A tradition that's almost a century old in the Texas Panhandle is coming to an end.
As The Amarillo Globe-News reports, the Tri-State Fair's board of directors has decided to end the parade that kicks off the nine-day celebration every year in September.
The number of parade permits issued by the City of Amarillo has been on the decline, and the city recently told the Tri-State Fair that it would no longer help cover the cost of the parade, which is the most expensive parade in the city, with a price tag that can reach $15, 000.
Amarillo City Manager Jared Miller told the Globe-News, “It’s not that we choose to cancel (the) parades. . . . We just don’t have enough revenue to support all the parades we have.”
The Tri-State Fair and Rodeo drawers over 120,000 people annually, and has a $5 million impact on the city of Amarillo.