By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@thecitizennews.com

There used to be a semi-valid complaint with Fayette County stating that there was very little for teenage residents to do.

With two teen centers recently opening in the county, Jitterbuggers and, more recently, The Market, that isn't true anymore. Both venues offer exactly what modern adolescents seek these days — options.

Both Jitterbuggers and The Market offer teens entertainment, dancing, games, concessions and a place to go. The clubs bring the community together, involving them in many aspects of the club as well as offering large events that often rival similar events in Atlanta.

The Market in Fayetteville opened last Friday night. A crowd of just over 300 teens dropped in from all over Fayette County, and there were live broadcasts from both The Beat 95.5 FM and Hot 97.5 FM. The patrons danced, played video games and pool, won prizes and had an overall good time.

“Things went really well,” said owner Taylor Williams. “It took us awhile to get open but we are excited about the future of the club. We'll have group signings and mini-concerts, Christian rock and gospel shows, teen summits and a cable show.”

The show will be like “American Bandstand.” It will be a dance show broadcast on local cable access that gets feedback from area youth, while remaining entertaining.

“Fridays and Saturdays will always be dancing,” said Williams. “Eventually, we'll have stuff going on all week with churches and youth groups. We want there to always be something going on here, especially during the summer.”

The Market will certainly be a busy place with lots going on. Currently, the club is open Fridays and Saturdays from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Admission is $8.

The teen club in Peachtree City is doing well too. In the last 10 months, Jitterbuggers has grown in membership from no members to over 300 teens. Twelve bands have played rock, swing, punk and pop over 60 different times. One evening event drew 8,463 people inside the club, including members, volunteers, staff, bands, parents, media and special guests.

Jitterbuggers also has helped people start teen centers in 12 different states and owners hope to start affiliate Jitterbuggers Teen clubs in nine other locations in Georgia as well as 11 other states that the club has received letters and e-mails from during the last 10 months.

“My proudest moments recently were in January 2000 when the club appeared on a follow-up program to the program Georgia Public Television recently aired, “The Lost Kids of Rockdale County.” We participated in a forum which was aired throughout the Southeast and selected markets nationwide,” said Richard Thompson, owner. “My part was discussing teen centers as an alternative for kids to keep busy in their own community.”

As spring rolled in, Jitterbuggers was awarded a Metro Atlanta United Way Grant for Small Business Achievment. The club was in competition with many other companies throughout our region. The club also is in final negotiations to move into larger quarters with the city of Peachtree City contracting to cover additional rental expense.

Many people, especially teens, might have been skeptical when these places first opened, but their success is eye-opening. The key now is to keep the places fresh and, most importantly, fun. If you build it, not only will they come, they'll bring their friends and they'll come back.

Back to the Top of the PageBack to the Weekend Home Page