When you walk into this place, you're treated like a convict.

So, how was the opening?

Good comments melstew47 (apart from the grammar, lol) I agreee, everyone always has to put in their 2 cents on teen activities and fear is usually behind it. The idea of releasing control for a few hours is frightening to today's helicopter parent!

prison culture??

can someone please tell me what culture wears there pants down far enough to show there underwear lets see I dont think its the african culture or the mexican culture or the white culture hmmm I give, does anyone know?

http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/drivers/dri...
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I says here that ID cards are $28 for 8 years. FYI

**Plan colored t-shirts can have nothing to do with a gang, for instance, a plain white-t can often label yourself as a coke dealer. A lot of places are against it now.

this young man dante has wonderful idea and a great dream,but i hope this doesnt turn into a nightmare for him.this sounds like a club for only the rich kids of janesville lol and thats what it will turn out to be,with their nosy meddling soccer moms trying to run it,already seen one person say,the parents need to be involved in this,uh no they dont,so let this young man run this place how he sees fit,im sure he doesnt need june clever in there running her mouth on how things should be done.a dress code,hmmm,to me that would mean he only wants certain clientelle in there,and it is his place so he can be prejudice against whomever he wants lol.this is going to be interesting to watch.good luck to you sir,you seem to be a good young man with great ideas,but youve already stepped on alot of toes by some of your rules.as far as the boys sagging,i know a few boys that sag their pants,but ill tell you what,they work 10 hours a day,5 days a week and their good kids,and then i know a few with the collared shirts,and so forth lol and theyre so stoned and cracked out its crazy,but how i understand those are the ones who get to come in cuz they dress a certain way,lol.the ones that come there that fit your profile will be the ones who cause the most trouble,bring the most drugs and always be drunk.lol

FYI: Kids in my neighborhood have started to ask already about lawn cleanup, ect. to raise the money to go to the club. They think it is a great idea and are actually excited about dressing up! Way to build confidence, work ethics and good morale in so many kids!

Mr. Evans is an inspiration to the community. He is making his dream a reality. At the same time, he is providing teens & young adults a safer alternative to gangs and deviant behaviors. Kids who have ''nothing'' to do may be lured into gangs by the exciting possibilities from the street, ie: cars, money, etc. Once these individuals fall victim, many times it is difficult for them to find their way out.
My only concern is the cost...some individuals may not be able to afford $10.. Maybe they can offer memberships at a discount rate for low income families.

This is awesome! I agree with the rules and hope they are all fully enforced so I can feel good and safe about my middle schooler attending. I would also be willing to help volunteer. Janesville really needs this positive progress in our area! Way to go Donte :-)

'Police have blamed certain kinds of music for causing problems in some bars, but Evans believes the cause of those problems was alcohol, not the music. His customers are not of drinking age'

yeah right. i find it hard to believe that a legal drug could change peoples perspectives and thought processes enough for them to make poor choices. if it was really a negative as this guy implies it would be illegal for even the most responsible of consumers to consume...right??

Janesville can be so negative!! I for one am thankful that someone has come forward. Maybe this will keep them from vandalizing other things on weekends. Or loitering, causing problems, etc. Summer is coming, weather is getting nicer, believe me the teens of this town need something to occupy them, or there will be problems. Good luck Donta, Id's can be had for a believe $4.00 at DMV, so they can go there to get one. T-shirts is probably to do with the gangs. I can tell he has put a lot of thought into this and wish him nothing but the best. My granddaughter will be there thank you!

It is pretty sad that people are already being negative towards this idea before it even starts. Give the man a chance first.

Donta: Awsome idea! Thanks for thinking of the parents. I'll be at the open house! As for kid not having anything to do in Janesville. They should open their eyes! The frisbee golf course is constantly busy, I see balls bouncing all around town on various courts, there's an active scouting program, and many events if they look and are willing to try something new. Music and sports aren't always the answer.

This is a wonderful idea and very much needed in the community. I'm 100% in agreement with the rules. It will help keep out the "riff raff." But then again, they would likely be "too cool" to go there.

I think this is a wonderful idea and I hope it is around when my daughter gets into middle school. I have always thought Janesville could use something like this, but I myself never had the funds to do it. I am go glad someone else is able to. I do have to say I agree with the rules, but I don't understand the whole thing with wearing plain colored t-shirts. I can promise you that I have and still do wear plain colored t-shirts and well, I have never nor will I ever belong to a gang, if that is what this is about........so I do think that is a little limiting, otherwise, I can't find anything bad with this idea at all! Great job and the best of luck to you! To those that think showing an id is a bad thing, well I am over the legal drinking age and guess what…. I sometimes still have to show my id when I want to go into a bar, so I don’t see where showing a student id or state id to enter is a bad thing.

AWESOME, sounds like a great idea. I'm sure there is a significant need for the club and look forward to my daughter having a safe place to go to hang out with her friends and make new friends or see friends from other schools.

again great idea, and looks like you have experience with kids !!!! good luck and look forward to having you in the community !!!!!

again, watch what happens in the parking lots.
!!!!! also if kids look like they are under the influence (of ANYTHING)i highly recomend you getting some one ELSE (like the police, under age drinking etc) involved or it will wreck your reputation, and that will shut you down faster than you think.. meaning kids are getting drunk or high BEFORE they go to your club and then you will be held responsible. that alone will kill it all.!!!!!!!!!! again I personally applaud you . but it will be rough. keep your head up and keep the community involved in what your doing. get the backing of the people, it will help you for sure !!!!

dante... that is awesome that some one is wiling to step up and give the kids a place to go. i applaud you.

but, be careful.... i remember tha teen club teams that was by the country club, failed. alot of kids were coming from other communities causing problems. be very careful on who you let in and watch what happens in the parking lot... janesville community will shut you down in a heart beat if they think it is a negative place. they will call the cops or complain until you are out of business.

I think this is a great idea and would be more than willing to come and help in any way that is needed! As a single mom of two middle school aged girls, I know how "bored" the kids are in this town. I won't allow my kids to go wandering around. I grew up in this town and went to a lot of the old teen clubs. I will definately take my kids here and am willing to stay and help supervise as a volunteer.

MikeF, I assume a collared shirt could be warn unbuttoned, over a non-plain T-shirt. I think the point is to discourage the plain t-shirts worn by gangs.

COLORS comes to mind here Does anyone remember that place Well I do and Hope it doesn't end up the same. IMO Music does have an impact on the crowd it draws.I wish Him the best of luck and hope he succeeds. I hope they keep it to local Kids.

I'm curious why plain colored t-shirts are specifically banned. I understand that they don't fit the collar requirement, but why go the extra step to mention them in particular? Is there some significance to plain t-shirts that I don't know?

Great idea! Sounds a bit like the old Beloit Pop House Club that served teens for many years. The best of luck!

Thank you for taking a risk and investing in our youth, your future will be bright.

I applaud this, but I hope they don't have "music"(its not really music) with ignorant, violent, etc. lyrics......Anyone who believes that doesn't have negative effects is fooling themselves.
I can't imagine why someone would put in all the effort for something like this and then sabotage their own effort by doing that.
That would be like defecating in your own lunch.

Mr. Evans, Thank you for believing in our kids. I believe in your dream and wish you and the kids the best of luck at making this a success. I would like to volunteer/donate and will be watching for a website or will attempt to find you at the open house. I 100% support showing a valid id and enforcing a dress code. (It's fun to dress up, the kids might like it!) Thank you again for your efforts. Together as a community and as dedicated parents, we will make this work! BRAVO!!

Nice idea, but I don't think kids need nightclubs. I'd agree, there isn't much for Janesville kids to do. Why is that? How about paving every last piece of suburbia, then restricting skate boarding and bike riding? How about tearing out a world class BMX track to put in gardens? How about shutting down the roller rink? How about we prohibit anything vaguely "dangerous" for fear of getting sued, pave every last piece of trail and shut down anything that isn't "sanctioned". How about parents turn off the video games and disconnect the cable and take your kids outside?
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Yes, there are some things to do, the Hedberg Library is great, but when we continually restrict children's options under the misdirected guise of safety, you get bored kids not interested in the world around them.

http://www.zerogravityclub.com/

"Police have blamed certain kinds of music for causing problems in some bars, but Evans believes the cause of those problems was alcohol, not the music...For security, Evans will hire off-duty police and military people, who also will patrol the parking lots to discourage loitering."

While I wish him the best--and there is likely a need for something like this--the odds are against it and I don't doubt that "the music" is a part of the problem and no amount of "police and military" (if that is even feasible) prowling the grounds will circumvent it.

Chris Rock said it best in his 1992 HBO special, "Bring the Pain" (the segment is available on YouTube). Jus' trying to keep it real...

I agree that this is a great thing for local kids. There really hasn't been much to do in Janesville for kids in a long time. When I was in my teens we had 3 skating rinks, Chalk and Cue pool hall, and of couse all of the great parks. I have no idea what happened to kids hanging out at Riverside Park. When I went to high school it was always packed with Frisbee playing kids. Go there now and it's a ghost town. There were places to ride mini bikes and motorcycles. I think there would be a lot less juvenile crime if there were more for these kids to do. I see this as step in the right direction but there is a lot more that could be done.

The Janesville boys and girls club had a program for teens in there old building. The attendance was very low but again they had very little going on to bring the kids to the club. Music is always a big draw to kids along with game tables. I am sure he is on the right track to bring kids to the building. I hope parents get behind this and bring there kids down there and look in to see all the good things that are happening for there kids.

biscuit5, I don't know if you are aware or not, but the term retard is considered offensive and has been for years. If you didn't know - you do now.

Donta or anyone in the know - is there a way for public to donate money or time to this project? Please post how we can contact Donta. THANKS.

MRuGlYhANdS - Please fill your cup up - it appears to be near empty again.

Use to live near large cities that had dance clubs for teens with real bands - this is great news for kids of Janesville. Hope to see the club management do all that it says it will.

Good luck Mr. Evens. I pray your way works for all involved.

Good for those kids.
I'm 22 years old. What about my generation? What about those kids in the early 2000s that lost their skating place? What about the people who have had nothing to do but sink into a downward spiral while they are looking for jobs? What do we have? bars?
Oh thats great!

It will fail unless there is plenty of supervision in all areas of the club. I don't mean bouncers - I mean adults with morals who are not pedophiles. Considering that most responsible adults wouldn't work at a bar for teens - I would give this noble idea about a 10% chance of lasting 6 months. 0% of lasting a year.

Agree with displaced worker, but hoping he's wrong. How many times has a teen club been opened in janesville only to close within a month or two? Hopefully Mr Evans' is the exception that makes it work.

MikeF, if sessions are only open to specific age groups, how else would you know how old the children are? The article also says State Id's are acceptable.

I do think this is a great opportunity to take some of the boredom out of our area youth. I am glad that it has been brought up that the dress code might be to strict. I am all for kids expressing their personal identities. I agree that they should be expected to dress respectfully, but maybe be a little more lax on the code. Also agree 100% on the person who commented on the Edgerton Youth Center Non-Toxic. It is amazingly run! I hope this Janesville center can remain as positiveand committed for the kids as Non-Toxic has for all these years.

kheat05- I agree that the way SOME kids dress is appalling and I would never let mine own, let alone wear in public what some do, but the dress code includes "collared shirts, no plain T-shirts". First, this is redundant as t-shirts are not collared shirts so would not be allowed anyway, but why collared shirts? Are they not allowed to wear the t-shirt they got as a member of their high school sports team? YMCA sports t-shirt? The "Live United" t-shirt from Youth Service Day? Packers jersey? These are not "collared" and would not be considered appropriate attire under this dress code policy. And yet pajamas would be acceptable during "pajama parties".
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Don't misunderstand me. I really hope this venture is successful as this city really needs something of this nature. I just fear these restrictions, along with the metal detectors and security patrols, are going to prevent it from being viable long term.

This really is a wonderful thing! Good for you for establishing the rules! Nowadays, you have to have so many rules just to keep the kids safe. MikeF.. as far as the dress code, he is right on. The way kids dress these days is completely appalling.

There was something very similar to this where I grew up and I loved it! There would be a dj every friday night and the occasional live band and I looked forward to it all the time. Unfortunately, it was always geared towards middle school kids so by the time I was in high school, it wasn't cool to hang out there anymore, so good for you for making separate nights for the kids!!

Great idea Donta! There will be rough times and naysayers, but with your passion for youth, you have the tools to succeed. Keep pushing the youth center/activity zone part of the business.

With the overhead cost in mind, Personal that will need to be reimbursed for services will be required to keep this a safe establishment, how does this remain a profitable business? Even night clubs that make large profits with the sales of alcohol at times find it difficult to remain open during difficult times especially when located in poverty stricken areas…. Good luck to you Sir

Wonderfully needed and wonderfully planned. Ignore the negativity Donta, you obviously know kids after working with them for so many years.

Best of luck to you and please do start that Facebook page so that we can all keep up with your progress!

Donta; is there anything the community can do to help? This is great!!!! If people help it will work. Parents need to be involved in this for it to work.

Make it work. You have some very positive ideas.
Good luck!

Photo ID suppressing attendance? Yes, a group not welcome are homeschoolers who do not have school picture IDs. Their parents (teachers) tend to know who they are. :)
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I think there are too many rules for attending. Especially the dress code. Why not accept teens for who they are and not judge them by how they dress? Perhaps a model closer to Non-Toxic Teen Center in Edgerton would be more successful. They have been around since 1993 so I think they know what works and what doesn't. http://www.nontoxicteencenter.com/

cnw... I'm a member of "the left" and I'm all for kids showing id's. This a great addition to Janesville and I wish it all success. As far as a "detention center" feeling, it should put parents minds to rest knowing their middle and high schoolers are being taken care of and will be safe. Hopefully any troublemakers will stay away so that kids really do have somewhere fun and safe to hang out. Congratulations and good luck!!

I hope he's successful but I'm afraid that when the left hears about the I.D. requirement they'll be screaming "IT'S NOT FAIR, IT'LL SUPPRESS ATTENDANCE, IT'S TOO MUCH OF A HARDSHIP ON POOR PEOPLE."

It sounds more like a juvenile detention center:
•Must show a valid school or state ID to enter.
•Precautions will include a metal detector and a surveillance system.
•Anyone causing trouble will be photographed
•Off-duty police and military people, who also will patrol the parking lots to discourage loitering.
I'm just sayin', FUN FUN FUN!

Good luck to Mr. Evans! Thank you for being a positive role model for our youth.

Hopefully this has a positive outcome! Many times these types of environments turn into nothing but a headache for the community and the owner. I wish you the best of luck! The kids today need something like this!

This is a wonderful idea! I wish you a BIG SUCCESS in your venture!

About time!! This is a big step for Janesville!! Way to go Donta!!