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St. Patrick's Day parade on March 14: shuttle and parking
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Enjoy a hassle free St. Patrick’s Day — ride the shuttle.
Shuttle takes Parade watchers from the Oglethorpe Mall to downtown (corner of Oglethorpe Avenue and Houston Street) on Friday, March 14.
$5 round trip per adult
Children under 41 inches are free. Limit two (2) free children per paying customer.

Tickets sold at Oglethorpe Mall only (no ticket sales downtown), under parking deck near J.C. Penny’s.
Round-trip tickets can be purchased March 14 only, between 7 a.m.-1 p.m.
Shuttle schedule
7:30 a.m. first trolley leaves Oglethorpe Mall
1 p.m. last trolley leaves Oglethorpe Mall
5 p.m. last trolley leaves downtown to return to the Oglethorpe Mall.
Wheelchair lift-equipped trolleys will be available
No alcohol or disorderly conducted allowed on board
All items (cooler, chairs, strollers, etc) must fit under your seat or on your lap

City garages and Visitor Center lot schedule
The following City of Savannah parking garages will be open 24 hours a day from Friday through Saturday:
• Bryan Street Garage, Bryan and Abercorn streets, (912) 652-6477
• State Street Garage, State and Abercorn streets, (912) 652-6473
• Robinson Garage, York and Montgomery streets, (912) 651-6478
• Liberty Street Garage, Liberty and Montgomery streets, (912) 644-5934
In order to guarantee monthly cardholders a parking space in these garages, parking will be limited to cardholders only until 8:30 a.m. on Friday.
Special event parking will begin Friday at 8:30 a.m. The rate in all garages will be $10 per day until Sunday.
The Liberty Street and State Street parking garages will resume normal hours, closing at 1 a.m., on Sunday and Monday.
Vehicular entry into all garages will be prohibited from midnight until 8 a.m. on Saturday.

Visitor’s Center lot
The Visitors Center Lot, located at 301 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., will be available for parking at 7 a.m. on Friday. Vehicles parking before 7 a.m. will be cited. The parking fee for Friday is $10 per vehicle.
Parking will be available at its regular rate on Saturday and Sunday.
Parking is limited for RVs and motor coaches during the festival. Beginning Thursday RVs and motor coaches will be permitted to park for the festival; the parking fee is $10 per day. Parking passes can be purchased Thursday for the weekend festival. Please see the parking attendant in the control booth at the exit gate.
If an RV/motor coach or a vehicle leaves during the festival, their parking space is not guaranteed. Please park properly to avoid being cited. Please put all trash in the trash receptacles.

Civic Center lot
The Civic Center Lot will be closed to the public Friday due to staging for the parade.

On-street parking
Parking is prohibited in the marshaling areas and on the parade route. Parking meters in these areas will be bagged the night before. Areas without meters will be appropriately barricaded. Vehicles parked in the prohibited zones will be towed beginning at 6 a.m. on parade day.
Available, on-street, metered parking will be free Saturday and Sunday.

Savannah International Trade and Convention Center Parade parking
Parking for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be available at the Trade and Convention Center beginning at 7 a.m. and ending at 3 p.m. on Friday. A fee of $10 will be charged which includes parking and round trip water ferry for vehicle occupants.
Patrons will board a free shuttle in the parking lot area and will be dropped off at the Savannah Belles Ferry landing/loading dock. Patrons will board the ferries, cross the Savannah River and exit directly onto River Street.
 The Trade Center Parking Lot will not admit vehicles after 3 p.m.; however, the shuttle will continue to run from ferry dock to parking until 5 p.m.
The Water Ferry will continue operations until midnight on Friday for the convenience of Trade Center and Westin guests.

Savannah, Richmond Hill, Tybee ready for July 4 celebrations
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The Savannah Waterfront Association will hold its annual 4th of July celebration, including fireworks, Monday on River Street from 4-10 p.m.

VIP seating for viewing fireworks will be available for active and retired military and will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Hypnotics will perform from 8-10 p.m., including a patriotic set during the fireworks to complement the show.

The fireworks sponsored at 9:30 p.m. Guests are encouraged to park off of River Street since the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department will close the street from 6 p.m.-3 a.m.

Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police are gearing up for this weekend’s July 4th and First Friday festivities; and ask the public to be mindful of traffic conditions in the Downtown area.

In anticipation of potential road delays, Metro will increase traffic and foot patrols in the Downtown festival area, starting Friday afternoon. Officers also will patrol Hutchinson Island in greater force to assist with traffic flow, prevent bottle-necking and help move motorists safely. To ensure safety and help minimize delays, motorists are asked to be vigilant, patient and co-operative.

Public parking lots on River Street will close on Monday at about 3 a.m. until early Tuesday afternoon. River Street will close to vehicular traffic Monday at 3 p.m. and will reopen early Tuesday morning.

All traffic and parking laws will be enforced on in Downtown Savannah and Hutchinson Island. Vehicles parked in the roadway, or in a manner that obstructs traffic will be towed at the owner’s expense. Please note that parking vehicles on the Truman Parkway and Talmadge Bridge also is dangerous and illegal.

Interstate 16 will be available to drivers leaving the firework show. To leave Downtown, traffic originating from points beyond Bay Street will be directed away from Martin Luther King Boulevard to other routes, such as Whitaker and West Bay streets. Westbound traffic on Bay Street will be directed to East Lathrop Avenue to access I-16 via Louisville Road.

Police recommend use of city parking garages, where drivers will be given maps for the easiest Downtown exit routes following the firework display. Motorists are encouraged to plan ahead, expect delays and heed posted signage. The key components of the traffic plan include:

Prohibiting traffic from turning southbound onto Whitaker from Bay. Westbound traffic on Bay Street will be directed to alternate routes to I-16 through East Lathrop and Louisville Road, or through Garden City.

Parking garage traffic will be routed southbound on MLK, Whitaker and Price streets.

Alternate routes to I-16 are West Gwinnett and 37th streets. Price Street also can be used to get to 37th Street, which will take traffic to westbound I-16.

Additional signage will be deployed to assist drivers in locating the alternative routes to I-16.

Traffic may be heavy along Highway 80 for those leaving Tybee Island’s fireworks display. There is a slight potential for shallow coastal flooding due to King Tides July 4.  At this time, this flooding is not expected to close Highway 80. Remember if there is shallow coastal flooding:

Traffic headed toward Wilmington Island via President Street should flow as usual.

Also please remember that the city curfew law remains in effect for this event.  All persons 16 years of age and under must be off the streets at 11 p.m. unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Officers will be enforcing this ordinance.

As always you can stay up to date with the latest on the Festival, road closures and other related updates by following the Twitter feed @SCMPD, Facebook or www.scmpd.org.

Richmond Hill will host 4th of July events Saturday, starting with Star Spangled Cars and Coffee from 9-11 a.m. Car owners can bring in a car and interact with other automobile enthusiasts. Visitors can bring the family to view the cars and tour the Richmond Hill History Museum, formerly the Henry Ford Kindergarten. Admission to the event is free and coffee can be purchased for 25 cents with a $1 donation to the museum. This event will take place at the Richmond Hill History Museum located at 11460 Ford Ave. 

Fort McAllister will hold its 4th of July celebration Saturday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. with living history programs including demonstrations of Civil War drills and rifle and cannon firings. Visitors can participate in old fashioned games including sack races, an egg toss, wheel barrow races and a Civil War-era baseball game. Fresh watermelon will be available.  Admission for this event is $8 per adult (18+), $5 per Youth (6-17), under 6 are free. For more information, call (912) 727-2339.

Richmond Hill will kick off its annual Red, White, and Blue Independence Day Celebration at J. F. Gregory Park located at 521 Cedar St. For more information, visit www.richmondhill-ga.gov or call (912) 756-3345.

Tybee Island changed the date of their annual  fireworks from Sunday, July 3 to Monday, July 4. The Independence Day celebration will held be at the Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion with a fireworks extravaganza. It will be held from 9:30-10 p.m.