It will be another low-key summer at the Morris Stampede Grounds.

For the second year in a row, organizers have made the difficult decision to cancel the Manitoba Stampede and Exhibition due to COVID-19 challenges.

According to Norm Gaultier, president of the Valley Ag Society, the decision was based on current public health orders and the possibility of tighter rules as the province continues its fight against the virus and the growing number of variants.

"It's hard, not only for us as an organization to maintain and stay viable and to be able to be here for next year, but also for the people that we deal with - our exhibitors, contestants, the people that just come to the grounds to work - everybody is going to suffer," he said. "It's worrisome to the point where we're not sure if some of the partners that we have will be around for next year, and then how do we move forward from that?"

With 20,000 to 25,000 people coming through the gates over stampede weekend every July, Gaultier notes the decision to cancel will also have local economic impacts.

"All of the hotels in town are booked solid during our events, the businesses reap the rewards of having those extra people on the grounds in those four days...and not having that extra traffic and flow-through is definitely going to affect the businesses immensely."

In addition to pulling the plug on the 2021 stampede, the Valley Ag Society has also canceled Rumble the Valley scheduled for May, and all other major events planned for the grounds have been paused until further notice.

Despite this bleak outlook for the summer, Gaultier says the board hasn't lost all hope and plans to open the grounds for a few smaller events that fit within public health regulations. This includes a bi-weekly farmers market starting in May, and the return of the Haunted Barn in the fall.

As well, the board will use this time to move ahead with upgrades and improvements to the grounds thanks to some grants that came in this past year.