A non-sexual, spiritual place
by M. Stewart
I hope you managed to see the article in Friday’s Morning Journal about the year-old “spiritual retreat” outside Lisbon. The newspaper investigated “Valley Retreat” after neighbors complained about too many city folk driving by and causing a ruckus.
Jeff Martin’s masterful piece reveals a setting that combines elements of David Lynch’s Lost Highway, James Dickey's Deliverance, and The Andy Griffith Show.
One resident claims to have seen a “dump truck full of people” and cars with license plates from Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York going to the retreat, and she’s worried that these spiritual seekers will impose their big city ways on the formerly peaceful countryside.
“You’ll find a body down there eventually,” she said. “A lot of these people are coming (from cities), and they’ll bring their guns or something.” Implying that city folk are not the only people who have guns, Debbie’s husband, Jim, said if any of the seekers should make the mistake of stumbling onto his property, he won’t bother calling the police.
Perhaps the best part of the article comes when Martin quotes the co-operator of Valley Retreat—a fellow named Greg Groubert Jr. (Of course, that could be a code name.) “This is a non-sexual place, a spiritual place, somewhere where people can be free and can get some marital help,” he said.
Now is as good a time as any to check Valley Retreat’s web site. Assuming you have made the click, I’m sure you are somewhat skeptical of Groubert’s claim that his business is a marriage counseling center. Then again, what is marriage counseling, really? Does it have to be some touchy-feely therapist in an office? Why can’t it be something with a little more range? Here is a list of upcoming therapy sessions taken from the Web site:
Friday, June 1st: Sexy Sluts Sleepover
Saturday, June 2nd: Sexy PJ Party
Friday, June 8th: Naughty Teachers Spank Back
Saturday, June 9th: Naughty School Girls Graduation Party
Friday, June 15th: Event Info Cuming Soon
Jo and I are looking forward to “Naughty Teachers Spank Back” night. I hope some of my old Beaver Local teachers will be there. I need to get beyond some of the trauma they caused me during my developmental years.
In all seriousness, this sort of private club is OK with me, even if Groubert's cover story is an obvious crock of shit. The traffic and noise problems probably need addressed, but otherwise what’s the big deal? Living out sexual fantasies isn’t against the law, even in Columbiana County.
My understanding is that prominent local people seek counseling at Valley Retreat on a regular basis, but is that any of our business? How can it be our business? Has seven years of George Bush convinced us that privacy is unAmerican?
It will be interesting to see if there is any fallout from the MoJo story. Clearly the owners and operators of Valley Retreat do not want such publicity. The mere “outing” of the proprietors could cause them serious social and professional problems.
Perhaps the moral of the story is that we should all try to be just a little quieter. What the neighbors don’t know won’t hurt them.
I hope you managed to see the article in Friday’s Morning Journal about the year-old “spiritual retreat” outside Lisbon. The newspaper investigated “Valley Retreat” after neighbors complained about too many city folk driving by and causing a ruckus.
Jeff Martin’s masterful piece reveals a setting that combines elements of David Lynch’s Lost Highway, James Dickey's Deliverance, and The Andy Griffith Show.
One resident claims to have seen a “dump truck full of people” and cars with license plates from Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York going to the retreat, and she’s worried that these spiritual seekers will impose their big city ways on the formerly peaceful countryside.
“You’ll find a body down there eventually,” she said. “A lot of these people are coming (from cities), and they’ll bring their guns or something.” Implying that city folk are not the only people who have guns, Debbie’s husband, Jim, said if any of the seekers should make the mistake of stumbling onto his property, he won’t bother calling the police.
Perhaps the best part of the article comes when Martin quotes the co-operator of Valley Retreat—a fellow named Greg Groubert Jr. (Of course, that could be a code name.) “This is a non-sexual place, a spiritual place, somewhere where people can be free and can get some marital help,” he said.Now is as good a time as any to check Valley Retreat’s web site. Assuming you have made the click, I’m sure you are somewhat skeptical of Groubert’s claim that his business is a marriage counseling center. Then again, what is marriage counseling, really? Does it have to be some touchy-feely therapist in an office? Why can’t it be something with a little more range? Here is a list of upcoming therapy sessions taken from the Web site:
Friday, June 1st: Sexy Sluts Sleepover
Saturday, June 2nd: Sexy PJ Party
Friday, June 8th: Naughty Teachers Spank Back
Saturday, June 9th: Naughty School Girls Graduation Party
Friday, June 15th: Event Info Cuming Soon
Jo and I are looking forward to “Naughty Teachers Spank Back” night. I hope some of my old Beaver Local teachers will be there. I need to get beyond some of the trauma they caused me during my developmental years.
In all seriousness, this sort of private club is OK with me, even if Groubert's cover story is an obvious crock of shit. The traffic and noise problems probably need addressed, but otherwise what’s the big deal? Living out sexual fantasies isn’t against the law, even in Columbiana County.
My understanding is that prominent local people seek counseling at Valley Retreat on a regular basis, but is that any of our business? How can it be our business? Has seven years of George Bush convinced us that privacy is unAmerican?
It will be interesting to see if there is any fallout from the MoJo story. Clearly the owners and operators of Valley Retreat do not want such publicity. The mere “outing” of the proprietors could cause them serious social and professional problems.Perhaps the moral of the story is that we should all try to be just a little quieter. What the neighbors don’t know won’t hurt them.
posted by M. | 10:55 AM
11 Comments:
THERE IS ONE OF THESE PLACES IN WEIRTON, THEY HAD PROBLEMS WITH IT ALSO. IT WAS ON NEWS NINE A FEW MONTHS AGO. THEY MADE THEM TAKE THE WEBSITE DOWN. SMITH, GET OFF YOUR ASS AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THESE WIERDOS. PUT IT IN YOUR BACKYARD.
I have to laugh because "Who are they trying to fool"? If the people going there are looking for a little somethin' somethin', I guess that mean their Viagra didn't work as well as they thought.
While I have no problem with adults enjoying whatever LEGAL activity they want, what intrigues me most is the location of this "retreat." Having lived a stone's-throw from Churchhill Road for many years, I find it amazing that a facility like this is located there.It's just an old country road (near the Elkton federal prison, by the way)...hard to believe anyone would even be able to find it.
But, then, there has been a nudist colony out in the BF Egypt area of Negly as long as I can remember. I guess people want to keep their private acts as private as possible.
If you ask me, all this is, are people trying to make money with the sex. Lets advertise, and bring in whomever, let them have sex with other partners, and we will make money off it. The law needs to investigate this a little more. I know this is wrong, somehow they are breaking the law. I know there are these damn swingers in the County, but this is borderline prostitution. At least make them remove the website, like they did down the river. Better yet run the wierdos out of the County.
Amen Goerge, you are right. This is wrong, get it stopped, we have enough problems in the county.
"Run the weirdo's out of town?" Christ, what are you trying to do? Make our area a ghost town. That would eliminate almost all of the population of this area. Why is it, that if someone partakes in an activity that others consider "illegal," that we have to label them weirdo's or attempt to find them of doing something illegal? For God's sake, would you rather these people be cultivating marijuana or cooking meth out in the woods? That's the stuff we should be focusing on, not some married couple who doesn't mind spending an evening or weekend with another marriage couple, BOTH of which are LEGAL adults making decisions for themselves. I personally will get up tomorrow morning, go to work, come home, spend time with my family, sit on my back porch and maybe have a beer... all the while, NOT GIVING ONE FLYING F*&K whether or not some people are running around the back of Negley or Lisbon not wearing any clothes and maybe having sex with each other. If noise is a complaint or problem, fine... that is a legitimate thing for the neighbors to complain about. But this bullshit of worrying whether or not people are swinging or sitting around nudist colony... come on people. Worry about your own life. And if someone is making money off of it, GOD BLESS EM.
All I really have to say is, "To each their own". Who are we to judge consenting partners engaging in this? As long as they are not running naked through the streets who cares, right? Sexuality has been around since the beginning of time, and so has sexual acts like what they are doing. It is going to happen all over the world whether we approve or not. One thing I do not understand is why they called it a "religious retreat". That is just odd. What are you trying to hide? I feel there are many more important issues in this world than worrying about a bunch of naked people having sex with each other. It's really funny if you think about it. Why stress over it?! haha! I actually don't think it would hurt bringing a little "peace" of the 70's back! Not that I know. I am a child of the 80's.
I just came across a quote that goes quite well with the reactions people are having to this "spititual place". Mike Nichols writes, "Take off all your clothes and walk down the street waving a machete and firing an Uzi, and terrified citizens will phone the police and report: 'There's a naked person outside!'"
They are making money off of these weirdos Matt. Piss on them, it's nothing more than prostitution. Although, they know if you can get away with something, it's going to be here.
Matt, you always side with the weirdos. If there was not money involved, I would not care, let the jackass's go, they will answer to God. But the whole thing in a nutshell, is they advertise on a website, charge for different services, it's prostitution. Pretty soon the religious folk will be complaining. This is one time I will agree with them.
Well, Dave, so what? They should legalize prostitution, also. There are thousands of girls out there GIVING it away, getting pregnant with babies no one wants, spreading disease. If it were legalized, they could tax it and control it.
And, as long at these are ADULTS of sound mind, not using children or animals who can't have a say, then it's their business what they want to do with their bodies...the site says no drugs and responsible use of alcohol, so it that's the case, it's really not illegal (and the sheriff says the same thing).
Whether there are those of us who think it's depraved has no bearing on whether it should operate.
Post a Comment
<< Home