Round-Up host says no to group that sells Confederate flags

PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) – Round-Up week’s most visible purveyor of the Stars and Bars won’t be back on Pendleton’s Main Street this year.
 
The East Oregonian reports (https://is.gd/AOGmks ) that Round-Up host The Main Street Cowboys didn’t accept the application of Liberty Flags & Gifts.
 
Last year, the vendor was criticized for displaying and selling Confederate flags.
 
Host director Johnny Blagg says the current political climate and the media scrutiny were factors in the organization’s decision to pass on the vendor’s application.
 
Liberty Flags & Gifts owner Viola Moody says she thought that she and Blagg had reached a compromise for the 2017 event during a recent talk.
 
But Moody says she recently learned that their application was denied. She says they’re “dumping” on the group’s free speech.