Clydesdales coming to Killington
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A team of Budweiser Clydesdales, seen here in downtown Rutland during a recent Vermont State Fair, will pay a holiday visit to the Pickle Barrel in Killington today through Sunday. Vyto Starinskas / Rutland Herald |
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By Cristina Kumka Staff Writer - Published: December 9, 2009
KILLINGTON — A group of special holiday visitors who have been absent in these parts for three years will make their way back up the mountain today and stay until Sunday.
An eight-horse team of world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales, a symbol of the beer company and the holiday season since 1933, will be stabled in a heated tent behind the Pickle Barrel for public viewing and photographs beginning today, according to the nightclub and the Killington Chamber of Commerce.
The team of draft horses, each at least 6 feet tall, will greet tourists in a parade Friday, pulling their red beer wagon from Killington Resort's K-1 base lodge to the Killington Grand Hotel Resort and Spa.
At noon Saturday, the horses will parade down Killington Road from the Lookout Tavern to the Pickle Barrel, owner Chris Karr said Monday.
And on Sunday, the horses are expected to visit various town businesses in the Killington area, Karr said.
The horse-drawn tour will take place weather permitting and it's free.
Chamber of Commerce President and Lookout Tavern owner Phil Black is hoping it's not as cold as it was years ago when the horses were only on display for a few hours because of frigid temperatures that kept them indoors.
"The last time they came it was 10 below zero and the horses could only spend about half an hour out," Black said.
For this visit, Black said, he expects a better turnout and hopefully, a more reasonable climate for the horses.
"Especially now that it's snowing and there are people here," Black said. "Last week would not have been good."
Since 1933, Clydesdales have been symbols of Anheuser-Busch and the Killington appearance is one of 300 annual visits made by five traveling teams, according to the chamber.
The horses, used primarily for breeding and show and weighing an average 2,000 pounds, will travel from Merrimack, N.H., to Killington by Wednesday.
The public should also expect to see massive amounts of feed, hay, water and a Dalmatian dog that travels with the show.
The horses will be available for viewing beginning Wednesday afternoon and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
Hot chocolate will be available for all who attend.
"They (the traveling Clydesdales) are constantly moving so getting them to come here was by luck," Black said.
For more information, call the Killington Chamber of Commerce at 773-4181 or the Pickle Barrel at 422-3035.
cristina.kumka@rutlandherald.com.
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