Members of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 1095 take part in the 2021 All Horse Parade in Delaware.
Glenn Battishill | The Gazette
One of the community’s favorite events of the year returns to the streets of Delaware this week when the 36th annual All Horse Parade kicks off from the Delaware County Fairgrounds on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Prior to the beginning of the parade, a host of veterans will be accompanied by the flag ladies and an honor guard downtown in front of the courthouse for a tribute to all who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Mary Fran Cassidy will sing the “Star-Spangled Banner” as part of the ceremony, which will begin approximately 15 minutes before the All Horse Parade enters downtown.
The route for the parade, which totals nearly three miles in length, remains unchanged. The parade will begin at the main gate of the Delaware County Fairgrounds on Pennsylvania Avenue before heading east on Pennsylvania Avenue and onto North Sandusky Street. From there, the paraders will head south on North Sandusky Street, turn right on West Winter Street, turn right on North Liberty Street, turn left on West Lincoln Avenue, and finally turn right on Euclid Avenue to head back toward Pennsylvania Avenue.
Typically, the parade features anywhere from 200-300 horses. However, Diane Winters, the parade organizer, said she is expecting a slightly smaller group of participants in the parade this year due to the costs of travel.
“All of our people haul trucks and trailers, and (gas prices) have hurt everyone financially. We all knew this would be an unusual year,” she said.
Winters, who has been a part of every parade since its inception, said the parade is “probably 25-30 units short of what we normally are, but we’ll still have a nice presentation and a nice show for everybody.”
She went on to say, “We look at it as the biggest horse parade east of the Mississippi (River), although we might not be able to say that this year,” Winters said. “We love doing what we do, and we love that all the spectators come out like they do because it’s all for their entertainment and enjoyment.”
Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on Twitter @DillonDavis56.
