UTICA — Citing health concerns, the Utica Sertoma Ice Cream Festival has been canceled for 2020.

Bob Curtis, Sertoma vice president, said the festival board decided to cancel Monday after hearing Gov. DeWine’s extension of the stay-at-home order to May. The festival was scheduled for the weekend of May 23.

“We hoped things (with the virus) would start going the other way by the end of May but with the governor’s 30-day extension, it would be impossible” to hold the festival, Curtis said.

The decision to cancel came about due to the logistics of rescheduling a three-day event for another summer weekend. Curtis noted there are a lot of local events scheduled every year, and “we didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes.”

Curtis said Utica Sertoma is planning on bringing the festival back for 2021.