JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – After organizers with JXN Fest announced the event’s cancellation, the president of the Real Cowboys Association announced the Jackson Black Rodeo was also canceled.
“We are currently hosting many events right now. Each one of them are required to have a certain level of security to make sure the guests are protected,” said Michael Lasseter, director of the Mississippi State Fairgrounds.
The 19th Annual Jackson Black Rodeo was set to be held at the fairgrounds in June 2022.
In a post of Facebook, the president of the Real Cowboys Association alluded to last month’s deadly shooting during the Mississippi Mudbug Festival. Officials with the Mississippi State Fairgrounds said there was a disagreement over the event’s security, which led to the cancellation.
“We did have some concerns about the large number of people who gathered on the southside parking lot, along with the RV parking. We told the promoter that he would need to provide security or pay for security, which he said was not a part of his event and declined,” said Lasseter.
Deshaun Crozier, a participant in the rodeo, said the cancellation has been a huge letdown.
“I’ve been chasing this dream for so long, and for this to come and be taken away like that, I just don’t know what to say. I’m disappointed,” said Crozier.
In a statement, Visit Jackson said, “The Jackson Black Rodeo is a legacy event, and we are disappointed to lose an event that has a strong economic driver. We will continue to engage with the event planner to bring this event back to the capital city.”
Officials with the fairgrounds said regardless of what company hosts events at the location, their security policy remains intact for all promoters.