In the News
Reprinted with permission of the Peoria Journal Star. Written by Tim McKenzie, Thursday, March 17, 2005.
Teens have a place in Chillicothe
CrossWord Cafe has games, music and adults who will listen to teens
CHILLICOTHE - In Meredith Wilson's River City, there's a clear connection between pool and trouble.
In his 1950s musical "The Music Man," a con artist points out that the word trouble starts with the letter T. The letter T rhymes with the letter P. And the letter P - well, that stands for pool.
But in the river city of Chillicothe, the game of pool is an alternative to trouble. It's a fun activity for teens to enjoy after school in an adult-supervised environment.
Just two blocks from the Illinois River in Chillicothe's quiet downtown, a former store was transformed into a hangout for teens about three years ago. The CrossWord Cafe at 947 N. Second St. offers coffee, foosball, air hockey, video games and - of course - pool.
"The reason we're doing this . . . is to give teens a place where it's safe," said John Heffron, the director of the cafe. It also gives teens the chance to build relationships with adults who can lend an ear if the youth ever need advice, Heffron said.
Matt Jones, 12, of Chillicothe comes down to the cafe whenever it's open. He plays hide and seek and other games, but he enjoys most the chance to test his pool skills.
It's fun "just to hang around the place since most of my friends come down here," Jones said.
The CrossWord Cafe was started by leaders in three churches: Chillicothe Bible Church, Chillicothe Christian Church and Assembly of God, said the Rev. Brent Ressler, a founder of the cafe and an associate pastor at Chillicothe Bible Church.
Ressler said the idea started with teens meeting and performing music inside Fedora's Pizza, which is located across the street from the current cafe.
"That was kind of popular ,so we started thinking maybe we could put something like this together," Ressler said.
But the cafe offers more than a place to gather after school with friends. In the back room, tutors help students with homework. And there is the activity suggested in "The Music Man" as an alternative to pool: Music.
Ressler and another pastor offer guitar lessons from 3 to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Ryan Smith, 15, of Chillicothe said he comes every Tuesday to improve his guitar playing.
Even though the place is religiously affiliated, no judgment is made on music or teens, he said.
"You can come in here a complete goth or a complete book worm, and no one would criticize you for it," Smith said.
Many of the youth who come each week do not attend one of the founding churches, said Ressler, who teaches about six or seven lessons on Tuesdays.
"It's been nice just to see kids who wouldn't do it otherwise," he said.
The lessons are free, and the cafe received two guitars as a gift, so teens who do not own a guitar can still take lessons.
"(It) gives them something positive to do," Ressler said. "Gives them a chance to learn something they might not otherwise do."
"We're performing music, and we'll be able to record music," Heffron said.
Sitting on an elevated platform, a computer is set up so teens can record and mix music.
"It can develop into something the kids can do for fun, or church - or who knows? It could end up becoming a career for them," Heffron said.
Although the system has been available for about a year, Heffron said people must still be trained on how the mixing equipment works before it can be used.
"We're in the process of enhancing what we already have," including covering the recently-remodeled plywood floor with tile, Heffron said.
The floor looks nice, but there's more to the cafe, said Logan Hall, 15, of Chillicothe.
"Just to be honest, if you need somebody to talk to, there's probably somebody down here," Hall said.
The CrossWord Cafe is open from 3 to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays for guitar lessons, tutoring or just to hang out. It is open again from 7 to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays for high school students only. Additionally, it opens Fridays and Saturdays for concerts as scheduled.
"The great thing is you can come hear when you're bored or feeling sad." Smith said. "You will not be able to get bored with this place for a long time."