CHENEY — It takes a lot of work to stage the Cheney Rodeo — no small feat considering all of that work is done by volunteers.
But given all that takes place, literally beginning just a couple days after the previous year’s rodeo wraps up, it’s more than likely all of those volunteers would agree with coordinator Heidi Monter’s assessment of the 2021 Cheney Rodeo.
“I’m just thrilled to be putting on the rodeo again,” Monter said last week.
After a one-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Cheney’s annual summer competition and party returns this weekend, July 9 – 12. The events kick-off with the traditional cancer-fighting and awareness “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” session on Friday, and continues through Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.
One of the changes this year, Monter said, is the session start times, which now begin at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 4 p.m. on Sunday with hopes of helping fans beat the anticipated high-90 degree heat.
Monter said it was difficult not staging a rodeo last year. Despite being an-all volunteer effort, the Cheney Rodeo Association incurs costs throughout the year, costs usually covered after each July event.
But the biggest impact of Covid-19 fell on the rodeo competitors, Monter said. The cowboys and cowgirls come not only to Cheney but many other rodeos throughout the Columbia River Circuit to do what they love doing and a chance to earn income to help augment their regular employment.
That also holds true for others who work in professional rodeo such as announcers, barrelmen and stock contractors. Monter said several rodeos got together last summer to stage competition to help offset some of this loss, but most were shut down due to pandemic restrictions.
As the state started phasing in reopening measures this past spring, Monter said they began preparing for the possibility of holding the rodeo. Not sure how that would look, she said they prepared several plans to be used under different scenarios, even if on a limited basis.
“We were going to do a rodeo without fans just to help the cowboys,” she said. “We had a plan for every scenario.”
Other rodeo activities were affected by the pandemic. Normally the offseason involves repair work to the association’s arena, such as past seasons where two of the three westside bleachers have been entirely rebuilt.
That couldn’t take place this year until restrictions allowed for larger gatherings, since the work is done be volunteers. Monter said they have been able to do some work repairing chutes and pens, holding Thursday and Saturday work parties instead of Saturday only.
Monter said several sponsors donated last year knowing the event wasn’t going to be held, with that revenue helping to cover costs. But much of the credit for the 2021 rodeo goes to the volunteers — many of whom often travel over an hour to help out, including this weekend.
Monter said many elements have come into place this past week, such as the ability to hold a Rascal Rodeo again. The biggest challenge has been many of the items normally acquired for rodeo, such as T-shirts, are out of stock or backed up and are arriving at the last minute.
In a normal year, that would be frustrating. But in 2021 where one year of preparation is boiled down to six months to get the Cheney Rodeo back, it’s a minor thing.
“This year, we are really excited to be putting on a rodeo,” Monter said.
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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