Friday Night Live! Canceled By Town Of Herndon

HERNDON, VA — Hours before Under the Covers was set to perform as part of the Friday Night Live! concert series on the Town Green, the Town of Herndon canceled the show. The performance was to be the first installment in the 2021 season of the free outdoor concert series.

The town made the decision so that the Herndon Police Department could provide assistance for the funeral of Claudia Menjivar and her two children at a nearby church.

"It was a very difficult decision for us to make, but we had the funeral for those who were tragically murdered victims that is happening tonight just blocks away," Ashton said.

Herndon police discovered the bodies of Menjivar, 34, and her children, Dayana Gutierrez, 12, and Carlos Josué Gutierrez, 10, on June 19 in their home on Florida Avenue. The deaths were later determined to be homicides and linked to Jose Palacios, who fell to his death the same day from a Reston Town Center parking garage.

Ashton said the town has been working closely with the Iglesia Pentecostal El Calvario to provide a police presence for Friday night's funeral service.

"At the end of the day, our heart is going out to the victims who are hurting on that side," Ashton said. "We were just at the point where we couldn't resource both events simultaneously so close together."

At 3:15 p.m., the Town of Herndon issued the following statement:

"The Town of Herndon has made the difficult decision to cancel Friday Night Live for tonight, July 2, 2021. This was not an easy decision to make, however, a funeral for three of our beloved community members who lost their lives through a horrific tragedy is being held in the downtown area at the same time. Due to tremendous community interest and support for the family while they grieve and heal, many resources downtown could become overextended, to include available parking and public safety resources. Please understand that this decision was made with the best interest and safety of our community in mind."

Earlier on Friday afternoon, the concert series organizers sent out a release announcing the cancelation.

"We apologize to all our partners (band, sound company, beer supplier, and restaurants) who have worked hard to prepare for tonight including hiring staff, loading trucks, and preparing food," the organizers said, in the release. "Also to our fans who have made plans to be together with us tonight. Hopefully many of you will instead go to some of our downtown restaurants."