In the twilight of the 20th century, the trolleys still crisscrossed the downtown streets of Chapel Hill and Carrboro. Two of them, to be exact.
And though, in truth, they were only buses made to look trolley-like, their quarter-per-ride fare offered an inexpensive trip along the lively meridians running between downtown Carrboro and Chapel Hill.
A trolley much like the one that rolled the local thoroughfares starting in 1989 will ferry passengers through the downtowns once again for this month’s 2ndFriday Artwalk.
John Huffstetler, who bought Chapel Hill’s two trolleys in 2001 and then refurbished them for rentals, said one of the town’s old rides is now stationed permanently in Charlotte, but that one just like it is headed to town.
Thanks to the combined work of The ArtsCenter, which manages the Artwalk, and the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau, Huffstetler’s Olde South Trolley service, based in Kannapolis, is donating the rental on the 26-passenger wonder in hopes of drumming up more wedding and special events business.
The trolley, which in addition to a lot of windows has a nifty little spot on the back for riding and viewing, will run the following route, starting at The ArtsCenter at 6 p.m.:
• 501 West Franklin St.;
• University Square parking lot;
• Horace Williams House parking lot: and
• back to The ArtsCenter.
For more information, contact the visitors bureau at 968-2060 or visitchapelhill.org
For information on the Artwalk, visit 2ndfridayartwalk.com
— Staff Reports
It’s a BUS not a Trolley Bus “that is a real infrastructure bus with overhead lines” .
Please call it a bus. If I painted my van like a Limo, it does not make it a Limo.