At the last quarter of every year, millions of people around the world get into the holiday spirit. Some plan trips to be with family, some prepare to invite guests into their homes for feasts and fellowship. Here in this county, one of the things we do is celebrate as a community with the Annual Butts County Parade. Children and adults alike look forward to lining the streets to watch the show.

Residents, organizations and businesses from our great county can be seen smiling and waving from cars and floats. Smiling faces from our schools, clubs and even first responders participate each year. Last in the parade lineup were the horses. Everyone looked forward to watching the horses put on a grand show. Riders greeted excited spectators while their horses danced, trotted and pranced down the lit streets of Jackson. These happy moments have now become a memory due to the horses being removed from the parade a few years ago.

About four reasons have been stated to us as to why horses cannot be included in the parade anymore and none of them made sense. One of the reasons mentioned by Mayor Kay Pippin is that the streets are too narrow. If two tractor trailer trucks can pass each other on the street where the parade is held then how is the street too narrow for all of the horses? One year the motorcycles were doing burnouts in the middle of the street. Another year, the go-karts were doing donuts in the street. Both were still allowed in the parade. We have this on video. We feel that the removal of the horses is a personal vendetta between Councilman Theodore Patterson and Mayor Kay Pippin against the horsemen and horsewomen.

We the horsemen and horsewomen feel that we are being discriminated against. We would like your help in asking Mayor Kay Pippin to reconsider her decision and let the horses continue to be a part of the Annual Butts County Christmas Parade. Thank you for reading.

Sincerely, 

Willie McCune

Henry Warren Sr.