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Photos by J3 Photography
After pursuing every possible avenue to move forward with the Arizona Black Rodeo on Sept. 5, the Arizona Black Rodeo committee met on Tuesday, Aug. 4. It is with heavy hearts we announce the cancellation of the 2020 Arizona Black Rodeo.
The Arizona Informant Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, worked diligently to make the rodeo happen in 2020, in hopes of hosting Arizona’s largest African-American community event amid a pandemic. Usually held during March, the event organizers settled on May and a switch to an indoor facility. The progress of the pandemic forced it being postponed to Labor Day Weekend.
The decision to cancel the much-anticipated annual event –which was slated to take place at Westworld in Scottsdale, after being held at Rawhide in Chandler for several years – was based on unforeseen difficult challenges with hosting a successful rodeo indoors and keeping spectators, contestants and volunteers safe, while adhering to requirements and directives of local and state officials.
The health and safety of all is our first priority. With the current risks still associated with COVID-19, the decision not to move forward with the rodeo, we believe, is the right decision. We have been watching the pandemic unfold over the past couple of months and realized it would not be possible to safely protect the health of the community by holding the rodeo.
We know the cancellation of our event is disappointing and inconvenient. We also understand that this decision will financially impact some our youth participants who applied for scholarships, which is why we will still award several youth scholarships to selected applicants to assist with their educational goals.
We want to thank the fans, sponsors, staff and all the dedicated volunteers that have given so much time to this great event over the past year. We appreciate our community’s support so much, and we thank you for your patience. Y’all stay safe and healthy, as we look forward to a stronger and safer 2021!
We have various options in regard to purchased tickets (which were sold via Eventbrite):
1) Receive a full refund;
2) Use your 2020 ticket payment to auto-roll for the 2021 rodeo (set for May 15); or
3) Donate your ticket value to the Arizona Black Rodeo Scholarship Fund.
You will be able to purchase merchandise, including masks, to show your support until next year. For questions and media inquiries, contact Tre Campbell at 602-688-9906 or email info(at)azblackrodeo.com.
