CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - It seems appropriate that Charles Town, home to a horsetrack and a strong horse-owner community, would celebrate Christmas with a horse parade.
The Christmas in Historic Charles Town Parade of Horses began 10 years ago when someone suggested to Betsy Wells, then a member of the Christmas in Historic Charles Town Committee, that the event could use another parade and how about a horse parade, she recalled.
The town already had a Christmas parade on the first Saturday of December.
The Parade of Horses occurs on the Sunday of the following weekend, which is this Sunday.
More than 300 horses are expected to be registered for the parade, says Suzie Binns, coordinator of the horse parade. Last year, almost 400 horses were preregistered, but the parade was canceled because snow made the starting point, a local soccer field, too soggy.
This year, the parade will start and finish in the parking lot at Charles Town Races & Slots. The route goes down Washington Street and up Congress Street.