New Business Spotlight – The Bend Trolley

The Bend Chamber New Business Spotlight is devoted exclusively to highlighting existing and new members to the Bend Chamber.

By Courtney Linville | Bend Chamber

It’s big. It’s red. And you may have noticed it driving around town. The Bend Trolley is a new edition to Bend that provides a unique experience for visitors and residents alike.

Owner and Operator Blake Stamos said he got the idea to bring the trolley to Bend when he was visiting family in San Diego. “I saw a trolley drive by the downtown area and I thought that would be a great idea for Bend,” he said.

After doing research on trolleys and finding one in Las Vegas, Stamos and his family spent two months restoring the whole thing! The restoration included refinishing an oak park bench seating for 30, two flat screen televisions, ADA accessibility, a full pa system, and an iPod docking system. The trolley also has full air conditioning and heating capabilities and it can open up to a full open air trolley!

The Bend Trolley is already doing a variety of tours as well as private books for birthdays, weddings, proms, high school dances, and corporate groups. “It’s exciting and fun and I’m having a blast,” says Stamos. “I love entertaining and talking to people. It’s great to be a part of special events. Weddings parties are taking photos on the trolley, so the trolley will be a part of their life for many years to come.”

Private bookings have also included those who want to just drive around with friends and then be dropped off for dinner. The Bend Trolley is unique in that you can bring your own alcohol aboard.

The company also has a variety of tours and plans to offer five different tours this summer. The tours will include a Bend City Tour with stops at Goodies, the Tower Theatre,  and Pilot Butte; a Brewery Tour with a private tour of Deschutes Brewering and 10 Barrell as well as a private catered barbeque dinner by Country Catering (guests also get a 64oz growler filled with beer); a Pub Crawl highlighting 5 area bars pubs with a drink at each bar; a wild animal-safari tour featuring two ranches in the area displaying everything from wild buffalo and big horn sheep to exotic animals, and possibly a Cascade Lakes Tour,  .

The Bend Trolley operates Thursday through Sunday, but are always open for private bookings. “We are the only trolley operating in town and it’s a pretty unique experience,” said Stamos.

Stamos says the outpouring of support from the community and local businesses has been wonderful. “Everyone has been willing to help each other out and get the ball moving on not only producing activities, but also generating business in our area,” he said.

With the Bend Trolley becoming more recognized around town, Stamos says he’s starting to feel like a bigger part of the community. One of his favorite parts about the business is meeting new people and getting to know more businesses in the area. Stamos says through the trolley tours, he feels like he can now give the local landscape and area businesses the recognition they deserve.

To find out more about The Bend Trolley go to www.bendtrolley.com or contact Owner/Operator Blake Stamos at thebendtrolley@yahoo.com or 541-771-1800.