Budweiser Re-Cycle-Dales Gasparilla 2014 Debut

By Rod Carter

For years the Gasparilla Parade of Pirates has one stable parade participant, the Budweiser Clydesdales. This year, they won’t be here. So Pepin Distributing, who brings the horses to town,  had to come up with a plan.

“We got to brainstorming about what are we going to do bring the Clydesdales back into the Gasparilla Parade and came up with what I affectionately call, the Undesired’s Re-cycle-dales,” Bill Giesking, the marketing director for Pepin Distributing said.

The Re-cycle-dales are two horses that will lead Pepin’s float down Bayshore Boulevard. They are made completely out of Budweiser cans; 3,500 to be exact. Underneath the beer cans is chicken wire and PVC pipe, so it’s actually rather light.

Local artist Terry Klaaren built the Re-cycle-dales.  He started designing the plans for the project in October and started construction in November.

Pepin will educate the community on the importance of recycling in Tampa Bay and keeping a “beautiful townbeautifulu place to live.”
And it’s not just talk either, Pepin volunteers will take action too.

“We will have an army of over 300 volunteers all wearing Budweiser Gasparilla shirts, because a clean Gasparilla, is a responsible Gasparilla,” Giesking said.

They will work to keep the route clean – during the event.

“We’re going to be recycling right there where all the garbage cans are going to be positioned, pulling out the full bags of garbage and putting in the new bags,” he said.

And they are not “horsing” around.

You can read the story from its source, WFLA News Channel 8.