Dayton Days Rodeo to honor late president

DAYTON–The 2024 Columbia County Fair Association-Dayton Days Rodeo, set for May 24 and 25 at the Columbia County Fairgrounds, will be dedicated in memory of the late Tim Donohue, Dayton Days president who passed away January 26, 2024.

Donohue, 75, was a fourth-generation wheat farmer and a life-long resident of Columbia County. He served as Dayton Days president in recent years when the organization re-emerged to put on a rodeo on Dayton Days' traditional Memorial Day Weekend dates. Donohue was a long-time supporter of horse racing and was a member of the Washington Thoroughbred Breeders Association.

Donohue will be honored in pre-rodeo ceremonies both days, Friday, May 24, and Saturday, May 25, which would have been Donohue's 76th birthday.

The 2024 two-day jackpot rodeo will be the fourth rodeo since Dayton Days, Inc. reinvigorated in 2018 with the express purpose of lobbying for the return of pari-mutuel horse racing. A bill in the Washington Legislature in 2023 had support but was not acted upon prior to a deadline. It was not reintroduced in 2024.