Residents in an upscale Maryland neighborhood were outraged after a raucous pool party drew hundreds of guests into the street for hours of revelry.
The event, advertised on Instagram and Eventbrite as a “Wet Dreams”-themed pool party, was held at Stapleford Hall, a $1 million brick McMansion listed on Vrbo and AirBnB.
“If you went out the side door, it was above the acceptable decibel level,” said Mindy Farber of Rockville. He told FOX5 The rally on May 25th.
It was not immediately clear how many people attended the party, but local authorities He told MoCo360 At least 1,000 people likely stopped by to experience the event.
Nextdoor video provided to local media showed dozens of cars lined up on a quiet street on the night of the party.
“Our house didn’t shake, but you could almost feel the sidewalk shaking. It almost felt like an earthquake and they had fireworks going off for about an hour. If the fireworks had landed on our house, it could have started a huge fire,” Farber, who lives across the street from the parsonage, told FOX 5.
“Some people were shouting while the music was playing: ‘Where are the whores?’ It was very provocative,” she added.
FOX5 reported that the venue’s owners sent a text message to neighbors ahead of the event, informing them that about 300 guests would arrive by shuttle bus and that off-duty police officers would be on site to provide security.
“I will be present to oversee the activity and ensure it doesn’t get out of hand,” the document read in part.
The media outlet reported that the landlord added that he hopes to host large pool parties at least once a month until October to offset the “exorbitant” legal costs.
“I think everyone has the right to have a party on their property,” said another neighbour, who declined to give his name.
“Renting the space or selling the property for use by others who are not necessarily responsible for what happens in the neighborhood is a nebulous proposition,” they added.
Local authorities told FOX 5 the commercial party also violated several rules.
As of Monday night, the Department of Permit Services and the Department of Health and Human Services had both issued violation notices to the property, citing illegal residential use for commercial purposes, unauthorized short-term rentals and unauthorized business activities.
According to public records, Stapleford Hall is owned by Keith and Elizabeth Burgess.
Reached by phone Tuesday morning, Keith Burgess explained that he is separated from his wife and was not involved in the partying.
After news of the raucous event was made public, Burgess told The Washington Post that he filed for an emergency injunction to block future events, which was granted last week.
Elizabeth Burgess did not immediately respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment.
