 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
New nightclub counts on enough 'good kids'
By JENNIFER GOLDBLATT © St. Petersburg Times, published March 22, 2001 HOLIDAY -- Planet Xtreme, an alcohol-free nightclub featuring live music, food and arcade games for 13- to 20-year-olds, is scheduled to open Friday. "I really see a need for this in the area," said Kimber Jackson, one of the owners. "There's really nothing in this area for kids to do." Jackson and her husband, Chad, have gotten together with her sister Chandre Valdes and her husband, Gene Valdes, for the venture. Jackson and her husband have performed in an '80s band called "Martha Quinn," and she has worked at various clubs in the New Port Richey area. The Valdes family owns Pool Patrol Inc., a 10-year-old pool service and renovations company in New Port Richey. The 8,000-square-foot club will feature a dance floor, an arcade with games such as Foosball and air hockey and pool tables. The club also will provide food such as pizza, corn dogs and nachos. Admission will be $6, and the club has a no re-entry policy. Jackson says she is expecting about 600 teens per night. On Saturdays, from noon to 4 p.m., the club will be open to kids younger than 14, who, for $4, can come to dance, hear music or play in the arcade. To ensure that there's no trouble, the owners have hired off-duty deputies from the Pasco County Sheriff's Office to maintain crowd control. The owners also have gotten a metal detector wand, which they plan to use on every person admitted on Friday and Saturday nights. "We want kids to come in here and have a good time, but we don't want things to get out of hand," Kimber Jackson said. The Pasco County Sheriff's Office also has a community office in the Holiday Square shopping center, where officers can stop and finish routine reports or use the phone. Gene Valdes says that the club's policies of no re-entry, no loitering, no drugs, no alcohol and no weapons will be a key part of keeping trouble at bay. "We want a place where everyone feels safe," he said. "There are more good kids than bad kids." The owners say that they have booked six acts so far, including Robyn Fox, Illana Wyce, OliveCarpet and Born into Kaos. -- Times researcher Cathy Wos contributed to this report. If you goPlanet Xtreme, 1040 U.S. 19 in Holiday Square shopping center, will be open Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. and feature live music and disc jockeys. Wednesdays the club will feature battle of the bands contests.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From today's Pasco Times |
