Another NC rural party venue is under fire. This time neighbors filed a lawsuit.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Melissa DeRosier and her husband filed a lawsuit over parties at 4505 Scottland Drive.
- Deputies shut down two large parties, including one that blocked emergency access.
- State law exempts farms from local zoning, limiting counties' regulatory power.
Another rural party venue is getting attention for the wrong reasons in Orange County, but this time, neighbors may have a way to fight back.
The nearly 40-acre horse farm at 4505 Scottland Drive, south of Mebane, was built over 20 years ago in the Scottland Equestrian Estates subdivision. It’s a quiet cul-de-sac, just off the bustle of Mebane Oaks Road, near the Paws4Ever animal shelter.
But, in the last year, neighbors say the farm’s new operator, F7 BlackStone Ranch, has brought noise, traffic and increasing risks to public safety with parties that draw thousands of people.
The clash over agritourism is playing out in rural communities across the state, but in this case, a protective covenant limits the owner to living on site or operating a “commercial horse breeding, riding, and a training facility.”
It’s a tool many rural neighbors lack, Scottland Drive resident Jimmy Barbee told the Orange County commissioners on June 16.
“Our neighborhoods shouldn’t feel under siege. Our roads shouldn’t be blocked, and our families shouldn’t fear what happens after dark,” he said. “And our residents shouldn’t be confused about whether these events have official support.”
What does the farm owner say?
F7 BlackStone Ranch has leased the land since 2024 and offers horses, trail rides and farm-based experiences, owner James Montague told The News & Observer in an email. Last year, they added “larger events to help support the farm financially.”
Now Montague, a Raleigh community developer with an option to buy the farm, and Chapel Hill landowner Sunrise International Enterprise LLC are facing a lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court.
Montague declined to talk about the specific allegations, but said the farm recently ended “large, college-style field parties.”
“We made that change because we want a model that supports the long‑term success of the farm and fits better with being part of the surrounding community,” Montague said.
“While the legal issues are being resolved, my commitment is to operate the ranch as responsibly as I can and to find a fair balance between keeping the farm viable and being a good neighbor,” he said.
What’s the concern about rural parties?
Agritourism, such as weddings, farmstands and special events, is allowed under state law as a way for “bona fide” farms to earn more money from their land. Orange County limits farms to 12 large events a year and requires a rural special events permit.
But farms are exempt from local zoning, giving counties little control over what happens, and state law loosely defines a bona fide farm. That leaves a lot open to interpretation, creating event venues with little connection to agriculture.
Last year, 2,500 people attended a party at the Smokehouse Valley Farm venue in rural Cedar Grove, blocking Orange County emergency responders and neighbors, including a woman with a high-risk pregnancy who started having contractions.
Cars filled the street and yards, 911 records showed, and intoxicated people, some of them underage, passed out on the ground and wandered in the road.
Charges filed against Smokehouse Valley Farm owner Dwight Poole were dismissed in April. The prosecutor was unable to prove Poole encouraged underage drinking or sold alcohol without a permit, court records state.
The same venue hosted a Halloween party in 2018 that drew over 300 people and ended with a fight. High school senior Rashiaya Melton was fatally shot.
More injuries and a death were also reported this year at parties near Zebulon and in Alamance County, where deputies shut down a “Freaknik 26” party in Green Level on June 6. Over 2,500 people showed up, resulting in 20 arrests, 72 charges and 11 seized guns, the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office reported.
What’s the concern at F7 BlackStone Ranch?
Scotland Drive neighbors have called 911 about noise and traffic blocking the road and cutting across their yards, they told the commissioners. It helps — for a little while — said Melissa DeRosier, who filed the lawsuit with her husband in April.
“They have really loud amplified music. They have bands, DJs, sound shows, food trucks, alcohol, and so just kind of imagine that in your neighborhood, what that would be like for us,” DeRosier said.
County Commissioner Earl McKee saw it for himself earlier this year, recalling “a queue of cars going in that was probably stacked up a quarter of a mile” and clearly hearing “conversations, people yelling, the music, motorcycles getting revved up or ATVs” from inside a nearby home.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office shut down two parties, including the StarTime FieldFest, which blocked emergency access on Feb. 27, posing a risk to everyone, spokeswoman Alicia Stemper said. The other was an April 21 party that had about 2,000 people and was shut down after noise reports, she said.
The farm hired off-duty deputies for parties on April 8 and April 23, Stemper said. A neighbor reported a damaged mailbox on April 9, after the “Oil Spill” party that attracted over 4,000 North Carolina A&T students, according to Montague’s online post.
Venues typically hire one deputy for every 100 attendees, and while they don’t enforce party rules or check IDs, they can manage traffic and respond to offenses, Stemper said.
“We have to stay visible to be able to respond to the bigger concern, which is larger groups in general, larger groups in the dark, and with alcohol, there’s a whole host of things that can go wrong,” she said.
Montague doesn’t live at the ranch, but spends “a significant amount of time” there and is “committed to operating in a way that respects both the farm and the people who live around it,” he said.
He contends larger events haven’t “routinely overwhelmed the area or encouraged trespassing.” The events require invitations or tickets, there are clear parking rules and security, and they get an ABC permit or license when needed, he said.
“F7 BlackStone Ranch is, at its core, a working equestrian farm trying to survive in a difficult environment,” Montague said. “We have listened to concerns, ended the largest party‑style events, and are focusing on smaller, family‑oriented, farm‑based activities and agritourism.”
Change has to come from the state, said McKee, who talked with state lawmakers about the problem but doesn’t expect action.
“Some of the farms in Orange County probably would not be viable if it was not for agritourism, so it’s going to be a very hard, tight rope to walk, but it’s one we’re going to have to do before we completely lose control of the situation,” McKee said.
NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com.
