By Jodi Hausen,Staff Writer

FARMINGTON – Someplace in Farmington on Saturday nights scores of teens are hanging out, and it’s a good time with sports and entertainment.

Serving up to 50 middle and high school students, the Community Center’s Someplace Teen Center is open once again. Supervised by at least three adults from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturdays, area teens can enjoy video games, air hockey, Ping-Pong or basketball at the center, according to Jodie Nelson, assistant director for the town’s recreation department.

It’s an open building, Nelson said Wednesday. The gym is available for basketball or other sports and downstairs there’s a plethora of entertainment geared toward the target age group. The center also shows a movie on the big screen television each Saturday.

There are three PlayStations, two Xboxes and one Nintendo Gamecube and about 50 different video games available. In addition, the center has a “game chamber” complete with surround sound and couches, Nelson said.

Four computers provide more gaming options and Internet access. The computers have monitoring software that not only prevents teens from accessing inappropriate sites but also allows supervisors to monitor surfing activity from a remote office computer.

“They know that if they are irresponsible or inappropriate, we’ll take that privilege away from them,” Nelson added.

There are no real organized programs, she said.

“We’re just here to supervise and provide a safe environment (for the teens to gather),” she said. “The main rule is that if you’re in, you’re in, if you’re out, you’re out,” she continued, explaining that once a teen leaves the center, they can not return that same night.

Most of the supervising adults are upperclassmen at University of Maine at Farmington who are “just interested in kids in general,” she said. Several are returning from last year.

She encourages staff to get involved with the teens, playing basketball with them, for example.

“They’re just interested in coming in, making a difference and being a positive influence,” she said.

The program is free with the only requirement being that kids sign in on arrival with their name and telephone number and allow their photo to be taken for security purposes. The program will operate Saturdays through April 29 except Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. For more information, phone the recreation department at 778-3464.