New Business, Offering Tours of Danville Starting September 4th, Offers to Pay City for Licensing

ABOVE: Ed Hubbard, co-owner of the planned Danville Tour Company, states his case for licensing by the city to the Danville City Council.

Ed Hubbard plans to start a new business, Danville Tour Company at 19 East North Street, on the 4th of September.  Along with his partner, Danville native the Reverend Don Lewis; he envisions tours of sites in Danville that have to do with Abraham Lincoln, Hollywood stars like Dick Van Dyke and Gene Hackman; and much more, such as Astronaut Joseph Tanner.  Hubbard says Lincoln is especially important right now, because a new series of books on him comes out in 2027.  He says February Lincoln tours for school kids would be a top priority.

During the Danville City Council meeting Tuesday evening (July 15th), Hubbard told CIMG that at the beginning, he will not have a tour bus.  Instead, he will ask tour participants to do “meet ups” at various sites; and then there could also be use of things like golf carts and public transportation.  And he will be marketing to people in nearby cities to come and take tours of these Danville sites.

AUDIO: We’ll be looking forward to selling tickets to major areas; such as Champaign, Danville, Indianapolis; Chicago, especially Chicago.  Especially for Abraham Lincoln; you have Hollywood, you have so many potential tours.

Hubbard’s reason for being at the City Council meeting was to request that the city offer his touring business licensing.  Hubbard says if he pays the city for licensing, it would help him with liability issues, help him get insurance; and having official licensing by the city would certainly be a selling point, and could help him eventually get tour buses.  Hubbard even proposed a fee scale he would pay the city.

AUDIO: So $100 the first year, plus $25 for each tour member….with that increasing in previous years up to $500 in 2030; with a $2 ticket price and a $50 tour guide.

Hubbard says that so far the city is not paying too much attention to him.  But regardless, he says that will not keep him from opening for business on September 4th.