Budweiser Clydesdales parade through Salina downtown

Kendrick Calfee, Salina Journal
·2 min read

Hundreds of people lined Santa Fe Avenue to see the Budweiser Clydesdales parade through downtown Salina Wednesday evening, honoring a local distributor.

The Clydesdale team introduced the horses and hitched up at Chuck’s Bar, where a couple hundred gathered to see the large red tractor trailers reading “Budweiser Clydesdales” arrive in town.

Anticipation grew among a couple of hundred onlookers dispersed along Santa Fe Avenue from Chuck’s stretching to YaYa’s Euro Bistro.

The Budweiser Clydesdales make their way down Santa Fe Avenue in Salina Sept. 28.
The Budweiser Clydesdales make their way down Santa Fe Avenue in Salina Sept. 28.

A little after 6 p.m., the Clydesdales made their way through downtown, stopping in front of several businesses along the way for photo opportunities before their trek stopped at The Temple.

Pestinger Distributing, a local foodservice distributor, recently won the Anheuser-Bush Esteemed Ambassadors of Excellence Big Jake Award. Only 14 wholesalers in the nation, with 551 competing, have received the award.

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A Clydesdale looks toward the crowd of people gathered near Chuck's Bar.
A Clydesdale looks toward the crowd of people gathered near Chuck's Bar.

Those who receive the award are honored in a few ways, one of them being a hometown visit from the world-famous Clydesdales.

“We know the difficulty of it, and it means a lot to our guys,” said Matt Pestinger a manager of Pestinger Distributing. “It’s a goal we’ve been working toward, and if you don’t have every person in your organization on board, it’s something you’re not going to achieve.”

In order to receive the award, a wholesaler must earn gold proficiency three times in a five-year period. There are gold, silver and bronze levels in the program, with tiers dependent upon several factors: customer service, community involvement, environmental consciousness and the endorsement and engagement of responsible drinking programs.

Here are some quick facts you should know about the Budweiser Clydesdales

The Budweiser Clydesdales are Clydesdale horses that the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company uses for promotions and commercials. There are several “hitches” or teams of horses traveling across the U.S. and other countries.

Members of the Budweiser team clean and prepare the hitch.
Members of the Budweiser team clean and prepare the hitch.

  • The breed is about 200 years old and originates from Scotland.

  • The first Budweiser Clydesdales were a gift to commemorate the repeal of prohibition in 1933.

  • The horses’ official home is an ornate brick and stained-glass stable built in 1885 on the 100-acre Anheuser-Busch brewery complex in St. Louis.

  • Since the 1950s, Dalmatians have accompanied the Clydesdales on tour.

  • All Budweiser Clydesdales are geldings and at least 4 years old.

  • Budweiser Clydesdales must be at least 18 hands (6 feet) high and weigh between 1,800 and 2,300 pounds.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Budweiser Clydesdales visit Salina, parade through downtown