30 year family tradition of magical moments returns

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI)- Stan Brighton and his father, started a tradition 30 years ago that would become a staple for many families in the Eastern Idaho region, having a team of horses pull a trolley through an 8-10 minute loop in Downtown Idaho Falls.

The loop starts on B street across from Civitan Plaza. "My dad started it and we just kind of gone along with it for a few years, and we enjoyed it a lot," Brighton said.

Lilli Reed has been a part of the fund tradition for quite awhile. She says, "I'm third generation, so it's my grandpa, and then my mom did it... And then now I'm doing it and I do it with my siblings and it's a lot of fun."

Over the years the ride through downtown has provided many magical moments for both the drivers and the riders.

"We lived here for ten years. That was our first time... It was nice," said Stephanie Bailey who went on a ride with her friends and family Saturday.

She adds that the ride provided a different look to the downtown area. "I like just going around seeing the town. It was really nice just to see that there's some things that we didn't always see when walking through here sometimes, so, it was kind of nice."

And the Brighton family has their fair share of memorable moments as well. "A lot of the people come and we've had people say Christmas who have been tough to share, but we got to do this and then cost them anything and I'd just give them an opportunity to have some experiences and have some fun," Brighton said.

Reed shares a magic memory that has stuck with her. She says, "One of the funnest memories I ever had... There was a little girl who got so excited because she saw my grandpa wearing a Santa hat and she was like, 'It's Santa Claus!' And she was so excited that she wanted to ride the trolley right with Santa Claus. And it was really cute."

The Rides will run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. every Saturday until December 17, the weekend before Christmas Eve.

You can find the line starting across from Civitan Plaza about 20 minutes before the rides begin.