The Covington-Newton County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its newly leased trolley Tuesday.

The chamber started a five-month lease on what president Hunter Hall said is a way to grow the county’s tourism product.

“In truth, Covington isn’t really known for this destination place. It’s a destination for tourists who want to see where The Vampire Diaries is being filmed. Even on wedding destinations, we have great places that facilitate incredible antebellum weddings,” Hall said. “So, from that standpoint, the trolley is an effort on our part to create another asset where people can say ‘Man we went to that wedding, we went on this tour; we went on this experience and they have this old historic trolley and that was really cool.

“It creates this great experience people will talk about.”

The trolley will be used for the ReHeat Tour, which will debut on May 18, and will be offered to brides and grooms getting married around the county. It is also available for other functions being held in Newton and Covington, including the county’s Fourth of July event.