Flannelkimono's Akron: Satanic Panic in Kenmore! 1985.

I grew up in Kenmore, on the south side of Akron. We lived on what most townies refer to as the "fake side" of Kenmore,  in a small development of homes known as Castle Homes. My elementary school, Guinther Elementary, was a short walk from home. But, they only went from kindergarten to third grade. From fourth grade until sixth grade, I would have to make a longer walk (or get a ride) to Highland Park Elementary. 

From our house, the easiest way to get to Highland Park was to cut through Lisa Ann Park, a small park tucked back into the neighborhood. The back of the park butted up against the back part of the fields at the elementary school. There was always a gang of us who would be cutting through there daily.

That is, until the summer of 1985, when the local newspaper warned citizens of SATAN WORSHIP SUSPECTED IN KENMORE.

 

First, a little background on Satanic Panic.

Even Oprah was scared!

 

In the eighties and into the nineties, there was a societal fear of the occult (commonly referred to as "Satanic Panic"), which was mostly fed to us by mass media. There were endless depictions of teens, who had strayed from any sort of religious beliefs, allegedly swayed by the music they were listening to, books they were reading, movies they had seen, etc. Two of the most famous examples of Satanic Panic: 

• In 1984, 19-year old John McCollum was found dead in his bedroom, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. McCollum's parents believed that Ozzy Osbourne's music had hidden lyrics urging their son to kill himself, so they decided to take Ozzy to court. Ozzy explained that the song "Suicide Solution" had no hidden lyrics, and that the song was an anti-suicide song, written about a friend who had drank himself to death. I remember watching clips of the trial, and the "experts" that they brought to the stand, playing songs backwards, claiming there were hidden messages in songs. That case lingered in court until 1988, when the case was dismissed after ruling that John's suicide didn't have anything to do with Ozzy's song. Incidentally: 1985 was also when the Parent's Music Resource Center (PMRC) was formed by some bored politician's wives in DC, and parental advisory stickers started showing up on albums.

• The West Memphis Three were convicted of murdering three children. Their conviction was based on the fact that the three young men listened to bands like Metallica and drew pentagrams on shit (like every other metal listening boy in the nineties did). They spent 18 years in jail before finally being released in 2020 on an Alford plea (with tons of financial support from Pearl Jam, Natalie Maines of The Chicks, and Johnny Depp. If you haven't already, I'd recommend watching Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, and get ready to get fucking mad.

When I was in high school, my boyfriend's parents found out that he was playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends on the weekend. His mom (a devout Lutheran) ordered a pamphlet, I believe from the 700 Club, about how D&D was a direct link to Satan. 

Speaking of 700 Club, watch this clip from 1989; it perfectly encapsulates the idea of Satanic Panic (and is also hilarious to watch--the Iron Maiden song they mentioned totally rips). Enjoy the video, and then let's get back to Akron, June 1985...

In June of 1985, animals had been found mutilated in Lisa Ann Park. There was a pentagram drawn in blood, which made investigators believe that these were sacrifices being made by a satanic cult, and not just by some kid who thought it would be edgy and funny. An Akron based group called Cult Watch held a meeting at Highland Park Elementary, warning parents about the potential for their children to become cult members or even human sacrifices.  

It's worth noting that the gym had been rented for this "community meeting"  by The Rev. Dale Smith, a pastor at the nearby Sherwood Baptist Church, who said there was no proof of satanic activity other than the mutilated animals. Audience members were more concerned with the fact that Lisa Ann was a place where teenagers congregated to "take drugs and drink", and wanted solutions for stopping that behavior, but Smith seemed adamant about pushing the idea of Satanic Panic in Kenmore, holding more meetings at his church.

At another informational meeting (this time held at the church), an Akron city council person said that police had found four more animals had been found mutilated, but "there has been no complaints by Kenmore or other Akron residents of pets being targets of mutilations." A representative from the police department and the mayor's office said that they were taking the allegations of cult activity seriously, but "just as police often have to wait for a rapist or burglar strikes again, it may take repetition before police can identify a pattern to help solve the mutilation cases." A group of men had started to patrol Lisa Ann Park, carrying baseball bats and asking people what they were doing in the park. Other residents of Kenmore thought that everyone was being hard on the teenagers hanging out in the park, because they didn't really have anywhere else to hang out in the neighborhood.

It was also never discussed that there could've been some creepy kid killing animals for fun. I went to school with plenty weirdos who would've killed animals. It was immediately chalked up to SATANIC RITUALS by a loud mouthed preacher. 

And, just like I remember it, everything was just forgotten. There aren't many articles available with information beyond those two church organized meetings, and one about a man wearing a hood trying to lead kids through Lisa Ann Park to the church.In the way that I remember Rev. Smith, I wouldn't be surprised if the entire thing was just a way to drive people to join his church. I'm just glad I never got sacrificed to the devil, sounds like a bad time.