Free trolley rides offered in Danville Thursday to promote city

Rides part of Averett University's Love Danville Week

DANVILLE, Va. – Around a dozen people boarded Danville's trolley Thursday afternoon for a tour of the city led by Averett University senior Beth Powell.

She chairs the Love Danville Higher Education Council.

The trolley rides are one of several events Averett University organized this week for Love Danville Week.

"We think it's important just so we can teach people to find the little enjoyment in the city," Powell said.

She believes the events have accomplished that goal.

"We had a great turnout at our fundraiser at Chipotle. A lot of community members came out. We had trivia going on. That was really fun to see, if people knew a lot about Danville," Powell said.

On the trolley ride, Powell asked riders trivia questions.

Laura Chalevy and Shanell Tucker took the tour with their kids and said they enjoyed learning about the city.

"If they could do this more often, that'd be great," Tucker said.

"I knew a lot of the things that they showed, but I thought it was great that they were able to show me some new things that I didn't know about," Chalevy said. "I didn't know about the Old 97 train crash." 

"The YMCA is top 10 in the world," Tucker said when asked what she learned on the ride.

Halfway through the ride, the trolley stopped at the fountain downtown for a group picture.

Love Danville Week will wrap up Saturday night with a celebration at a local brewery.