The Budweiser Clydesdales are coming to Festus.
Jeromie Cupp, on behalf of H.W. Herrell Distributing, received permission from the Festus City Council to take the famous Clydesdale eight-horse hitch down Main Street in a Budweiser Folds of Honor parade on July 23.
Council members voted 7-0 on May 11 to allow the parade. A seat has been open on the City Council since Ward 2 Councilwoman Staci Templeton resigned April 13.
Cupp’s request was for the event to take place between 6 and 7:30 p.m. The hitch includes the team of Clydesdales pulling a wagon loaded with cases of Budweiser.
He told council members the Clydesdales Hitch will be in the area that week to appear at the Jefferson County Fair, which will run July 23-26 at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Hillsboro.
The Festus downtown parade would include stops for cases of beer to be dropped off at various establishments that sell alcohol along the route, he said.
He said H.W. Herrell, along with Anheuser-Busch, is a major supporter of Folds of Honor.
“They give out scholarships to family members or children of fallen first responders, military – anything like that,” he said. “So, we have the honor of having the Clydesdales at the Jefferson County Fair. With that, I get to take them off-site. So, being a Festus resident, I said, ‘This is going to be pretty cool. What can we do?’”
Police Chief Doug Wendel told the council he had met with Cupp, who described his plans for the parade.
“He would be shutting down Main Street for a brief period of time right there (in front of City Hall),” Wendel said. “And then their plan from there is to travel down (Main Street) and stop at some of the local establishments, like Pedal’n Pi, Main and Mill, the Contrarian, Petit Paree. They’ll have cases of beer in the Folds of Honor (parade) to hand out, one to each establishment. This is kind of a symbolic gesture.”
In a statement, Mark Lednick, H.W. Herrell vice president, said the business will present a check to the Folds of Honor organization during the parade.
“The check will be in the amount of $10,000 to Folds of Honor, $5,000 on behalf of H.W. Herrell Distributing and $5,000 on behalf of Anheuser-Busch,” Lednick said in the statement. “The check presentation will take place in front of Festus City Hall. In addition to the Clydesdale Hitch and representatives from H.W. Herrell Distributing, there will also be a representative from the Folds of Honor Organization and a Folds of Honor scholarship recipient present.”
Cupp said the parade in Festus will form at Sunset Park near City Hall and end on the east end of Main Street in town.
Lednick said one other Jefferson County event is planned, with one Clydesdale appearing from 4-6 p.m. July 22 at Karsch’s Village Market in Barnhart.