Clinton News-Record, 1971-04-29, Page 11The audience~ perched on their cushions on the Met, lean against
the wall while watching The Motherhood.,
Thursday, April 29, 1)71 106 Year - No. 1
That's it, way up there„ the way kids are getting high in
Clinton these days.
Koffee house is The One FOR ALL
(Moon, io riu Secoud .Sectiou
If you're sitting at this club, you have to look up to those who stand. Seating is provided on
cushions on the carpeted floor with tables also at a low level. Between sets by the band, these
teenagers get a chance to talk.
• .A• •
_ .
A popular place at the club is the snack barb Even here the prices are tailored for the teenager who
doesn't have bulging pockets. Coffee costs only a dime.
The Brotherhood from Landon, a gospel rock group, provided charge was made for the first time since the club opened two
the first live entertainment at the new club Saturday night and weeks ago. the snialt charge, to defray the oak' of the band still
attracted the largest atidiehte yet, even though an admission 'did not'Meet all 'costs.
I r
Go up that flight of steps painted in gaudy shades of pink and
purple, turn left, and you're in The Koffee House, the new
club for the young people of Clinton.
their first time. It led them to
the small door jammed between
the two stores on Albert Street
and up the long flight of pink
and purple steps to the club.
Hank Gelling greeted them at
the top of the stairs. Hank and
his wife run the club or drop-in
centre or whatever you'd like to
call it. They are both young
enough themselves not to look
too much out of place among
the teenagers that have been
finding the club an interesting
place to gather during the past
couple of weeks it has been
open.
MOTTLED RUG
Inside, on the mottled rug of
patched-together carpet samples,
the kids lounged on cushions
around low tables grouped
around the stage. Back at the
back many made use of the
snack bar supervised by Mrs.
Gelling.
The walls of the club had a
certain psychodelic affect due to
the variety of wallpaper samples
used to cover the walls.
The Brotherhood came on
stage for their first set and the
lights dimmed. They ran into an
embarassing problem almost at
the start when their coloured
spotlights blew a fuse soon after
the beginning of the show, but
they played on in the darkness
and the audience remained
patient until the fuse was
replaced.
It soon became obvious that
the kids were enjoying
themselves as they clapped and
sang along while The
Brotherhood performed Put
Your Hand in the Hand, the
Gene McLellan tune with an
infectious rythm. And it was
obvious from the look on his
face that Hank Gelling was
enjoying their enjoying it.
The germ of the idea of
starting such a club in Clinton
began with the Gellings last
winter when they took a busload
of local youngsters to London to
a musical show sponsored by the
London Youth for Christ, This
led to several other excursions to
London and a visit to the
Searching Bye, a club sponsored
by the Youth for Christ in
London, Mr. Gelling began to
think something like it would be
good for Clinton.
KIDS HELPED
The couple decided to go
ahead and start a club, They
rented an unused apartment
above a main street store arid got
ideas from the London Club on
'just what Should and shouldn't
be done. Much of the work was
done by work parties of local
kids who volunteered their time.
In fact there were so many
willing helpers that sometimes it
was a problem finding enough
for them to do so they wouldn't
get in each others way,
The wallpaper and carpet
samples were scrounged from
helpful merchants and someone
donated fixtures for the
bathroom. Others, interested in
the idea, donated money to help
defray the almost $500 that had
to be spent to outfit the club
with underlay for the carpet
samples, paint, and the
record-player and amplifier
system.
Mike Sheltanick from the
Searching Eye dropped in one
afternoon to lend a hand and the
voice of experience, He
expressed amazement, according
to Mr. Gelling, at the response of
the kids in helping put the club
together. When the club started
in London the organizers had to
do most of their own work, but
the Ceilings had up to 35 helpers
at a time.
OPEN TWO WEEKS
So the club opened two
weeks ago and attracted about
50 to its first venture, an "under
'attack" program—It- was—opeti '
again that Saturday night just
for those who wanted to drop
in, and had another 30-40
visitors. Last Wednesday saw
about 70 persons tour the layout
during an open house. And the
biggest crowd of all came out
Saturday night with 73 paying a
small charge to hear, and sing
along with, The Brotherhood.
The venture is already
something of a success but the
costs of upkeep on the club may
keep it depending on donations
to pay the way, Rent, utilities
and miscellaneous expenses add
up to nearly $75 a month on the
club and revenues from the
snack bar aren't likely to pay the
way since the Ceilings are trying
to keep costs to the users of the
club down. lven with the
admission charge and the low
cost of the band Saturday night,
the club lost a small amount of
money,
But then, the purpose of the
club isn't to make money, but to
provide entertainment and a
place for the kids to gather. And
the club may not be a success
financially but it's already a
success with the kids.
It would be easy to walk right
by, the One For All Koffee
House and not even know it was
there, that is if no musical group
was playing.
As it was, with The
Brotherhood playing Saturday
night, the music provided a
, guide for many who made their
way to the new folk club for
• • • and all for one at this neiv
Club for Clinton youth