The Perry Latino Festival for this year that was scheduled for Saturday has been postponed indefinitely.

Hispanics United for Perry (HUP) said it was a very hard decision to make, since it’s a popular event and very important in their fundraising for the scholarships they award every year. However, in a press release sent out Thursday afternoon, representatives cited the recent murder of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts and the sadness and anger that has caused as a reason. They decided to postpone the Festival out of respect to Mollie, her friends, and the Tibbetts family. Festivals were also cancelled or delayed in Iowa City and Des Moines for similar reasons.

In their statement, HUP said they took into consideration all the hard work that went into planning and promoting the event. They apologized for the inconvenience their decision may have caused to anyone who planned to attend the festival as a visitor or a vendor. They emphasized how difficult it was to postpone an event meant to celebrate the strong Latino culture and heritage that exists in Perry. A HUP representative told Raccoon Valley Radio that they hope the Festival will be rescheduled, but at this time it’s unknown if or when that will happen.