TOLEDO, Ohio — Over the holiday weekend, eyes were on Toledo, Ohio, from across the world.
People in Italy were keeping an eye on the Glass Bowl for the Italian Bowl, and casinos in Vegas had a vested interest in what was happening at the Huntington Center on Saturday night.
WTOL 11 talked to local businesses who saw all the foot traffic from the Italian Bowl at the home turf of the Toledo Rockets in west Toledo, the heavyweight fight featuring Jared Anderson's homecoming downtown, and the fireworks.
District 4 Toledo City Council member Vanice Williams said it exceeded her expectations. Williams knows those expectations well as the representative for the downtown district.
She's also said she was the one who pitched the idea to Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz for the heavyweight match after he worked to secure the Italian Bowl.
"He looked and he said 'tell 'em come on!'" Williams said. "He knew as well as I knew that Toledo was ready to handle both of them."
Downtown staple Maumee Bay Brewing Co. threw a watch party outside. Families flocked there to watch the fireworks according to sales manager, Michael Martin.
"We had beer truck out there and our DJ, and our food truck was out there and it was just a nice, hangout vibe and getting to watch the perfect view of the fireworks," Martin said.
New downtown Toledo coffee shop Brew House welcomed people to its bar downstairs for later in the evening. Barista and bartender Eli Snyder served up drinks.
"Lots of teenagers coming in, getting smoothies," Snyder said. "Families were down here, there's also the retirees and older folks that enjoy the cocktail scene, so they came and checked us out.".
The Toledo Police Department was ready too, department spokesperson Lt. Paul Davis said. TPD has created a new Planning Bureau of Operations, which Davis said is a combination of both the existing traffic and community service sections.
"A lot of these, especially with the fireworks, there's already a template that's been used in the past, so it's a lot of coordinating with other city departments, local businesses to help make these events possible," Davis said.
Davis also said the main focus is policing more officers by having them come in to work overtime, placed in strategic areas downtown.
"Make sure we have correct intersections of streets to be blocked off and closed, that way everyone can get to the event, enjoy the event, and then get home safely," Davis said.
Events that many Toledoans want to continue to see keep growing.
"Our momentum we got right now, and we are doing that from Solheim (Cup) we have to keep investing in our infrastructure," Williams said, "and that is what we are doing."
Williams is also a Scott High School graduate like fight card headliner Jared Anderson. She said she has been a major boxing fan since she was 12 and that it was great to see the community - especially the Scott High School faithful - come out Saturday and represent.