Reynolds High School, scene of an Aug. 17 “We Still Pray” rally, might soon be seeing another religious gathering in Asheville, N.C. This time, a regional pagan group is asking to use the facilities.
The Appalachian Pagan Alliance sent letters to Reynolds principal Tony Baldwin and Buncombe County school superintendent Cliff Dodson Aug. 18 asking to hold a “We Still Work Magic” rally, stating that because Reynolds High was used by one religious group, it should be made available for all other groups.
Ginger Strivelli, the leader of the alliance, said, “I’m all for them having their religious gathering, but it struck me as being a poor decision to have it at the school system.”
Strivelli said the idea for a pagan rally had come to her well before the Christian “We Still Pray” event, which attracted more than 13,000 people who were able to get inside the stadium and approximately 24,000 others who tried but were turned away, congesting traffic for hours in Asheville.
The pagan group has asked for a Sept. 22 date to hold its rally, falling on the autumnal equinox, one of the holidays of the pagan faith. But Strivelli said that “there’s just not much of a plan yet. September 22 was our first option.” If Sept. 22 were to be unavailable, Strivelli said her group would press on until they get their rally at Reynolds. “We’ll definitely be doing it there, even if we have to be doing it at spring equinox,” Strivelli said.
Strivelli said that the Appalachian Pagan Alliance covers a wide area. “We have a hundred members, stretched out from Knoxville to Charlotte.” (BP)
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