CHRISTMAS GLEAMS IN PARADE

The Budweiser Clydesdales dalmation mascot "Mickey" curled up for a nap by the draft horse "Deacon" Sunday at Arena Park before they participated in the 3rd annual Christmas Parade of Lights in downtown Cape Girardeau.

When Alan Schneckcloth travels on business, he doesn't pack business suits and ties. Instead he remembers to bring hay and grain for a team of hungry horses.

Schneckcloth is a driver for the Budweiser Clydesdales, owned by Anheuser-Busch of St. Louis. He guided the 10-horse team in the third annual Christmas Parade of Lights Sunday evening.

"We've invited them every year, but this is the first year they accepted," said Dennis "Doc" Cain, parade chairman.

The parade was sponsored by the Downtown Merchants' Association, KBSI-TV Fox 23 and River Eagle Distributing.

Hitching the team for a parade takes hours of preparation. It takes about 45 minutes to get the team harnessed to the red beer wagon.

But before the horses are ready for an appearance, they have to be fed, bathed and groomed. And their manes and tails must be braided.

By 6 a.m. Sunday, six horse handlers already had started bathing, feeding and grooming the horses for the Sunday evening parade.

"We hitch up about 180 times a year," Schneckcloth said.

The horses eat four gallons of grain and a half bale of hay a day.

There are five teams of horses that act as representatives of the brewing company, but only males are allowed to travel.

After five or six years with a traveling team, the Clydesdales are retired. The horses, which weigh a ton and stand at least 6 feet tall, begin their career around age 4.

The Clydesdales are known as the symbol for Budweiser beer. The horses have been used by the company since 1933.

"After the repeal of Prohibition, August Busch Jr. gave August Busch Sr. a team of Clydesdales to celebrate," said Jeff Knapper, a handler with the team. "And they've been used ever since."

In addition to the handlers and the horses, Mickey, a dalmatian, also travels with the team. The dogs were once used to keep people from stealing beer off the wagon, Knapper said.

But the Budweiser Clydesdales weren't the only excitement in the parade. At least 10,000 people lined Broadway to see the parade floats and marching bands. Traffic was stopped all over town before the parade, Cain said.

"I think it was a great event," he said. "It's a foothold. It has given us something to build on for the years to come."

Santa Claus ended the 90-minute parade of 89 floats and 120 vehicles. Each parade float was judged for a contest. Awards were given to Southeast Hospice, best float; Trinity Lutheran Church, Christmas spirit award; St. Vincent's High School in Perryville, best band; VIP Industries, chairman's award; Janson Tractor, sweepstakes award; Commodore Oil, newcomer's award; Hanover Lutheran Church, heritage award; Hutson's Fine Furniture, animation award; and the U.S. Postal Service, merit award.