Have a Jolly Trolley Holiday!

[cthulhia]

The Somerville Illuminations Tour is set for December 20th, 2008.

Tickets are now on sale at Blue Cloud Gallery in Ball Square.

I am tour guide for Trolley C (for cthulhia!) 5:45 pm and 7pm.

Time	Trolley A Guide	Trolley B Guide	Trolley C Guide
5:45			cthulhia
6:15		wobblymusic
7:00			cthulhia
7:30		surrealestate
8:15		wobblymusic
8:45	Tom Champion	surrealestate

(Other tour guides: Please comment and I can add your trolley info here!)

Comments

[ron_newman]

I hope the less convenient ticket location doesn't cut down on advance sales. I wish they'd picked Magpie instead.

[geekpixie.livejournal.com]

Or simply more than one location. I'll be trying to make it up to the gallery tonight for tickets while it's not so chilly out (though it may be too late by the time I get home :) )

[ron_newman]

More than one location would be challenging, since you'd have to allocate actual physical tickets (with times and A/B/C printed on them) to each store.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

That's not all that difficult, actually--all you do is give each location a group of tickets with each option included. The only extra work it adds is someone having to check in every few days to see if each outlet has a roughly equal number of tickets for each slot.

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

I don't think the location is hurting sales. I went in at 11:30 this morning, and all the of 4:30 tickets were gone (except for 1), and the 5 o'clock tickets were going fast. There was a short line of people. And the store didn't even open until 11.

Also, the woman selling the tickets was extremely friendly. All in all, it was a very good experience.

[ron_newman]

Thanks for the report. I'm surprised the 4:30 tickets would sell out first, since it isn't even fully dark for that tour and the effect of the lights is somewhat reduced.

think: small children

[cthulhia]

the earlier tours always sell out first.

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

Parents with little kids like to go early. I went on the 4:30 tour once, and, you are right, it wasn't quite dark when the tour started, and some of the houses hadn't yet turned on their lights. But the trolley driver stopped in front of the unlit houses and clanged his trolley bell. Then everyone on the trolley shouted in unison, "Turn on your lights!" The kiddos liked it, and sometimes it even seemed to work.

[nomacmac.livejournal.com]

I was there when they opened at 11:00, and I believe 2 of the 4:30 trolleys were alredy sold out for the Council in Aging

[miss-lisa-ma.livejournal.com]

fangirl715 and I were just talking about this event. I am going to try to schedule myself so that I can FINALLY go!

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Crap, I'll be on the Amtrak to Rochester then. :-(

[ron_newman]

Tom Champion e-mailed me, wanting you all to know that he will be the guide for Trolley A at 8:45 pm.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

::thunder of footsteps running to snag tickets for that trolley::

Now I can't decide! MAYBE I'LL JUST HAVE TO GO AGAIN AND AGAIN!

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

It might be interesting to know what the tour guides plan to do on their trolleys. I was once on a trolley where the tour guide led the passengers in singing Christmas carols. I've been on other trolleys where the tour guides cracked jokes or asked Somerville trivia questions. I was even on a tour once where the mayor was the tour guide, and he asked Somerville trivia questions and gave out Somerville Rocks T-shirts to people who answered correctly.

it changes

[cthulhia]

I tend to be, um, rowdy.

Although, my 5:45 has already sold out, mostly to the stroller crowd... so I may have to tone down my inner Tom Lehrer.

Actually - ramp it up

[jblack73.livejournal.com]

As a likely part of the 5:45 stroller crowd, I can tell you the adults would probably appreciate the good times - the kids will be too dazzled by the lights and as long as it isn't inappropriate, there'll be no worries.

[wobblymusic.livejournal.com]

I'm the tour guide for Trolley B at 6:15 and 8:15.

[wobblymusic.livejournal.com]

Forgot to mention -- I always go on my own self-guided tour earlier in the week and try to find specific things about the displays to point out to my guidees.

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

I just got our tickets for your 7:00 trolley. They had about ten left.

car seats for infants?

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

so, if i wanted to bring my 16 month old son, i'm assuming i just carry him like i would on a bus, right? i don't need a car seat to bring him on the tour?

Re: car seats for infants?

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

I don't think the trolley seats even have seat belts...

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

For those of us who can't make it on th 20th ... any possibility of posting the route after the official tour? I'd love to see some of these houses but I can't go on the 20th.

[ron_newman]

From http://www.somervilleartscouncil.org/programs/illuminations/cards.html :

If you are unable to make the tour, pick up, the Monday after the tour, from the stores below an Illuminations Tour Map and create your own self-guided tour. Map $3.

Blue Cloud Gallery
713 Broadway, Ball Square

Magpie
416 Highland St, Davis Sq.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

That's really fantastic news -- thank you!