That year Santa, Clydesdales came to BC

Many local residents remember in 2019 when the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales made an appearance in Boulder City in the former Vons parking lot.

But one has to have been a resident for nearly four decades to remember their other visits.

They were one of the featured entries in the 1986 Christmas parade, which back then was held in the daytime.

A preview of the appearance by the Clydesdales was in the Dec. 11, 1986 edition of the Boulder City News, just days prior to the parade.

“This Saturday will offer a ‘double feature’ treat for residents as Santa Claus and the famous Clydesdales are ushered to town in the BC Chamber of Commerce’s annual Christmas Parade,” it stated.

It said that because of the Budweiser appearance, the parade route was actually lengthened to accommodate all the people wishing to see them. It did the normal parade route but once it got to Fifth Street, it turned up California Street to Wyoming and then ended on Utah Street. Following the parade, the Clydesdales were on display on Park Street near Wilbur Square and were on hand until 3 p.m. that day.

Gov. Richard Bryan, who was the parade’s honored guest and speaker, later presented the Budweiser team with a plaque of appreciation for their participation in the parade.

According the article, it may surprise some that, “The repeat appearance of the Budweiser Clydesdales is a real ‘capture’ for the event. They appeared here last year and normally do not make a repeat appearance for several years. However, they were so impressed with the reception given them last year, in spite of the bitterly-cold weather on the day of their arrival, they consented to come back and enhance this community’s celebration of the arrival of Santa.”

The article went on to state that scheduling for the team took place in St. Louis and they receive upward of 4,000 requests a year. Their first appearance in any community event dates back to 1933.

A Review Facebook post asking residents for their memories garnered several but in relation to the 2019 visit. However, a few did recall the one three decades earlier.

Sara Golay said, “They were absolutely breathtakingly beautiful and majestic. I was awestruck at the size of them. They were so graceful.”

Kim Trodahl wrote, “They parked their huge semi-truck on the road at the bottom of the Bureau of Reclamation building. They unloaded the horses as bystanders watched. They were then harnessed up and were in the Christmas parade when they had the parade during the day. They were so impressive and well behaved, along with the Dalmatian dog.”