By BOB HIGH

Friday’s going to be a busy day in Columbus County with two sessions addressing the existence of adult entertainment businesses.

There’ll be a 10 a.m. hearing in Superior Court here to see if the county can permanently close the Magic Moments business in Delco.

Then, there’ll be an emergency meeting of Bolton’s town board at 7 p.m. to address a Monday afternoon inquiry by two women concerning possible restrictions by the municipality toward adult entertainment. Bolton’s ordinances do not specifically mention “sexually oriented businesses,” and it does not exclude such firms from the town’s commercial districts.

However, Bolton’s requirements include certain factors to consider when establishing commercial businesses, including the health, safety and general welfare of the community, plus hours of operation and traffic.

The court session is a result of a 10-day restraining order issued last week against the Magic Moments business after Sheriff Chris Batten and his deputies closed the adult club, plus another new one that had just opened for business the day of the raid.

Bolton inquiry

Two women, reported to be from the new Whispers club in Delco that offered “erotic dancing” on its signs for the club’s grand opening, sought information from Bolton Town Clerk Addie Mosley about any town ordinances.

“I didn’t tell them we had such an ordinance, and I didn’t tell them we didn’t. I told them I would have to contact the town board and our town attorney,” Mosley said.

Bolton Mayor Frank Wilson said the town’s board usually meets the first Tuesday of each month, but Monday’s inquiry by the women has led to the emergency session.

“We didn’t recruit those folks to come here, and we hope they go somewhere else. We want something positive for Bolton. We don’t need a club like what’s been going on in Delco,” Wilson declared.

Harold “Butch” Pope, Bolton’s attorney, said he was “trying to find a remedy to the problem.” Pope said he hoped the town could find some reason, “anything to prevent it.”

Pope said, “Bolton is not going to be a sanctuary for people who’ve been driven out of the county’s jurisdiction.”

Background

The operator and/or operators of the Whispers club in Delco – shut down the day of its “grand opening” – did not reopen last week although the county lost in the courtroom in an attempt to get a 10-day injunction last Thursday.

Information from the Sheriff’s Office shows Cynthia Royal Maynor, 50, of Jacksonville in Onslow County – operator of Whispers -- decided against giving the sheriff any more ammunition in his fight to close adult clubs violating county ordinances.

It is not known if Maynor was one of the women who visited Bolton Monday.

Whispers is across the four-lane U.S. 74-76 from the Delco Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church, and is inside the 1,200-foot rule issued by the U.S. Supreme Court. The church property is 809 feet from the club. A residence is just 168 feet from Whispers.

Batten pledged to arrest the operators and/or employees of Whispers each day it opened after the county failed to get the temporary injunction last week because the county attorney declined to put an informant on the stand to give first-hand information about the county’s official complaint.

Last week’s court hearing resulted in the Magic Moments location being barred from business until a hearing on Aug. 18 to see if the closure can be made permanent. Representatives of Magic Moments did not appear to oppose the temporary closure.

Magic Moments, in operation since the late 1970s, had recently changed its outside signs from “massage” to “exotic dancing,” and an affidavit presented last week showed violations of activity permitted in adult entertainment locations.