PENDLETON â The Pendleton Round-Up Association is projecting confidence in reviving its rodeo for 2021, but its board of directors isnât yet sharing details on how it plans to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pat Reay, the Round-Upâs publicity director, said the association is planning for a full slate of events during the second full week of September. That means not just the rodeo, but also the kickoff concert, parades and all the other spin-off events that come out of Round-Up week. The Round-Up signaled its confidence in March when it announced that Happy Canyon Arena would host the two-day Xtreme Bulls Tour Finale during Round-Up week.
As summer plans hang on the race between COVID-19 vaccines and the spread of new, more contagious COVID-19 variants, some major Umatilla County events are trying to plan ahead the best they can.
Farm-City Pro Rodeo board member Dennis Barnett said the rodeo will go on in Hermiston in August, after being canceled completely in 2020 while Umatilla County was under strict COVID-19 restrictions.
âThere will be a rodeo, we just donât know if there will be no fans, or some fans or 100%,â he said.
Barnett said there have already been other rodeo events held at the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center without fans present since the pandemic began, establishing a precedent for using the arena. So the board is making three plans â one for an event with no live spectators, one in an arena at partial capacity, and one for an event that looks like years past.