Big Spring Rodeo, Pops in the Park announce cancellations for 2020

The Pops in the Park Committee announced, through a press release on Thursday afternoon, the 2020 Pops in the Park celebration has been officially cancelled.

A few weeks ago, an announcement was made that the fireworks display would continue without the Big Spring Symphony playing and would be taking place at an alternate location. However, with numerous concerns still looming and the uncertainty still surrounding the pandemic, the committee has made the difficult decision to cancel the display in its entirety.

The 2020 celebration would have been the 23rd annual event, and is one of several events that has been cancelled over the past couple of weeks.

“There were numerous concerns leading to this decision,” the Pops in the Park press release stated.

The press release referenced the financial impact that many potential sponsors have felt along with the safety concerns for the community. The Committee wants to be sensitive to asking for major financial commitments for the event.

“We planned to proceed with just the public fireworks display in an alternate location; however, with the current burn ban in effect for Howard County, safety is our primary concern. While we have done Pops in the Park during burn bans in previous years, those events were in Comanche Trail Park which is an area that can be controlled,” the release stated.

In addition to the above mentioned concerns, the state permit for firework displays are very specific and take many weeks for approval.

“The process is currently delayed by the state due to the quarantine, therefore rescheduling of the fireworks later in the year does not guarantee a permit, and we do not want to plan for the event later only to have it cancelled again,” the press release stated. “Lastly and most importantly we are concerned about the safety of attendees, first responders, volunteers, and our committee in an environment where social distancing would be difficult to manage.”

The committee had explored many options and was unable to find any way to proceed safely with the fireworks display as planned. “The Pops in the Park Committee looks forward to this event every year; we are extremely saddened and disappointed, but the health and safety of our community while respecting our sponsors are our

priorities in reaching this difficult decision. We look forward to the return of this celebratory and captivating event in 2021,” the release stated.

In addition to Pops in the Park being cancelled, the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo Board also announced on May 22 the cancellation of the 2020 Rodeo.

“It is with heavy hearts that we are announcing the 2020 Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo will not be taking place,” a Facebook post on the official Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo page stated.

The Rodeo Board also exhausted numerous options to make logistics work and allow for the continuation of the event, however, with the Governor’s guidelines and the 25% occupancy restrictions, it didn’t seem feasible to operate the 87th annual rodeo.

“Without our amazing fans and sponsors the continued success that we have enjoyed would not be possible. The many factors we faced were simply more than we all felt like we could overcome,” the post stated. “Again, we thank you for your support and look forward to our 2021 rodeo. We would love to see your support for next year’s rodeo and prove to everyone that Big Spring will come back with a roar in 2021!”