36 days ago
Hundreds of couples are arriving on Grand Island for a swingers convention at the Holiday Inn on Whitehaven Road. But organizers have toned the event down after parents and nearby church pastors complained.
The Swinger's Conference, called "Entice the Falls" began Wednesday with a welcoming cruise. Beginning Thursday morning, the entire hotel will be closed off to the public.
The Zoning Code of the Town of Grand Island says businesses with "adult uses shall be permitted in the M-2 District on approval of a special use permit..." and that "no adult use shall be permitted within seven hundred fifty (750) feet" of areas including residential areas, schools, nurseries and religious institutions.
The Grand Island Holiday Inn is not in an M-2 District. However, the Grand Island Town Attorney said due to first amendment issues, the event cannot be stopped or cancelled by the town.
Hotel Management discussed the code issues with the Town of Grand Island and assured local leaders that no laws will be broken. The hotel's general manager assured 2 On Your Side that nothing illegal will take place. He believes this was a smart business move, as the hotel is nearly booked solid during an otherwise off-peak time of the year.
Pastor Steve Lamarco, an outspoken critic of the event, would have liked to see the event cancelled.
"Is it good enough?" 2 On Your Side's Josh Boose asked him.
"Well, it's good enough in terms of complying with the laws and ordinances of Grand Island absolutely, they need to do that," he said. "But is it good enough from my perspective from a moral standpoint, no."
Yolande Hasselbeck agrees. Her 16 year old daughter works at the hotel, it's her first job.
"If she worked in New Orleans you might expect it," said Hasselbeck. "If she worked in Las Vegas on the strip, you might expect it. She didn't take a job in a residential community down here in order to be exposed to this type of promiscuity and all types of things."
Many residents on Grand Island are upset that the "Entice the Falls" event will take place.
The convention will include many activities ranging from an erotic writing workshop to a hedonistic pool party to some events that are too graphic to share.
Sexual activity will be permitted in many areas of the hotel; however, 2 On Your Side is told that will not be allowed to take place in the pool and clothes will be required anywhere food is served.
The four-day event will cost close to $1,000 per couple. A portion of that will go to the Holiday Inn with the remainder covering costs of vendors and activities.
Similar events have happened in Western New York and Southern Ontario in the past.
On Thursday, two hotel employees told 2 On Your Side they were fired for talking to the media about the upcoming convention and their views on it. The general manager of the hotel says that is completely false and that no one has been let go. The two workers insist they were fired.
