FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dedie Leahy, cell 214-212-6576, [email protected]
McKINNEY AVENUE TROLLEY CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY
SATURDAY, JULY 19TH
Birthday Cake for Trolley Riders on Board Matilda, the M-line’s Largest Car #369
UPTOWN DALLAS, TEXAS – On Saturday, July 19th, the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority
th
(MATA) will celebrate the 25 anniversary of the McKinney Avenue Trolley’s launch into operation
in July, 1989, according to Phil Cobb, co-founder and chairman of the board for 24 years (who
served as president the other year). Specially baked birthday cakes by area restaurants will be
served to Trolley riders on board “Matilda,” which is also now the Dart M-line’s largest car #369,
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Link to a map of the trolley route and points of interest along the way at:
http://www.mata.org/map.shtml.
Birthday cakes will be entered into a contest to be judged by the Honorary Motorman for the day,
Oliver Robison, and MATA staff members. The restaurant with the winning cake will be awarded
the fun of a complimentary two-hour charter on the Trolley bedecked with balloons. Restaurants
baking birthday cakes so far are: Bread Winners, La Duni, Morton’s of Chicago, The Fairmont
Hotel Dallas, Truluck’s, Vino 100 and Hillcrest Bank is sponsoring chocolate lava cakes from
Stein’s Bakery.
“Everyone is invited to our 25th birthday party to celebrate our historic, wonderful trolleys and join
us for some delicious cake which we’ll be serving aboard ‘Matilda’ on her regular route, ”said Mr.
Cobb. “We have a special Honorary Motorman for the birthday celebration. Oliver Robison is five
years old and a big fan of the trolleys which he rides frequently with his mom, Kyla, and dad,
Kenny. We all love Oliver. He even drops by the Trolley Barn to say hi and check on the Trolleys.
Oliver is also our official historian as he knows each of the Trolley cars, their names and their
histories.”
“I love the trolleys,” Oliver said, “and I’m so excited to be the Honorary Motorman for the Birthday
Party! ‘Matilda’ is my favorite Trolley car because I like the doors in the middle. Everyone please
come for a ride and a piece of birthday cake!”
“We’re all excited about celebrating our anniversary,” said Mr. Cobb, “even our resident Trolley
barn cat, Stone, who was born on the 4 th of July, has a big smile on his face.”
The M-Line's restored vintage trolleys, which are air-conditioned and heated, operate 365 days a
year providing safe, clean, reliable, and convenient public transportation free of charge, with only
the exception of private party charters, in Dallas' vibrant Uptown Neighborhood. Private charters
may be reserved for parties and tours of the route. More information is on the website:
www.mata.org.
MATA’s mission is to extend this service to a broader geographic area in downtown Dallas while
maintaining the unique, historic ambiance and character of our current service and, in partnership
with Dallas Area Rapid Transit, become a key component of the City's downtown circulator system.
In fact, service is in the process of being extended with an open downtown loop to be completed in
the very near future. Details will be released soon as plans are finalized.
The McKinney Avenue Transit Authority is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
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