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The Budweiser Clydesdales go for a stroll with handler Megan Arnold at Carolina Eagle Distributing on Tuesday.
The Budweiser Clydesdales go for a stroll with handler Megan Arnold at Carolina Eagle Distributing on Tuesday.
The Budweiser Clydesdales go for a stroll with handler Megan Arnold at Carolina Eagle Distributing on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
The Budweiser Clydesdales go for a stroll with handler Megan Arnold at Carolina Eagle Distributing on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
The Budweiser Clydesdales go for a stroll with handler Megan Arnold at Carolina Eagle Distributing on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
The Budweiser Clydesdales go for a stroll with handler Megan Arnold at Carolina Eagle Distributing on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
The Budweiser Clydesdales go for a stroll with handler Megan Arnold at Carolina Eagle Distributing on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
The Budweiser Clydesdales go for a stroll with handler Megan Arnold at Carolina Eagle Distributing on Tuesday.
The Budweiser Clydesdales go for a stroll with handler Megan Arnold at Carolina Eagle Distributing on Tuesday.
The Budweiser Clydesdales go for a stroll with handler Megan Arnold at Carolina Eagle Distributing on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
The Budweiser Clydesdales go for a stroll with handler Megan Arnold at Carolina Eagle Distributing on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
The Budweiser Clydesdales go for a stroll with handler Megan Arnold at Carolina Eagle Distributing on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
The Budweiser Clydesdales go for a stroll with handler Megan Arnold at Carolina Eagle Distributing on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
The Budweiser Clydesdales go for a stroll with handler Megan Arnold at Carolina Eagle Distributing on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
Greenville will be ground zero for fans of beer, football and giant horses in the days leading up to the home opener of East Carolina University football.
The Budweiser Clydesdales are making multiple appearances at events in Greenville and Washington, N.C., leading up to a pregame jaunt around Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Saturday.
The Clydesdales’ appearance is sponsored by Carolina Eagle Distributing, the local Budweiser distributor.
“Carolina Eagle really wanted to get this season for the Pirates started off really strong,” said Valerie Rasberry, Carolina Eagle Distributing’s sales coordinator. “Bud Light is the official beer sponsor of the ECU Pirates and what better to get that momentum going than to get those Clydesdales walking around the stadium, supporting the Pirates.”
A full hitch of Clydesdales, eight horses, arrived in Greenville Monday.
“The Clydesdales come fully prepared with their own stables,” she said. “They bring three big rig tractor trailers for them and their equipment plus a van, a full crew to attend to them.” Dalmatian canine companions Merri and Lilly also made the trip, Rasberry said.
Clydesdales originated in Scotland near the River Clyde and were bred to meet the needs of farmers, according to Oklahoma State University’s Department of Animal Science website. Over time, the breed was used in industry, especially in hauling coal from mines to urban areas.
The OSU website said Clydesdales can stand up to 18 hands — six feet from the ground to the top of the withers — and can weigh between 1,600 and 1,800 pounds, although some mature stallions will weigh up to 2,200 pounds.
Rasberry said the horses’ handlers spent Tuesday grooming and preparing the horses for their appearances.
Their first stop was from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday at eight restaurants along East Main and East Water streets and West Stewart Parkway in Washington, N.C.
On Thursday one horse appeared at the Pirate Radio kickoff party being held at the State Theatre, 110 W. Fifth St., from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
From noon to 2 p.m. today, the full hitch will make stops at restaurants and bars in the downtown area and Greenville Fire-Rescue Station #1.
“While they were in town for the game we saw this as a way to thank our customers in a different way,” Rasberry said.
The Greenville Police Department, which will escort the horses, tweeted a caution that drivers should expect delays in moving around the downtown area Friday afternoon.
Russ Saputo, vice president of Carolina Eagle, will deliver cases of Budwieser at each location, except the fire station, Rasberry said. Carolina Eagle has already delivered cans of water to the station for use when responding to calls or at the station, she said.
The full hitch will trot through tailgating areas beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday around Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. The trip will begin at Bate Track and Field and continue past the Pirate Alumni tailgating area, Clark-LeClair Baseball Stadium, through the Elmhurst tailgating location, the silver and gold lots, the Playfly tent and end at the Towne Bank Tower Entrance.
Saputo is an ECU graduate and huge fan of Pirate football, Rasberry said. When Carolina Eagle purchased the franchise from R.A. Jeffreys Distributing Co. in 2019, Saputo started working to bring the Clydesdales to Greenville for the start of football season, but the lockdowns created by the COVID-19 pandemic interfered.
“He has been trying to bring the Clydesdales for the start of the ECU season for three years, and this is the first year he’s been able to do this,” Raspberry said.
“It’s a huge thank you to Pirate nation for drinking our products for all these years.”
Contact Ginger Livingston at glivingston@reflector.com or 329-9570.
www.Reflector.com 1150 Sugg Pkwy Greenville, NC 27834 Main Phone: 252-329-9500 Customer Care Phone: 252-329-9505
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