Sex Fetish Festival Canceled In Canton

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Sex show controversy. A fight in court over a sex fetish festival that was set to come to Canton this weekend. Wednesday night, the community moved to block the adult entertainment.

Meghan McCorkell has more.

That racy event was set to take place at DuBurns Arena this coming weekend, but now a court battle has derailed those plans.

Erotic whipping, polyamory and rope bondage are just some of the classes that were being offered at Touch of Flavor, a bondage and sadomasochism convention.

The location? In the heart of Canton inside the DuBurns Arena.

"Inappropriate for the neighborhood. There's a lot of families here," said Joanne Mandato.

News of the event sent shock waves through the Canton community.

"You cannot have nudity and sex acts in a facility geared towards sports for kids," said Greg Marsh, Canton Community Association.

The arena, which is right next to a playground, is normally home to children's programs, soccer games and boxing. It even hosts church services on Sundays.

The sex expo was signed off on by the previous managers of the arena but the new management company, Coppermine, has won a victory in court to block the event, saying nudity and sex acts violate their policies.

"We do not pass judgment on what it is they are electing to do; they just can't do it in close proximity to children," said attorney Susan Green.

The court ruling is a relief to some Canton residents.

"I think the best thing that could have happened is probably for this not to happen," Marsh said.

The organizers of the expo say they plan to reschedule. They say overall public reaction has been positive and many Canton residents were planning to attend the expo. Click here to read a full press release.

Organizers of the expo say they first signed a contract to use the DuBurns Arena in October. The new management company took over in January.

Coppermine officials say they weren't informed about the contract for the sex expo until just last month.