Due to scheduling conflicts, the annual City-Wide Pep Rally, originally set for Aug. 13 at the Outlets at Vicksburg and cancelled because of the weather, will not be rescheduled this year.

Jerry Chambers, general manager at the Outlets, said in a press release issued Friday the parties involved were not able to find another date for the pep rally that worked for all.

“The Citywide Pep Rally is a time-honored tradition that has been a part of the community and the Outlets at Vicksburg for 18 years,” Chambers said. “In the past, there have been no situations whereby the pep rally had to be postponed or cancelled.”

The pep rally was originally scheduled for Aug. 13, but was postponed due to expected inclement weather, the same storm system that resulted in torrential rains and massive flooding in south Louisiana and Mississippi.

“Since the postponement, the Outlets at Vicksburg has worked diligently with the Vicksburg-Warren School District and the individual participants of the event to determine a new date for the pep rally. It should be stated that these participants plan their annual schedules well in advance around the date for the pep rally and cannot modify their schedules once they are determined. Each date that was brought up for discussion resulted in performers who could not attend due to these other, previously scheduled events,” Chambers said in his press release. “After much effort and discussion, we have come to the unfortunate decision that there are no available dates for the remainder of this year where the participants are available to perform.”

He said all four of the participating schools would receive the sponsorships that would have been part of this event. Chambers said the Outlets at Vicksburg would also award $500 to the school that won the “Support Your School” contest. The official announcement of that winner will be made at the September luncheon of the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce.

“We thank the community for making the Support Your School contest a success and also thank everyone involved for their efforts to work with us in attempting to reschedule this pep rally,” he said.

Total votes cast in the contest exceeded 800, he said. Chambers said the Outlets at Vicksburg will be moving forward with its traditional Shopping Extravaganza and Tree Lighting Ceremony set for Nov. 12.