The 2025 National Western Stock Show Parade - Where's The Beef?

I went to take photographs at the National Western Stock Show on 17th Street in downtown Denver yesterday and was surprised and disappointed to find that the most popular part of the parade, cowboys driving 30 Longhorn cattle through the heart of the financial district, did not happen. I stayed around hoping that the Longhorns would come at the end of the parade, instead of the front, but no such luck. It had snowed that morning, and the winds were pretty damn strong, but by the time the parade began, the snow had stopped and the streets were dry. And so, my only thought was "what gives?"

For some reason, I have always thought that those Longhorns were kept at the National Western Complex, located a few miles to the northeast of downtown Denver, and just driven over in livestock trailers, or perhaps via Uber. But later on, I was watching 9news Denver and chief meteorologist Kathy Sabine, who was the Grand Marshal of the parade this year, seen waving to the crowd in the photograph on the right. She talked about how dangerous whiteout conditions had kept the Longhorns from appearing. Evidently, those Longhorns come from a ranch located 10 miles east of Colorado Springs, over 70 miles to the south of Denver, requiring them to be driven over the Palmer Divide, which at an altitude of 7,300 feet can be quite treacherous during a snowstorm with high winds, which explains the whiteout conditions.  I don't see why they couldn't have put everyone up at the local Motel 6 the day before, setting up temporary holding pens in the parking lot. But what can I say? Nobody ever asks me for advice. Their loss.

In any case, considering the cold, there was a good turnout for the parade, including parents with their kids, including newborns, and lots of people wearing cowboy hats and their finest western wear. And by the way, in the background of the photograph on the left is the Oxford Hotel, in which is located the Cruise Room Bar, which opened the day after prohibition ended in 1933 and features stunning Art Deco decor. And probably much warmer than watching the parade out on 17th Street.