It’s been four years since the Budweiser Clydesdales visited Bristol Borough. In 2016, the draft horses of Scottish Breed were greeted by thousands who lined the parade route and waterfront. On May 22, the Clydesdales are returning.
The caravan begins at Green Lane and Farragut Ave. in the borough at 1 p.m. It is scheduled to travel down Farragut until it merges with Pond St. It will continue on Pond to Mill St. and then follow Mill to the riverfront, where the horses will be on display until they board their transport vehicles for departure.
The event is facilitated by Penn Beer distributors and the borough civic group Raising the Bar.
“We’re thrilled to have been selected again for this amazing event,” said Bill Pezza, president of Raising the Bar. “The route and riverfront venue are perfect, and the previous event went smoothly. We’re grateful to Joe Schellinger of Penn Beer for advocating for the borough visit and borough officials for their cooperation.”
Raising the Bar is sponsoring a lottery to select 10 residents to march alongside the horses to serve as a security/honor guard. Those interested may register for the drawing at Bristol Antique Market, 329 Mill St.
“A program of this magnitude requires a great deal of planning regarding traffic flow, parking restrictions and crowd control,” said borough council president Ralph DiGuiseppe. “Our team is experienced in dealing with events of this size and we’re confident the heads of the relevant departments will coordinate effectively with Budweiser.”
The eight-horse hitch made famous in Budweiser/Anheuser-Buch beer commercials includes a restored turn-of-the-century beer wagon and a Dalmatian that traditionally stood watch over the horses and beer cases as deliveries were made.
