Vendors and paying customers continued to demand answers, pay checks, and refunds on Monday from organizers of the Rhythm 'N Balloons festival a day after they unexpectedly canceled the last day of the event.
On the event's web page, organizers said they were forced to cancel Sunday's festivities due to "unforeseen circumstances related to weather.”
The cancellation meant lost business for the vendors, some of who said they have yet to be paid for their services.
"The check wasn't available, so we had to wait around for that," explained Chris Brende, owner of Affordable Inflatables of Kansas City. "Of course it came down to, 'Can you pick it up tomorrow?'"
Brende said he set up an inflatable play area for children at the festival on Friday.
Despite setting up the area and normally being paid on the day of arrival, Brende said he still had not received a paycheck from the organizers as of Monday afternoon.
"To not get paid on a job like that by people putting on a million dollar event? I don't understand it," he said.
Brende said the cancellation of the event led to a loss of around $1,600 for his company.
"We have to pay our guys to do the setup and pickup," Brende explained, while cleaning an inflatable play area used at the festival. "I had dozens of other calls that would have rented. They would've rented out this unit and others (at the festival)."
Brende, along with other vendors, have tried contacting Steve and Roberta Small, the organizers of the event.
"I sent them several text messages throughout the day and called them 15 times both on their phone numbers," said Brende, while calling the organizers on speakerphone.
The call was unanswered and the message mail box was too full to leave a voice message.
41 Action News stopped by the home of Roberta and Steve Small in Leawood on Monday.
Organizer Steve Small declined to go on camera, but said he was "devastated" by the cancellation.
Small explained that the event was called off due to soggy grounds and windy conditions on Sunday.
He said he is "trying to recover" following the cancellation, and he would reach out to vendors about compensation.
Many people who bought tickets to the event commented on Facebook that they had not yet received a refund as of Monday morning.
As vendors and customers wait for a response, Brende said he hopes an answer comes soon.
"I can't afford to keep doing this," he explained.
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Tom Dempsey can be reached at Tom.Dempsey@KSHB.com.
