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.

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