HOLIDAYS OFFER LITTLE MORE TO ENTERTAIN TEENS

The holiday season may offer plenty of good food, but pickin's are slim in terms of entertainment for Cape Girardeau teen-agers.

Local teen-agers and business people said the city has activities geared toward students under 18, but no specific activities for older teen-agers.

"I don't know if Cape doesn't have enough activities, or if kids just don't want to do what there is," said Lovell Lewis, 18. "We do need more activities like a club or something for the older kids."

Stephanie Drummond, community center director for the Salvation Army, agreed there are few entertainment options for older teen-agers. "There's really not much for the older kids to do with school out," she said.

Drummond said the Salvation Army usually has hours set for any students wanting to play basketball, but holiday projects and programs preempted those times right before Christmas.

Scott and LaKaren Porter own Hip Hop II, a video arcade at 329 S. Sprigg. They said they opened the business to give youngsters somewhere to go.

"At one point in my life an older person took time with me," said Scott Porter. "So that's why we decided to give the youth something to do, a place where they are wanted."

The Porters said there are businesses that cater to students: movie theaters and the ice- and roller-skating rinks. However, they said, these places are not easily accessible to teen-agers and other students who rely on others for their transportation.

There is the roller-skating rink but it's so far out," said LaKaren Porter. She said most of the teen-agers she knows only like to go skating on Saturday, which is Soul Night.

Although the options may seem to be few for teen-agers, officials said they are not resorting to criminal activity during the holidays. "The summer months are the busiest with the kids," said Sgt. Carl Kinnison of the Cape Girardeau Police Department. He said the summer months are usually when juvenile vandalism or other lesser crimes increases. "There's nothing unusual about December or January," he said.

Kinnison said Cape Girardeau has a curfew that applies to anyone under 16. There are exceptions, such as when a teen-ager is running an errand for a parent or is going to or from work, he said. Traditionally, few students are cited for curfew violation during holiday breaks, he said.

Most students said their holiday entertainment choices were basically going to see movies, hanging out at the mall, or going to a basketball game. Other activities named included roller or ice skating, or staying home and watching television.

"I play basketball most of the time," said Lewis, who is a member of Cape Girardeau Central's varsity basketball team. "I also go skating or to the movies or to the mall. There's not much more to do."

Sterling Mrazek, 17, who was enjoying a day of ice skating with his family, agreed. "I hang out with my friends, basically," he said. "Usually I sleep late or watch TV. It's pretty boring."

Scott Porter said hanging out is common for older teen-agers over the holiday breaks, and he doesn't mind if they do it at Hip Hop II. "We have a jukebox with all the latest music, and they like to come in, play the jukebox and games," he said. "I've been working with some of these kids for seven years, and they know we have their best interests in mind, and they respect that."

Porter said few students worry about specific entertainment plans during the holidays. "Basically, the kids are just going to hang out," he said. "They like to sleep late, then get up, get dressed, and go hang out with their friends."