VFW RODEO CANCELED

From Staff Reports

Wimberley’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6441 has canceled the annual rodeo scheduled for July 2-4 this year. This is the first time since 1946 that Wimberley will not have its VFW July 4 rodeo.

Post Commander John Thompson said, “We made the decision out of a concern for the safety for our rodeo fans and contestants as well as for the economic burden that some in our community are experiencing.”

VFW members will place flags on veterans’ graves in local cemeteries on Memorial Day weekend as they have done for nearly 50 years. Volunteer post members and their families will observe CDC guidelines for COVID-19 physical distancing.

The post’s regular activities such as meetings, bingo and hall rentals which were canceled last month, will not resume until post leadership deems it safe to do. According to Thompson, “Our goal is to be in an environment that we believe is safe to have more than 100 people in the hall for bingo with no concerns for health issues.”

Thompson said that losing the rodeo, and bingo, will hurt financially, but that the Post is in a solid position.

“It’s not just the rodeo, but we aren’t doing bingo either,” Thompson said. “We make more money with bingo every year now then we do at the rodeo. But we are still OK. We have money in the bank. We can weather this. We are doing OK. When we can come back, we are not going to miss a beat.”