The annual Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo All-Western Parade on Saturday will take an alternate route this year after an explosion in downtown Fort Worth on Monday afternoon caused damage along the previously planned pathway.
Officials are still investigating a suspected gas explosion that occurred at the Sandman Signature Fort Worth hotel around 3:30 p.m. on January 8. As reported by The Dallas Express, 21 people were injured — one critically — but there were no fatalities.
The hotel, located at 810 Houston St., has been closed since the explosion, and city officials are restricting access to the surrounding area. Throckmorton Street and Houston Street have both been closed to all traffic between West 7th and West 9th Street. West 8th Street has been closed from Throckmorton to Main Street. The road closures are expected to continue for the next several days, WFAA reported.
To preserve public safety, the Fort Worth Police Department’s Special Event/Emergency Response (SEER) and the Public Events Department began coordinating with event organizers to ensure the parade would not pass by the area around the hotel. Emergency officials will be on hand to keep parade viewers away from the restricted area.
Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo (FWSSR) officials posted a map of the altered parade route on social media on Wednesday. The parade is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on January 13.
“The parade will begin at its usual location on Main Street and Weatherford Street south of the Tarrant County Courthouse, will continue south to the Convention Center, turn left at 9th Street and left on Commerce Street, and continue north to Weatherford Street. Reserved seating will remain on Sundance Square and at the Convention Center,” read the FWSSR’s announcement on Facebook.
Reserved parade seating at the Convention Center will cost $15, while seating at Sundance Square will cost $25.
