Snake River Stampede canceled for 2020

The 105th edition of the Snake River Stampede will not take place in 2020. After holding discussions throughout the month of May, rodeo officials announced Friday that the decision has been made to cancel this year’s event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Idaho Press reports it will be only the second time that the rodeo, established in 1915, has not been held.

“The overwhelming support of our sponsors, fans, and partners made the board’s decision very difficult to make,” Snake River Stampede President Roger Todd said in a statement. “They are the lifeblood of the Treasure Valley’s premier event, and we hate to disappoint them, but their safety is our number one priority.

“We are already looking forward to next year, when we can produce the Snake River Stampede as a celebration that brings our community together, and draws some of the world’s finest rodeo athletes to Nampa.”

The Snake River Stampede had been scheduled to take place July 14-18 at the Ford Idaho Center.

The Snake River Stampede is frequently considered one of the top 10 regular season rodeos in the country out of the more than 600. In its 105-year history, there had been one previous year where it was not held, but the rodeo wasn’t able to find records to confirm exactly which year that was.

It becomes the latest rodeo to be canceled, due to the pandemic, following the lead of hundreds of rodeos around the country. The announcement comes two days after the Cheyenne Frontier Days, billed as the world’s largest outdoor rodeo and scheduled for the week after the Stampede, was canceled for the first time in its 124-year history.

There is no word whether the Caldwell Night Rodeo, currently in its 96th year and scheduled for Aug. 18-22, will be canceled. Chrissy Pariera, administrative assistant for the rodeo, said in an email that the Caldwell Night Rodeo board of directors is waiting to make a decision on how the event will proceed.

“We’re still waiting to see how the governor’s guidelines workout and following the current protocols,” Pariera said in the email. She also said details on the status of the event will likely come in July.