YRU-Update

Pagan Turnout Lowest Ever

10/28/98

COUNTY RIDGE-CA. Every year Pagan leader Bob Tribalke holds his Halloween "pagan-off" festival at County Ridge Park. This year Bob received his lowest turn out ever.

"I just couldn't believe it," Bob said bluntly, "I mean, where are all these Pagans I've been hearing so much about? It's like no one want's to worship trees anymore."

Bob Tribalke, Pagan

in the past the "pagan-off" has drawn a large crowd

Only five Pagans from the County Ridge area attended what had usually been a huge gathering in years past. The five who did show up proved to provide little merriment.

"I gotta say, I'm super bummed about this. I mean, I put a lot of time and money into this festival. Not one person bought one of the wicker men I made for the occasion. They're usually my biggest sellers." Bob said, choking back tears.

It seems the local Pagan community has apparently broken down over the past year, since the last celebration of the Sabbat was very successful.

"Yeah, last year was just nuts. You should have seen the offerings made. There were more harvest fruit platters than you could shake a maypole at. But this year, nothing. Man, the spirits are gonna be pissed."

The celebration of Samhain (Halloween) is usually a very important day on the pagan calendar. It's a day to come together as a family and worship the dead. This worship goes back thousands of years and has it's origins in Celtic and Druidic practices. But that tradition seems to have lost it's way. "Halloween has become way too commercial. It's like people have forgot what it's really about, the death" Bob warns.

Local Wiccan Priest, Murry Alcott has also noticed the trend. "Yes, people stopping by the golden calf on a regular basis has fallen off dramatically. And let me tell you, the ones that still do are kind of on the strange side."

Bob still hopes that this is just a freak occurrence. "I hope that by next year things will pick up again. I have plans to great a little miniature Stone Henge. Plus, we're gonna have a fire pit to jump over."

Bob also hopes to improve awareness of the Samhain. "I'm also gonna make sure I put up plenty of fliers so people know what's up. It seems word of mouth just isn't good enough anymore. The Pagan community is just in shambles. And I don't have to tell you, I'm more than a little sad about it."

He left saying, "Well, I guess I'll just have to go back to my apartment and perform some scrying alone by my cauldron. I hope that cheers me up."

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