To celebrate Peoria’s unique history as the Whiskey Capital of the World, the Peoria Historical Society, in partnership with CityLink, is launching a new “Roll Out the Barrel” Trolley Tour starting on Saturday, July 12 at 1:00 p.m. The tour, which will be narrated by a certified guide, will begin and end at Kelleher’s Irish Pub & Eatery, 619 SW Water St., downtown. Tours will last about an hour and a half.

“Peoria once featured a riverfront lined with distilleries and breweries,” said Mark Johnson, President of the Peoria Historical Society. “This tour focuses on the places and people, the mansions and neighborhoods involved with these industries.”

Tour tickets cost $15 and can be reserved by calling Kelleher’s at (309) 673-6000. Passengers under 65 must pay an additional $1 fare to the trolley driver. The tour will run every Saturday at 1 p.m. in July and August. From 1850 to Prohibition, the volume of whiskey distilled, aged, bottled and shipped made Peoria the whiskey capital of the world. The large distilleries, breweries, and extensive stockyards here also created the second largest grain market in the country.

The new tour joins three other tours in July-August: the Grandview Drive and Springdale Cemetery tour and the ever-popular River City Tour which depart from Harp & Thistle in Peoria Heights on alternating Thursday and Friday mornings at 10:30 a.m.; and the Naughty-to-Nice tour that traces Peoria from its earliest days to its four All-America City awards, departing from Kelleher’s on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. The full schedule is available at http://www.peoriahistoricalsociety.org/announcements.aspx?ID=5

Peoria Historical Society seeks to enhance the quality of life in the Peoria area by cherishing memories and collecting, preserving and displaying items relating to local history; encouraging and supporting historical research and education; and promoting and sustaining public interest in the history and contributions of area people and organizations.