SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — The 56th annual Cheney Rodeo is keeping a close eye on the weather and making sure people and animals stay safe in the heat.
Thankfully it's cooled off some compared to earlier this week, and everyone here at the rodeo grounds is excited to kick off the 56th annual event. This year, there's one new way people can beat the heat that wasn't there before.
Nash Bustamante runs Bubble Bee Tea, a boba tea stand, with her parents.
"We're from New York. So, we had Boba shops everywhere, so we moved to eastern Washington where it's kind of hard to find."
They drove down today from Moses Lake to be one of many vendors at the Cheney Rodeo.
"We heard about this event from another vendor, and we thought we'd maybe try out a rodeo," said Bustamante.
It's their first year at the rodeo, where thousands of people are expected to take a seat. But this year made everyone in charge of the rodeo, especially the horses, take a real close look at the weather.
"They said we're not going to haul on this day because of the high heat, so they're not going to put that stress on the animal and just wait," said chairmen of the Board for Cheney Events Association, Justin Monter.
Monter says staff were going to haul the horses earlier this week when it was triple-digit temperatures.
Worried about the animals getting over-exhausted, Monter says the contractor decided to wait until the temperatures were in the 90s, a heat the horses are used to.
Waiting to make sure the horses are feeling the best they can before it starts. It's something Bustamante is excited about as she plans to give people a boost when they need it.
"It's our first rodeo, our first event in Cheney," said Bustamante.
Hoping to expand their business with other venues that'll have them.
With the weather as it is, Monter says it's perfect for putting on the event. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the rodeo itself kicks off at 7. He says in the past few years, thousands of people have shown up and he expects it to be no different this weekend.
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