EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio --

A month after a rap concert was canceled, ticket holders said they're still waiting to get their money back.

Rapper Bow Wow was scheduled to perform Nov. 5 at East Liverpool High School, but the show was canceled by the school district, which said the promoter didn't have the proper insurance. As of Tuesday, people who purchased tickets had still not been issued refunds.

"A bunch of friends from East Liverpool had told me (about it), and I figured my daughter likes him, so that would be a good idea (to get tickets)," Patty Beaver said. "It was all over the place that it was canceled. Refunds were supposed to be the following week, but nobody showed."

Terrence Smitherman, the promoter of the show, has a voice  mail message saying, "We'd really like to apologize for the return on the Bow Wow tickets that are taking so long, but we have to wait for one more deposit to come in."


Beaver said she can't keep calling every day asking for her money back so she's "basically just been waiting for them."


She said, "It's been hell … because nobody is doing anything about it, and everybody's out all this money."

Smitherman told NEWS9 over the phone that ticket holders' money will be refunded.

"Just in case they don't send the deposits, we are making other arrangements, and we will have this money before the kids go on their Christmas break," Smitherman said. "We'll schedule a date with the principal and they'll have to come to the ticket booth (to get their refund)."


There are 220 tickets to be refunded, most of which cost $35 each.

Police and the city prosecutor have both received calls about the refunds, as has the school. The superintendent said the school had nothing to do with organizing the concert and said the district is currently revising its policy for renting out facilities for outside use. The superintendent further said that he forwarded paperwork concerning the concert to the city prosecutor.

The prosecutor had not returned calls from NEWS9 for comment as of 4:30 p.m.