 A situation exists at Four Quarters Farm in Artemis, PA that could have far reaching consequences in the East Coast Pagan Community. First off, this is NOT a Witch War folks...this is a DIVORCE, pure and simple. A really ugly, nasty, DANGEROUS divorce where a valuable piece of land is in contention. If certain portions of the Pagan community could tell the difference between a divorce and a Witch War, the issue of ownership of Four Quarters Farm might be settled by now. As it currently stands however, the situation is getting worse by the day. A court order is in affect stating that no events are to be held on the property by either party, and one of the owners of the land, orren whiddon, is having events anyway. The Mountain Music Festival is being advertised throughout the Pagan community as well as in some pretty unsavory public establishments along the interstate. When I stopped by two of these places to view the ads in question, I was subjected to cat calls, lewd comments, and offered a mustache ride by a clientele that appeared to be having a "who can wear the dirtiest ball cap" contest. This should make for an interesting Gathering. Holly Allen, 50%
owner of the property, and the none too soon to be ex wife of orren whiddon
has issued a public statement to the community, which we have posted below.
Please take time to read and heed her words. This is a serious situation.
We here at Out of the Dark fear that someone is going to be severely hurt,
or worse, before its all over with. In 20 years of doing security
at Pagan, Gay, Music, and Sci-Fi events, and 5 years of running our own
major event twice a year, orren whiddon is the ONLY participant (or organizer)
that I (Betsy Ashby, President of Out of the Dark, Inc.) have ever had
to have arrested and convicted
of a crime against my person (Click for Court Document).
Holly's two loving dogs were shot at extremely close range by someone early one morning shortly before Christmas 1997, only minutes after she let them out for a potty. The shots were very close to the cabin. My significant other Maggie and I were later accosted by orren whiddon while we were trying to recover the bodies of the dogs from a remote roadside ravine. Their collars had been switched and they were dumped off the farm. Eventually a neighbor found their bodies and called Holly. orren somehow knew where to find us and came up on us unexpected and fast while we were busy trying to drag the bodies up the hill. When I told orren I knew in my heart he had done this terrible thing, he smiled at me and said "prove it". The chickens Holly hand raised were slaughtered by orren whiddon in a rage. Someone smashed the gas vent to Holly's cabin closed around the same time the dogs were shot. It was only by the grace of the Goddess that she and her daughter were not seriously injured or killed. This is not idle gossip or rumor people, WE WERE THERE! We were there on three separate occasions when orren whiddon threatened to kill Holly's dogs. Unlike orren's starving part coyote / part dog which ran free on the Farm, got in campers food, and snapped at folks, Holly's dogs were sweet, gentle, and loved by everybody. Their only crime was that they belonged to Holly. We were so concerned for their safety months before they were actually murdered that I went to town and bought $200.00 worth of heavy cable and fittings with which we could construct two 100 ft zip lines for the dogs. I barely knew Holly Allen at the time but I had spent months with her dogs and I loved them. Holly and I had only exchanged pleasantries in passing up to the point that Sam and I knocked on her door and offered to build the zip lines. Holly grabbed her work gloves and started right in to helping put up the runs. We all did try to save Chunk and Moseby but you can't keep two dogs (one of which weighed over 100lbs) tied up all the time. We were there as the last of the chickens that orren slaughtered in a rage were being finished off by Patrick because orren can't even kill a chicken with a shotgun cleanly (which makes me feel a bit relieved in a perverse sort of way). We were there when orren whiddon took Holly's name off the liability release all visitors must sign, and gloated how that, without insurance, it made Holly solely responsible for any accidents or mishaps on the property. We were there when orren destroyed Holly's attempt to have a woman's event on her land. We were there when orren repeated blocked the road to Holly's cabin with large farm machinery effectively trapping her in her cabin. We were there to see many of the plots and plans he has undertaken to drive Holly off her property. orren tried on several occasions to convince Sam and I to engage in various intimidating tactics against her and we of course refused. Please keep in mind that we worked Security two seasons (about a dozen events during 1996 and 1997) at Four Quarters Farm and orren acted like we were the next best thing to sliced bread during that time. orren wrote us many notes and cards thanking Sam, me and my dog Grithorn for our work and begging us to come back and run Security again and again. I did not become the demon spawn that he has been slandering up and down the Coast until I physically got in between Holly and orren during a domestic dispute that erupted when orren became enraged and charged Holly's cabin while she was having a well dug. All Holly wanted was to not have to haul water a 1/2 mile to her cabin. When he found out that she was getting the well orren became violent and abusive towards Holly, Larry, the man driving the well driller, and me when I got in the middle of them. I managed to get orren away from Holly's cabin and she finally got her well after a real nasty scene. Holly still does not have indoor plumbing and has to use an outhouse. While I and my household
deeply admire Holly Allen's willingness to fight for her home, her life
savings, and 5 years of her labor, we worry for her health and safety.
Certain members of the Pagan Community need to STOP CONTRIBUTING TO THE
HORRORS BEING COMMITTED AGAINST THIS WOMAN TO RUN HER OFF HER LAND!!! This
woman has put everything she has into a dream she had of creating safe
space for ALL religions. Now the land she co-owns is being (and has been
for almost 2 years now) used against her permission by so called "Pagan
Groups" to generate the income necessary to take her land from her unjustly!
A few Pagans are supporting the events that are being held there in direct
violation of a court order. Pagans have donated much of the money that
orren has used to file lawsuit after lawsuit against Holly (all of which
he has either dropped or lost), bleeding her dry financially, emotionally,
and physically with one frivolous legal action after another while delaying
the actual divorce decree that will hopefully settle the property ownership
issue fairly.
July 1, 1999 To Those of You Who
May Be Considering Being at Four Quarters Farm This Summer,
1. A Court Order issued 1/9/98 is in effect requiring the Church of Four Quarters, ATC to acquire adequate insurance for events held here on the land. 2. A Court Order issued 9/2/98 again required the Church of Four Quarters to acquire adequate insurance. As a result of Orren Whiddon requesting exclusive possession of the land by the church the judge denied this request and further ordered that "The Farm' be closed and that "no more than three people doing routine maintenance" be on the land at one time. THIS ORDER IS CURRENTLY IN EFFECT even though there was a brief reopening of the Farm from 4-16-99 until 5-22-99 when the Judge allowed for a consideration and defense of the recently acquired insurance policy. 3. On May 28, 1999 Orren Whiddon was served with an Order denying his request to reopen the Farm because the required insurance policy in question was deemed inadequate and excludes participants, swimmers, performers, persons on or around the stage, persons in vehicles, persons engaging in "immoral" activity and persons of numerous other descriptions.. 4. The Court will hear charges of contempt to address the fact that events are being advertised and held as if business as usual could be carried on in spite of the court orders in effect. Orren Whiddon testified that he had resigned from the presidency of the Board of Directors of the Church of Four Quarters to avoid "being led out of the courtroom in handcuffs" for disobeying the court orders. He testified that the Church is operating against his directives as a landowner. 5. I Holly Allen will not be responsible for any claims resulting from people being on the land in contempt of the court orders. Persons wishing to read the court orders may contact me at Holly_Allen@wvwise.org. 6. This item may affect YOU most personally!!! Advertising for the Mountain Music Festival is being done in a public format. Color photo posters are currently displayed at Bellegrove store and service center as well as the AMOCO at High Germany road Exit both on Interstate 68. Peel off directions to the land are included "post-it" style on one of the posters. Symbols sacred to various traditions including the Pentagram are displayed on one poster. Day rates are noted for persons not wanting to stay for the entire weekend. There is no safety screen in place to protect "Community" from curiosity seekers. Sanctuary does not exist here at this time. Holly J. Allen
|
