A beloved staple of the Nationwide Western Inventory Present’s kick-off parade was lacking Thursday after a winter storm and icy roads prevented dozens of longhorns from making the journey to Denver.
Highway situations close to the ranch south of Monument the place the cattle stay had been dangerous sufficient that wranglers canceled the journey, present spokesperson Karen Woods mentioned. The parade was additionally delayed by an hour due to the snow.
“It was for the protection of the wranglers and their animals,” Woods mentioned. “They had been planning all alongside (to return), and the delay may need helped however the commute in was too troublesome.”
The parade often options 30 to 40 longhorns guided by a dozen horses and riders by downtown Denver, from Union Station to McGregor Sq..
“They had been positively missed and it was a leaner parade than regular, but it surely was actually enjoyable and festive to be on the market,” Woods mentioned.
The longhorns have additionally been absent in years when the parade’s been canceled, most lately in 2022, Woods mentioned. The inventory present first began holding a kick-off parade within the late Nineteen Sixties.
The Nationwide Western Inventory Present begins Saturday and runs by Jan. 26.
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