The 2020 Jefferson County Rodeo, which already was postponed from June to October, has now been canceled.
Event Chairman Doug Goforth said Monday the COVID-19 pandemic is the primary reason organizers canceled the popular event, held annually at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Hillsboro.
Since many other rodeos in the region have been canceled due to COVID-19, many riders who normally would have competed in the Jefferson County event decided not to take on the cost required to be eligible to participate.
“Because there have been so few rodeos, many riders have not purchased their rodeo cards. You need to have a rodeo card to participate,” Goforth said.
Under the current conditions, Goforth said organizers felt they would have a difficult time putting together a rodeo worthy of those held in the past.
“We want to be able to provide a quality rodeo,” he said.
Goforth said organizers were disappointed they had to cancel the event.
“Definitely, this has been an unfortunate year for the event,” he said. “We would normally see 200 participants in our rodeo.”
Goforth said organizers plan to bring back the Jefferson County Rodeo in 2021.
“Next year we’ll be back in June again,” he said.
