CEDAR CITY, Utah – Iron County School District fifth-graders were expected to perform patriotic songs at an upcoming festival, but complaints from parents about perceived political bias convinced officials to cancel the show.

The district fifth-graders were to perform a musical program called Hope for America as part of the Western Freedom Festival on Oct. 23, when westerners will celebrate the heritage and values locals hold dear. The festival also sponsored an essay contest for students, The Salt Lake Tribune reports.

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But misinformation promoted by a “micro-small group” of critics about what they believe is a conservative slant to the event means students practiced their routine for nothing.

“We’ve stepped out of our participation,” Steve Burton, district elementary education director, told the Tribune. “It’s our policy not to be involved in events that have a political agenda.”

Commissioners in several counties balked at claims the festival is a partisan event, but opted to cancel the students’ performance to appease detractors, Iron County Commissioner David Miller told the news site.

“We don’t want to put our school districts or any of our community in a place where they’re uncomfortable with what we’re doing,” he said.

“They’re making such a big stink it’s not worth it,” Miller said. “They can have their way.”

The festival is scheduled to take place at Southern Utah University, where experts will discuss federalism, and the impacts of constitutional limits, according to the Associated Press.

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Students put together a musical program based on their history curriculum to perform for attendees, but their show was canceled Friday over complaints from parents, though officials said students will perform the piece at a later date.

“It’s just unfortunate because the one thing that we’re all going to be protective of is our kids,” Miller said. “For (critics) to go in and make up disinformation is just terribly disappointing to me. It’s very deflating.”

The Western Freedom Festival website bills the event as one to “preserve western culture, lifestyle, heritage, family values and freedom through a full day of educational learning opportunities and culminating with a live concert by country music star Darryl Worley.”

It’s sponsored by six counties.

“Event organizers believe western culture and tradition is under assault and that conservative family values, faith, hard work and entrepreneurism is being displaced by negativity toward those values,” according to the site. “The event organizers feel that, honest hard working Americans are being put out of business, targeted and discriminated against and entire industries dependent upon natural resources are being destroyed while wealth building jobs continue to be outsourced to foreign nations.

“The western freedom festival is an attempt to educate the world about the negative impact of progressive policies are having on health, safety and welfare of citizens in the west.”

Garfield County commissioner Leland Polluck expanded on those themes.

“The western freedom festival is a response to all of the abuse western rural communities have been dealing with for years. We know we have solid cultural values, however we are constantly under attack by special interest groups, the federal government and many other forces that are constantly trying to change our lives,” Polluck said, according to the festival site.

“The land is our life-blood, we are surrounded by an ocean of public land yet the freedom to use that land is vanishing,” he continued. “One would never think our religious freedoms would be under attack, yet we all know what has happened regarding Christian values. This is not a one night celebration, this is our chance to stand on the national stage in front of the national news and make a difference.”

At least one Utah resident, Blair Bateman, wrote in to the Tribune to congratulate critics of the festival for removing students from the festivities.

“The festival, which is slated to include presentations on federalism, transfer of public lands, the ‘impacts of environmental policy’ and ‘conservative family values,’ is clearly anything but apolitical, as its organizers claim,” Bateman wrote.

“One of the many negative consequences of Utah’s one-party politics is that it’s far too easy for those in the majority to claim they represent the views of all “westerners,” ignoring the fact that millions of westerners value recreation opportunities, clean air and water, and preservation of public lands for future generations.”