Ritzville Rodeo canceled

RITZVILLE – Less than a week after nearby Basin City hosted it’s Freedom Rodeo, the Ritzville Rodeo Association is pulling the plug on the 51st Pro-West Labor Day Weekend Rodeo here.

“The Ritzville Rodeo Association is sad to announce the cancellation (of the rodeo),” association spokeswoman Julie Hartz said Wednesday, July 8.

“The rodeo committee has discussed the pros and cons of holding rodeo while trying to keep our community safe,” she said. “With all that in mind, the committee had to make one of the toughest decisions that any of the page 50 Ritzville Rodeo Association committees had to make. That is to cancel the 2020 Ritzville Pro-West Labor Day Weekend Rodeo celebrations.”

Hartz said one of the most difficult topics in the discussion was trying not to shatter the “dreams of our 51st Ritzville Rodeo Queen. Our 2020 Rodeo Queen Julia Klein worked hard many years in advance.”

According to Hartz, the committee is moving on to planning the 2021 event.

Hartz thanked the community for supporting the rodeo and the tough decision by its governing board.