A local meet-and-greet event slated for Feb. 28 and featuring NASCAR Hall of Fame member Darrell Waltrip will not be happening, according to Waltrip’s manager Van Collie. The event was scheduled to take place at RiverPark Center.
RPC Executive Director Rich Jorn confirmed the news late Tuesday afternoon, adding that everyone who bought tickets will be refunded. Jorn was initially surprised to hear Waltrip wouldn’t be traveling to Owensboro for the event, as nobody at RPC had been notified of the cancellation until Tuesday.
Visit Owensboro Destination Management Director Dave Kirk said they had also not been informed of the cancellation until Tuesday.
The event, “Boogity, Boogity, Boogity,” was still being advertised on Visit Owensboro’s website and tickets were on sale at OwensboroTickets.com as of early Tuesday afternoon. However, Visit Owensboro pulled advertising Tuesday morning per Collie’s request, and the event itself was pulled from the ticketing website later in the day.
“We were stunned to see a picture of (Waltrip) on Facebook (for the event),” Collie told Owensboro Times. “We asked Visit Owensboro why they’d posted that, and they pulled it.”
According to Collie, the agency representing Waltrip canceled the event sometime during the first week of December. Though Collie said he liked the idea of holding an event in Owensboro, Waltrip and his team “have no intentions” of traveling to Owensboro for the Feb. 28 appearance.
Jorn said plans to reschedule the event were discussed and there was a good possibility of Waltrip visiting Owensboro in the future.
“It’s not going to happen Feb. 28, but we hope to find another date,” Jorn said. “They seemed very open to the idea of rescheduling. It’s just a matter of finding a date and time [that works for both of us].”
According to RPC’s website and confirmed by Jorn, nearly 300 of Canon Hall’s 1,479 seats had been sold or reserved for the upcoming event.
Those needing refunds for purchased tickets can contact the RPC box office at 270-687-2787. The box office is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
