Horses Hit The Spot In Fourth Of July Parade

Pittsville’s annual Fourth of July parade is kind of a big deal. It’s so big, in fact, that when the parade rolls through, it actually doubles the town’s population of 884.

This year will be no exception, with a theme of “Flying High on the Fourth of July,” the 58th annual parade will feature a plane flying overhead alongside the usual staples like floats, firetrucks and horses.

Speaking of horses, there’s one Pittsville tradition that really sticks out — the “Road Apple” contest, which has been going on for 27 years. Attendees of the parade are invited to purchase stickers, at $1 apiece, that they place along the parade route. If one of the 30-some horses in the parade deposits a “road apple” on their sticker, the participant wins a cash prize.

And what is a road apple? Horse poop.

“Direct hits get $25 and near hits get between $10 and $15,” said Marv Kohlbeck. He and his wife, Sherry, are Grand Marshals of the parade this year.

Ticket sales benefit the local library, raising about $1,500 every year, Kohlbeck said.

Though he’s never won himself, Kohlbeck has been involved in 51 of the 58 parades.

“I’m kind of an old codger, but I’ve had a lot of good memories of a lot of good happenings in previous events,” he said. “It’s kind of like a homecoming or family reunion because a lot of people do come home for this celebration.”

If you travel to Pittsville — also known as the “exact geographical center of the state” — to celebrate the holiday, you can check out several other events surrounding the parade, including a run with proceeds benefiting the local fire department, a carnival, food and refreshments and live music.

The kiddie parade starts at 11 a.m. Thursday, July 4, with the official parade off to the races at noon.