CLEVELAND — When you talk about Lolly the Trolley, you do so with RESPECT.
It’s easy for someone to look at Cleveland as it is today and say, “I’d like to start a small business that appeals to sightseeing Clevelanders and out of town tourists, a way to showcase our downtown.”
It makes sense to say that because these days our downtown is actually quite vibrant. Residency is up, there are new restaurants and businesses opening every month, and for the most part the place just looks really nice.
However, if you had said you wanted to open a tourism-based business in Cleveland in 1985, that was a bit of a different story.
The 80’s was a particularly rough time for Cleveland. The collapse of the railroad and steel industries ravaged our economy. Between 1970 and 1985, Cleveland lost nearly a third of its population and, consequently, its tax base. Much of downtown was abandoned and left in disrepair.
It takes a special kind of Cleveland optimism to observe those conditions and say “This seems like a great time to start offering sight-seeing trolley rides around town.”
But that’s just what Sherrill Witt and her partner Peter V. Paul decided to do. Despite the odds, they got their business up and running and before long became an iconic part of the Cleveland experience.
And it’s easy to understand why. The sheer audacity of their existence was inspiring. While most people were disparaging the city and lamenting how far it had fallen, Paul and Witt saw a city that was not only worth celebrating, but worth investing in.
The trollies took to the streets in 1985 when the city was at her lowest, and when civic pride was in very short supply.
They were cheery, bright red ambassadors rolling defiantly through what could often look like an abandoned ghost town.
You may have heard the term “whistling past the graveyard”, Lolly whistled while driving straight through it.
And when you represented hope. Not only do we love this rusty, gritty town, but we want to show it off to people. We want to tell you not only what used to be there, but what will be goin in there soon.
So by all means, young Clevelanders, enjoy your revived downtown and all of the features it has to offer.
Hop on your rentable E-scooters and head over to one of the dozens of craft microbreweries that have sprung up over the last decade. Just remember that Lolly was here first.
Jump on the Party Barge or water taxi of your choice and check out what the new, revitalized Flats has to offer.
Don’t forget to visit the Rock Hall, or the fully-restored Playhouse Square and make sure to grab plenty of selfies at whichever Cleveland Script sign offers you the best lighting.
Just remember that Lolly was here first.
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