Horse-drawn Wagon Parade

As part of the 2022 Canaltown Days celebration, a special horse-drawn wagon and carriage parade is planned for Sunday, September 17 at 2 p.m.  The parade will start at the Fairgrounds and pass through Main Street.  

The nostalgic demonstration of horses, wagons, carriages, and people will be an attempt to depict the role horses played in transportation during the early canal era.

The horse, while not the only means, was by far the most popular and speedy mode of transportation available during the early canal years.

Business depended heavily on horse drawn wagons to deliver goods to them with which to work or to sell.  The family “horse and buggy” was necessary for many reasons.  It provided the means with which to fetch provisions from the general store, to take the family to church on Sunday, to visit the neighbors, to go for help in an emergency, and even to provide the young men of the family with a suitable courting vehicle.  

The finer (lighter) breeds served the family transportation needs and light commercial duties, such as transporting the traveling salesman as he made his assigned rounds.

The heavier draft horse provided the muscle to pull the heavily-laden freight wagons.  Grain, lumber, and other heavy materials were transported across the land to and from the canal boats on wagons pulled by these great animals.  

Come out and enjoy the parade!