In an effort to create an event for teens 15 and older, Parks and Recreation is working with Sound Bites Grill to host a Teen Club Scene every Tuesday from 7 to 10 p.m. at the restaurant and nightclub. However, teens are not showing up to the events being hosted for them, which may result in the event being canceled.

Before the school year concluded, Sedona Parks and Recreation Recreation and Aquatics supervisor Ali Baxter came to Sedona Red Rock High School’s Student Council and Future Business Leaders of America club, asking for ideas for events the city could host for teens.

With survey results, Parks and Recreation came up with the idea for the Teen Club Scene and thought it would be popular among teens since most students asked for dances. This is the first event of its kind to be hosted in Sedona.

Sound Bites Grill was picked to host the event since it was awarded “Best Night Club in the Verde Valley” the past three years. To give the event a nightclub atmosphere, the space in Sound Bites where the event is held is blocked off from the rest of the restaurant, with a black cloth giving it a VIP entrance kind of feel. A DJ equipped with lights and a fog machine plays music and takes requests from attendees. DJ Dom and DJ Lex rotate every other week and play a variety of pop music mash-ups, including, “The Night Is Still Young,” “Worth It” and “Drunk in Love.” An area cleared of tables allows teens to dance to the music and parts of the club can be reserved for birthdays and other celebratory events.

Appetizers are served from a menu with prices $6 and under, items like chicken quesadillas, mini hummus plates and edamame are available. Also, a non-alcoholic drink menu was created for the event with the prices of drinks not exceeding $6.

The past three nights of the event have had low attendance: Four teens were present June 2, seven teens attended June 9 and three teens from out of town came June 16. The initial cover charge for the event was $10 and recently was dropped to $5 to make it more affordable.

 One of the four attendees of the first event on June 2, Micheala Cunningham, heard about the Teen Club Scene from her friend Jordyn Diepstraten, who works at Sound Bites and tried to advertise it.

“It was pretty fun, from the good food and great drinks to the awesome DJ and dance floor. I think it would have been a lot better if more people were there. But I’m glad Sound Bites is putting this teen night on since it gives the community a chance and a place to hang out and have fun,” Cunningham said.

Three girls from Chicago went to the event on June 16, after hearing about it while watching the Chicago Blackhawks vs. Tampa Bay Lightning in a Stanley Cup game at Sound Bites the night before. Events similar to the Teen Club Scene are held in Chicago but the girls thought Sedona’s had a better set up and better pricing.

“I think $5 is cheap for something like this, it would be much more expensive where we come from,” Marilyn Gasienica said.

When asked how the event could be improved the three visitors all stated new advertising methods should be put in place and the event should be advertised on social media sites since teens use these websites regularly. Parks and Recreation currently has the event advertised on Sound Bites Grill’s website and posted about it on the city of Sedona’s Facebook page. Parks and Recreation also handed out flyers for the Teen Club Scene at SRRHS’ Spring Fest event and FBLA’s laser tag event to inform high school students. Flyers were handed out at three other high schools to increase the attendance of the event. If more teens do not come to the Teen Club Scene events throughout June it will be canceled for July.

“We aren’t going to spend money on the teens if they don’t participate. We are giving them exactly what they asked for: music, food and a place to hang out throughout the summer,” said Rachel Murdoch, Parks and Recreation manager.

The Teen Club Scene is scheduled for every Tuesday through Aug. 4 from 7 to 10 p.m at Sound Bites if attendance increases. More information can be obtained by calling Parks and Recreation at 282-7098 or on Sound Bites Grill’s website.