By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Beginning Saturday, May 17, the trolleys are back on track to take summer shoppers throughout Uptown’s four business districts, marking a launch date that’s two month earlier than previous years for the popular Trolley Days events.
Every third Saturday from now through September 20 the Grand Rapids Trolley Co., LLC takes shoppers and diners on a free, and fun, cruise to shops and restaurants in the Eastown, East Fulton, East Hills and Wealthy Street business districts. Shoppers can hop on and off at eight stops along the way, with the first Trolley leaving the Fulton Street Farmer’s Market at 10 a.m and the last trolley returning at 3 p.m.
“Each business district was doing our own thing,” says Amy Ruis of the history of Trolley Days. Ruis owns Art of the Table at 606 Wealthy SE. “We started talking about how we can get people to all of our districts, so two years ago we started Trolley Days for the holidays and last year we did it for July, August and September.”
The trolley rides are free, and throughout the summer each business district will have a variety of events to entertain and entice shoppers, including:
“The trolleys give people a chance to sit back and relax, and go to all these stores, the Farmer’s Market, and the restaurants, and not have to drive and park,” Ruis says. “It’s a nice way to spend a day and just mosey around.”
Source: Amy Ruis, Art of the Table; Rachel Lee, Bazzani Associates
Deborah Johnson Wood is the development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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