When
Friday, April 25 from 6:30 - 8:30pm
Saturday, April 26 from 1:00 - 5:00pm

Where
400 Block of Hay Street, in front of Huske Hardware Building

The Fayetteville Dogwood Festival, a Fayetteville tradition for 26 years, welcomes for the first time the Budweiser Clydesdale Horses.  The famous Budweiser icons will grace the streets of downtown Fayetteville during the annual street festival slated for April 25-27, 2008.

Many people have seen these enormous workhorses on commercials, billboards, posters and magazines, but this year’s dogwood festival will be the chance to get up close and personal with these legendary showpieces of the Anheuser-Busch family.  The horses will parade through downtown Fayetteville and will be based in the festival footprint for viewing.

This year, the Budweiser Clydesdales are celebrating 75 years of trademark excellence. They were formally introduced to August A. Busch Sr. and Anheuser-Busch on April 7, 1933, to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition.  August A. Busch Jr. wanted to commemorate the special day.  To his father’s delight, the hitch thundered down Pestalozzi Street carrying the first case of post-Prohibition beer from the St. Louis brewery.

To qualify for one of the six hitches, a Budweiser Clydesdale must be a gelding at least fours years of age, stand 6 feet at the shoulder when fully mature, weigh between 1,800 and 2,300 pounds, and be bay in color with four white stocking feet, a blaze of white on the face and a black mane and tail.  Each hitch horse will consume as much as 20 to 25 quarts of whole grains, minerals and vitamins, 50 to 60 pounds of hay and 30 gallons of water per day.