Blake's Cupcakery and Cafe, the new eating establishment in the former Arabica Town Park location, started a new venture to help local teens.
"Teen night" occurs every other Friday night after closing from 8 p.m. to midnight.
The idea is to provide area teenagers with a place to go and hang out with their friends under safe conditions. Live bands and a DJ provide entertainment and refreshments are available. A Summit County Sheriff's deputy is on hand for security, along with staff members. The age limit is 15 to 19. Teens are asked to provide identification to verify their age. A cover charge of $4 is required to cover expenses.
“Our idea was to provide the teens with a safe environment on Friday nights,” said owner Derek Williams. “So far things have gone pretty well, with no real problems. The kids have behaved very well, and we hope to keep this going.”
The idea for teen night started when the plaza began having troubles with teens on weekends. To solve the problem, Community Resource Officer Todd Hart talked with the merchants and suggested they hire Summit County deputies for security.
“While there, I talked with Derek and heard about his idea for teen night,” Hart said. “I suggested that he have a regular deputy on duty for security and he readily agreed with this idea.”
Derek's son, Gordon, and his friend, Brandon Elliott thought of teen night. They approached Derek and he agreed to back them. That was when Hart got involved and the plan progressed from an idea to reality.
“We wanted to give the kids a place to come and have fun without them having to worry about alcohol, drugs or gangs,” Elliott said. “We got lots of support from Gordon's dad and Deputy Hart, plus a lot of my friends.”
On June 26. the Band "Pleasure Pack" opened the night followed by DJ B.J. Kix. There was a fog machine and club lights, along with a dance crew to set the stage for audience involvement. The first 100 teens received a souvenir.
Band member Ryan Robinson said, “That this is a great atmosphere. There is a nice bunch of kids here, and it gives them something to do other then get in trouble. We had a great time and hope to be back to play here again.”
“The band is awesome,” said Gabby Dimengo. “This is a really nice place.”
“This is a cool way to meet people from other schools,” said Melissa Weinsz. “It is reassuring to have such a safe environment to hang out in.”
“It is fun to come here,” said Zach Cercone. “There is not much to do for teens in Green and it is good to get together with your friends and meet other kids from different schools.”
Hart spread the word in his capacity as resource officer in Green schools, and information was also put out on MySpace. On a typical Friday night teens from Jackson, North Canton, Lake, Canton South, Green, Louisville, and Canton Central Catholic were in attendance.
“This is really a cool place to go and hang out with your friends," said Michelle Jamil. "I like the band. and like to "rock out. And the light up teeth were neat.”
The main thing is having a fun, but safe environment.
“Something like this is good for the kids and helps keep them out of trouble,” said Hart. “So far problems have been relatively minor. I did turn away the very first student at the door because I knew she was underage. It does help that I know a lot of the kids because of my duties in Green schools.We won't tolerate any trouble such as alcohol or drugs, and keep the kids either in the restaurant or the fenced in area outside. They are not allowed to roam around or go out to their cars.”
Hopefully this new idea will take root and provide local teens with a safe place to congregate and have fun under adult supervision.
