Cheney Rodeo, parade canceled

CHENEY – Another summer event has fallen victim to the coronavirus.

In a letter to the community released May 23, Cheney Events Association officials announced that this year’s Cheney Rodeo and Rodeo Parade had been canceled. Officials noted that the decision came after “much discussion and deliberation” but in the end the conclusion was the health requirements needing to be followed to stage the rodeo and parade wouldn’t allow either to be conducted.

“We discussed at length trying to make it work, but just felt due to many reasons it wasn’t feasible,” Cheney Events Association spokesperson Heidi Monter said in an email.

In the letter, officials said they would look to this year as a way to instead support rodeo sponsors.

“We now see this as a year for us to keep sponsor signage up and support and promote them in any way we can as a thank you for their many years of support for the Cheney Rodeo,” officials said.

This year’s rodeo, July 10-12, would have been the 53rd event, which began in the late 1960s as something almost thrown together at the last moment, utilizing a quickly built arena and even hay bales for spectators to sit on. The competition eventually became part of the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association’s Columbia River Circuit.

Cheney Events Association officials added in their letter that they are looking forward to staging the rodeo in 2021. Other West Plains events such as Cheney Mayfest, Medical Lake Founder’s Day and the Blue Waters, Bluegrass Music Festival have also been either canceled, or in the case of Mayfest, postponed until this fall.

“We are just trying to stay positive and look towards Cheney Rodeo 2021, through the heartbreak of cancelling something so near and dear to us,” Monter added.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].