The Cody Nite Rodeo will start for the season on June 20, organizers have announced.
The Cody Stampede Board, which runs the summer-long series of rodeos, has announced that the state approved Park County plans to allow the rodeo to be held as long as crowds do not exceed 600.
“The Copy Stampede Board is happy to announce that the State of Wyoming has authorized the Cody Nite Rodeo to proceed as planned starting in mid-June,” the board said in a statement on its website. “The new tentative start date is June 20, 2020.”
Last week, state officials announced that statewide health guidelines limiting the size of gatherings to fewer than 25 people had been relaxed to allow outdoor gatherings of up to 250 as long as social distancing guidelines are met.
Gov. Mark Gordon and Dr. Alexia Harrist, the state’s public health officer, said the change would allow events such as small rodeos and outdoor weddings to be held.
Park County officials asked for an exception to the rule to allow up to 600 people to attend the Nite Rodeo and the request was approved by Harrist, said Kim Deti, a Wyoming Health Department spokeswoman.
The Cody Stampede, a larger rodeo that runs July 1-4, is one of six major rodeos in Wyoming to be identified last week as being canceled for the year. Rodeo officials from all six events, including Cheyenne Frontier Days, made the announcement during a news conference with Gov. Mark Gordon.
However, the Stampede board said it is still working with state officials to determine if some kind of July 4 rodeo event can be held.
