The clopping of hooves that belong to some of the beverage industry's most recognizable mascots will echo through the streets of downtown Fort Scott this summer.

Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce officials have booked the Budweiser Clydesdales to appear in Fort Scott starting June 2. The famous draft horses will be in town for a week-long visit. The arrival of the Clydesdales, which have never appeared in Fort Scott before, is a once-in-a-lifetime event for many area residents, chamber officials said.

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"I think this will be such a neat thing," chamber member Martha Scott said. "As far as we know, we have never seen them here, and we've lived here for more than 20 years. It is also going to give outlying communities a chance to visit the horses."

With 10 horses, a wagon and various equipment and supplies, Budweiser officials anticipate stabling the Clydesdales at the Fort Scott National Historic Site, FSACC President and CEO Vicki Pritchett said.

"We're still working out some of the details there, because there are requirements when another entity comes to town," Pritchett said. "There will be more details to follow."

Several events involving the Clydesdales, in addition to the horses being available for public viewing, will be featured during their visit. The Clydesdales will lead the annual Good Ol' Days parade on Friday, June 6. People will be able to have a photograph taken with the horses on Saturday, June 7 during the 27th annual Good Ol' Days Celebration, which is planned for June 7-8.

According to the Website, www.fortscottgoodoldays.com, the Clydesdales will be available for viewing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 7 at the FSNHS. Visitors will be able to have photos taken with the horses from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day at Skubitz Plaza. The horses will be present for viewing all day Sunday, and will depart Fort Scott on Monday, June 9, according to the Website.

Evening events on Wednesday, June 4, and Thursday, June 5, include exhibitions performed by the Clydesdales and their handlers at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds arena. These two events are free and open to the public, and will feature the horses' intricate hitching procedure and their unique maneuvering abilities.

"These are highly-trained horses that maneuver amazingly well," Pritchett said. "It's amazing to see."

Scott said she and her husband, Jim, requested on several occasions that the Clydesdales make an appearance in Fort Scott when the couple once owned and operated a local liquor store. The Scotts, who sold the liquor store last year, arranged the appearance of the Clydesdales through Crawford Sales Company, a local Anheuser-Busch distributor, Martha Scott said.

"We requested this for a long time, and our request was finally approved," she said. "This is a thing we wanted to do for the community. The whole community has worked in different aspects to get them here."

The famous Budweiser Clydesdales were formally introduced to August A. Busch, Sr., and Anheuser-Busch in 1933, by Busch's son, August Busch, Jr., to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition. The hitch of horses carried the first case of post-Prohibition beer from one of the Anheuser-Busch company's breweries in St. Louis, Mo. Today, the horses are used primarily for breeding and show, and can be viewed at different locations nationwide and booked for various events.

All local events featuring the Clydesdales are sponsored by the Fort Scott National Historic Site, Crawford Sales Company, KOMB/KMDO radio, the Bourbon County Fair Board, KKOW/KBZI radio, and the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce. Other sponsors are currently being sought and contracted for the events, a chamber statement said.

More information about sponsorship or any of the events is available by calling the chamber at (620) 223-3566.