Pagans, witches rattle Adamstown village

A festival designed to celebrate the nature-centered spirituality of pagans and witches is getting a mixed reaction from shop owners at Stoudtburg Village in Adamstown, where the event will be held in Sept

While some of the village's shops will be open during the festival, others will close because of the group that is sponsoring the event — Reading Pagans & Witches.

Reading Pagans & Witches president Jen Anderson-Wenger said the festival, called Celebrating Earth Spirituality Festival, is her group's version of the national Pagan Pride Day.

The Reading group is described on its Web site as a nonprofit focused on celebrating pagans and witches as well as other nature-based and alternative faiths.

Anderson-Wenger said that at the festival there will be educational workshops about the harvest celebrations of different spiritual and religious organizations, and there will be explanations of what those organizations believe.

The festival also will feature vendors, food sales to benefit children's groups, tarot readers and reiki practitioners. There will be children's games, storytelling and entertainment.

Jane Lesher, who owns The Soxy Lady but doesn't live in Stoudtburg Village, said her business, which is usually open on Saturdays, will be closed during the festival.

"I try to keep my personal feelings and being a merchant separate," she said.

As a merchant, Lesher said, she believes the Earth Spirituality Festival is "not the image we want to portray for Stoudtburg Village."

Stoudtburg Village is comprised of European-style homes with businesses on the first floor. Currently there are about 19 stores, with several more service-oriented businesses as well.

Lesher said that if the event were held in a "more urban place, it might not have the negative image it would have around here."

Personally, Lesher said, "I am a Christian, and anything that is not worshipping God is something I object to. You can't force it on another, but you don't need to support it in any way, either. I base this on what God says. I'm not just a stick-in-the-mud and can't change my mind, but I base it on what I believe is an absolute."

Lesher said that when she first learned about the festival, "I got the impression that it was to be ecology friendly, healing massages, vegetarian, aromatherapy," she said.

She said that she was "shocked" when she later learned it was sponsored by Reading Pagans & Witches.

Country Pastthymes owner Sharon Shilling said her store will be closed on festival day for several reasons.

One is the "way it was gone about — the politics."

The other reason, Shilling said, is that while she read on the group's Web site that Reading Pagans & Witches does good things such as litter cleanup, she doesn't feel the event will go over well in a very conservative area such as Adamstown.

However, Glenda Poole, owner of the Village Sweet Shoppe and president of the village's property owners association, said she "absolutely plans to be open.

"Any kind of event is good for the village. (The pagans and witches) are not going to be running naked around the fountain. I think this is a big to-do about nothing."

Poole said Reading Pagans & Witches is a constitutionally-protected group, and the village doesn't discriminate.

Blumen Geschaft also will be open. "It's my normal day of business. I don't discriminate," owner Phyllis Cook said.

Carol Kerchner, owner of Stoudtburg Village Coffee Shop, said she will be open for her morning crowd but will shut down at lunchtime. "I'm not against what's going on, but I did not like how it was put out to the rest of us," Kerchner said.

"I'm saddened that the stores would choose to close rather than stay open and get potential new customers," Anderson-Wenger said.

She added that her group does not proselytize, or try to convert people, so shop owners shouldn't worry about that.

"But it's their prerogative (to close). I offered to meet with the shop owners who want to talk to us," Anderson-Wenger said.

deLyn Alumbaugh, president of Stoudtburg's advertising committee, said of the festival arrangement, "Essentially, it's a rental; they're renting the village. We're open to any organization — churches or whatever — that would like to rent the village."

Because Reading Pagans & Witches is a "registered not-for-profit religion, it is mandated that they not be discriminated against, and Stoudtburg Village doesn't discriminate," he said.

Alumbaugh said he's not a pagan or a witch, but he does believe in equality.

Alumbaugh said that some time ago he put an ad on the Reading Pagans & Witches Web site to attract people to his shop, deLyn's Gallery. He sells elves, fairies and mythological art.

After he invited members of the group to come see his shop and showed them around, "they thought it would be a good idea to rent the village for their activity," Alumbaugh said.

Any rental request, Alumbaugh said, first goes before an events committee. With approval by that committee, it is recommended to the advertising committee, he said. "We have a good crew of officers. It's a hard job, and we're all volunteers," he said.

After going through these committees, the group requesting the rental is given a contract to sign.

"For $50, anyone can rent the village," Alumbaugh said. The fee covers trash cleanup and bathroom use.

"We don't advertise. We don't hire a band. The onus of the expense of putting on an event is not on the village," Alumbaugh said.

"The idea is hopefully to bring in foot traffic so that the shopkeepers' sales go up when there is an event."