RAPPING
Singleton rapping more than presentsBY ELEANOR LEWIS ON DECEMBER 19, 2013
As the temperature drops in Greenville, the winter activities are beginning to amp up. A portable vessel of holiday cheer has trollied (literally) onto the Uptown scene. The Greenville Jolly Trolley has joined up with the Daily Reflector to start a holiday tradition.
The Holly Jolly Trolley Holiday light tour was an idea posed by the Daily Reflector marketing department earlier this year. “[The Daily Reflector] does Freeboot-Friday and we see the trolley doing tours,” Daily Reflector employee Meredith Tart said. “That’s how we got the idea.” After the initial pitch, the Reflector contacted Patrick Brown, the owner of the Jolly Trolley. The tours are also a fundraiser. “It’s for the Newspapers in Education (NIE) program which the Daily Reflector does to put newspapers in all the schools [in Pitt County],” Tart said. “The teachers can use them as learning tools to help student read.” When the tour organizers realized they needed a guide to lead the tours, senior Seth Singleton was ready to take up the job. “I’m dressed up like an elf on the holiday lights trolley,” Singleton said. “I’m guiding the tours, leading some christmas carols and pointing out sites to people.” Many Rose students know Singleton as SOS, his rapper name. As Santa’s helper, Singleton fills the gap between lit houses by spitting out rhymes and rhythms. “He’s like a mini Eminem,” Brown said. “He is the most talented freestyler I’ve seen in a long time.” Entertained by lights and raps, each tour of about thirty people travels to see the best and brightest of Greenville’s glowing holiday garnishes. “People [have been] loving it, they smile and laugh as we go by the houses, seeing the crazy inflatables, giant blow-up Santas and light displays,” Singleton said. “The best feedback we can get is seeing people’s reactions.” Those still wishing to catch a ride are out of luck. Advertisements were run in the Daily Reflector, and tickets sold out two hours after going on sale. “The response has been crazy,” Brown said. “ We have no more tickets left and I had 116 emails, as of Sunday, requesting for more tickets.” The popularity of the trolley ride has been across a wide audience. Parents with kids around their ankles, college students on dates and elderly couples clutching canes, all huddled together in the line for the Tuesday night 6:30 trolley ride. “I figured it would be mostly families with kids but its really only been about half families with kids,” Singleton said. “I think something like this appeals to all age groups, obviously kids will like displays and they just love to ride on trolleys and older people who have lived here for a long time want to see the town.” HTML Comment Box is loading comments...
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