3,000-Plus Celebrate 4th with Rodeo, Fireworks Near Basin City

A crowd significantly bigger than the population of Basin City in North Franklin County descended upon a formerly derelict rodeo arena Friday and Saturday July 3-4, for the Freedom Rodeo; which ended up attracting headlines all over the Northwest.

 It's estimated the crowd was just over 3,000, the population of Basin City (according to Census data from 2019) is 1,045. 

According to the Franklin Connection online news source, Scott English of Basin City is credited as the organizer, but a large group of volunteers swarmed the area to make the arena usable. The Connection says he credits hundreds of people whose efforts combined to bring the two day rodeo and fireworks to the area.

According to sources, the rodeo arena just northwest of town had not been used in at least 15 years, but it was refurbished and transformed into a facility that not only held the crowd but accommodated all the riders.

It was done in protest of the fact that Franklin, along with Benton and Yakima, are the only counties will in a modified Phase One with the COVID-19 pandemic. Gubernatorial candidate Dr. Raul Garcia attended and brought with him 2,000 masks for anyone who wanted them.  Organizers arranged for others and if people wanted to social distance, they were given space. But according to sources, most of the people there didn't seem too worried about it.

To read more about how this spontaneous community event happened, click on the button below.