Budweiser Clydesdale horses roll into Tuscaloosa

CW+%2F+Madison+Verbrugge

CW / Madison Verbrugge

Grace Schepis | @GraceSchepisCW, Staff Writer

CW / Joe Will Field
CW / Joe Will Field
CW / Joe Will Field
CW / Joe Will Field
CW / Joe Will Field
CW / Joe Will Field
CW / Joe Will Field
CW / Joe Will Field
CW / Joe Will Field
CW / Joe Will Field
CW / Joe Will Field
CW / Joe Will Field
CW / Joe Will Field
CW / Joe Will Field
CW / Joe Will Field
CW / Joe Will Field
CW / Madelyn Verbrugge
CW / Madelyn Verbrugge
CW / Madelyn Verbrugge
CW / Madelyn Verbrugge
CW / Madelyn Verbrugge
CW / Madelyn Verbrugge
CW / Madelyn Verbrugge
CW / Madelyn Verbrugge
CW / Madelyn Verbrugge
CW / Madelyn Verbrugge
CW / Madelyn Verbrugge
CW / Madelyn Verbrugge
CW / Madelyn Verbrugge

A fleet of Budweiser semi-trucks came to the Innisfree Pub downtown carrying the famous Clydesdale horses for the community to enjoy.

Tuscaloosa residents of all ages gathered on 20th Avenue off University Boulevard to see the Budweiser Clydesdale horses in action. These horses, famous for their Super Bowl commercials, were just feet away from the students, kids and Tuscaloosa residents that withstood the intense sunlight and heat to get a picture.

Sparky, Bud and Cash were just a few of the horses in attendance. Killian Moses, an eight-year-old from Northport, was especially excited to see Bud.

“My favorite part was getting to see Bud,” Moses said. “I can’t wait to tell my friends and show them the pictures in school tomorrow.”

Moses had a stuffed animal resembling the horses, and clutched it tight while watching the horses went by with his grandparents.

“I’m going to look for [Bud] in the Super Bowl commercial next year,” Moses said.

These horses ranged from six to twelve years old, and were approximately 2,000 pounds each. One crowd member asked the MC if the horses ever drank the beer, to which he responded “no.” However, they do consume up to 30 gallons of water per day, each.

Dakota Jarosz, a sophomore from St. Louis majoring in mechanical engineering, was one of the many students who came downtown to see the horses.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Jarosz said. “It’s kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

This was the first time the horses had appeared in Tuscaloosa.

“It’s so cool that we get to see this right in our own college town,” Jarosz said.

The Budweiser Clydesdale horses have appeared in major cities across the United States, and even visited the White House. In order to prepare for these outings, the horses endure years of instruction in areas such as basic and behavioral training, as well as getting used to the constant travel that they do during eleven months of the year.

The horses were not the only ones who had to prepare for this event. Tuscaloosa Police Department officials led the parade, and blocked off the street during the appearance.

“I’m a little surprised at this big of a turn out given the short notice of the event,” Sergeant Ted Snider said. “But I think it’s great.”

Officer Jamie Banks was also in attendance, and smiled and waved to young kids as they watched the horses in action.

“It’s always really nice when the community comes together like this,” Banks said.

Maddie Hyatt, an Anheuser-Busch Ambassador for Tuscaloosa, or as they call it, ‘Bama Bud Girl,’ was working the event. Hyatt and the rest of her team passed out stuffed animals to kids, and took pictures with community members.

Before the main event even began, Hyatt recognized it as a success.

“The parade hasn’t even started and people have already been lined up for a while,” Hyatt said.

During the parade that took place between Innisfree and Temerson Square, staff members handed out crates of Budweiser beer to local bars, straight from the iconic red wagon.

If you would still like to catch the horses, they will be in Northport at Walmart between 10 a.m. and noon this Saturday.