Hunter Raines sums up the return to Trolley Night after a 19-month absence: “Glad to see crowded sidewalks again.”
Raines and his wife, Sophie, were among the throng of people who attended the South Main Association event on Friday, June 25th.
Joviality was everywhere on a perfect weather-wise evening for the tour, which drew “at least 1,000 people,” estimates South Main Association president Eric Bourgeois. “It’s tough to put a number on it,” he says, adding, “It’s so strung out. In reality it starts around 5 and ends at 9 p.m. But for some people it ends at 1 a.m. There’s no set start and finish to Trolley Night. It’s whatever you make of your night.
“Trolley Night had something for everyone, whether you were enjoying live music at Slider Inn or shopping at Stock & Belle, or dancing the night night away, Soul Burger in hand, at Earnestine & Hazel’s at 2 a.m.”
The route is “loosely defined to allow for inclusion, especially on Trolley Night, when it’s all about supporting the neighborhood businesses. But it’s essentially from Martin Luther King north from Crump and west from B. B. King.
“In years past there was always kind of a mental stop at the G. E. Patterson area and Central Street Station. That long half mile stretch on to the next stop.”
This year, Ghost River Brewing Co., which is at Main Street and Crump Boulevard, was included. “They wanted to figure out how to have more representation on Trolley Night. So, the South Main Association coordinated with MATA for the first time to extend the trolley bus route all the way to include Ghost River at the South end of Main Street.”
More than 50 businesses take part in Trolley Night, Bourgeois says. “You had a combination of art gallery showings, live music at multiple locations, and you had different food and drink specials deals. And, thanks to the newly-implemented to-go alcohol rules, people were able to grab a cocktail and continue their stroll up and down South Main.”
It’s amazing to think that it’s been more than a year and a half since the last Trolley Night. “We didn’t have an official South Main sanctioned Trolley Night in all of 2020. We’re officially back.”
And, Bourgeois says, “We were able to reintroduce our South Main Association member lounge. That had the most attendees we ever had. Between Primas Bakery (+ Boutique) and the Trek bike shop.”
This year’s event was “just a huge smashing return to the Trolley Nights of old. And it set the standard for the last Friday of the month to come.”
Mark your calendars. The next Trolley Night is July 30th.
