze. It makes it really enjoyable," Charlie said on Tuesday.
As crews worked all day to set up for the holiday's events. They prepared over 2000 shells of fireworks for the big show.
The company Pyrotecnico started packing the fireworks Friday, but the whole process takes about a week, according to lead pyrotechnician Brandon Cope.
Walking around Inner Harbor, people noticed the presence of the police. Acting police commissioner Rich Worley said it's something they do every year for the Fourth of July.
"[There are] officers in the districts working to patrol and keep all those communities safe," Worley said during a news conference Monday. "For anything that may pop up on the Fourth of July during the day or at nighttime, either permitted or unpermitted."
Charlie said it's nice to see more police around.
"I'm always optimistic, I'm just hoping that everything goes well," he said.
Michael Powers, who came with some of his family from upstate New York to see the fireworks, said the same thing.
However, he also said, "I wasn't too worried about [a potential incident] to start with. So, it's reassuring, but it wouldn't have changed our plans anyway."