Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Cancelled for 2nd Straight Year
Despite ongoing attempts to save it, the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo will not be held for another year after it was first cancelled in 2020.
Normally held in March, the Houston Rodeo was cancelled last year when the COVID-19 pandemic first started to spread and statewide shutdowns were announced. The 2021 Rodeo was originally rescheduled to be held in May 2021.
While some were optimistic, according to news reports, that the rodeo would be held in 2021, President and CEO of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Chris Boleman, said a recent video,
"Our goal was to get the most information we could to make the best decision possible. . . We've been working tirelessly on trying to make a plan, really since the shutdown last March. . . But the public piece [Rodeo], it just wasn't going to be possible for us to do in the way that we would want it, and frankly the way our fans would want it."
Boleman says that social distancing and other public health safety measures would have made the rodeo too cumbersome to host and too limiting for those who wanted to participate.
However, it's not all bad news. Boleman says the organization will still be hosting the Junior Livestock Show and Horse Show as a private event in March. The Junior Market Auctions and Champion Wine Auction are also expected to be held as private events in May.
Boleman has also announced that the rodeo organization still plans to donate over $27.1 million dollars in scholarship and grant money to Junior exhibitors this year. Read more about the upcoming private events here.
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