Wichita Riverfest scammed out of $4,000 worth of buttons bought with forged checks

The Wichita Riverfest was recently scammed out of about $4,000 worth of buttons, said festival spokeswoman Jenny Venn.

On three different occasions between late April and early May, people called the festival office saying they wanted to buy buttons for their companies or their nonprofits.

They then went to the festival office at 444 E. William with personal checks to pick up the buttons, Venn said. The same people came on the first two visits, Venn said, once saying they were from a roofing company and then saying they were from a nonprofit.

A different person came on the third visit and identified himself as a Vietnam veteran.

Only later did the festival staff realize that the checks were forgeries.

In total, the thieves got away with about 400 buttons, which carry a value of around $4,000. The buttons are used for admission to festival events.

The festival used to number buttons but has since stopped, Venn said, so there’s no way for staff to track the buttons if they’re resold.

Venn, who just started with the festival, said longtime staff members have told her that nothing quite like this has ever happened at the festival before.

Police were called, Venn said, and they gathered surveillance footage from around the area, but so far, no arrests have been made.

The festival is now no longer accepting personal checks for button or merchandise purchases.

Wichita Riverfest adult buttons this year went up in price from $10 to $15. They were on sale for last year’s price of $10 through May 5 and are now available at regular price at area QuikTrip stores and at the festival offices. Kid buttons for ages 6-12 cost $5.

The 2022 festival starts on June 3 and runs through June 11 in and around Century II in downtown Wichita. For more information, visit wichitariverfest.com

This story was originally published May 27, 2022 at 1:08 PM.

Denise Neil

The Wichita Eagle

316-268-6327

Denise Neil has covered restaurants and entertainment since 1997. Her Dining with Denise Facebook page is the go-to place for diners to get information about local restaurants. She’s a regular judge at local food competitions and speaks to groups all over Wichita about dining.