Photograph by Robert Scheer
Chris Bryant (left) sings, accompanied by Chris Berls, during a gig at the Boneyard.
By Tim Persyn
A driving drum beat, the sound of electric guitars, and a lot of rock n' roll energy emanate from the dignified, beige, Queen Anne-style Warner Hutton House on Fruitvale Avenue. It's Saturday night, and inside the house, teens play pool, hang out and talk while the live band rocks the house.
Such is the setting of the "Boneyard," a weekly event for teens, developed by teens, and sponsored by the city of Saratoga, which owns the Warner Hutton House, the event's venue.
The Boneyard premiered March 9.
In a city where teens say there is very little to do on weekend nights, the point of the Boneyard is to give them a safe place to spend Saturday nights in Saratoga.
The event offers teens a place to gather with friends, away from worries about getting in trouble with the police or with parents. At the Boneyard, teens can dance, drink coffee or just talk. Cigarette smoking is not allowed inside but is permitted outside.
Although a full-time city employee and a couple of part-time staffers help supervise the event, the supervision is unobtrusive and in the background. And the police are nowhere in sight.
For all the negative stereotypes that exist regarding teenagers, the teens at the Boneyard seem like nice kids looking for a place to hang out.
Attendance can range from a few to well over 100. If there is live music, more kids will show up.
"The band makes it or breaks it," said Nicole Behnke, a Saratoga Youth Commission member.
Attendance is also dependent on what else is going on during any particular Saturday night.
"It's hit or miss, as with any teen program," said Beverly Tucker, the city's recreation supervisor. She said she hasn't received complaints from neighbors regarding noise.
David Breitenbach, a youth commissioner and an organizer of the event, said the future of the Boneyard is dependent on getting live bands. However, he said that booking bands on a regular basis is difficult. Bands will often cancel, and Boneyard organizers haven't had money to pay the bands that play.
"The Boneyard will keep going as long there are bands," he said. "But I'm running out of bands." His idea for the Boneyard was to have it be a place of last resort where teens can go if they have nothing else to do.
The youth commission hasn't decided whether to continue the project into the summer.
A frequent topic of discussion at the event seems to be the lack of nocturnal activities for teens in Saratoga.
Sydney Cohn, also a youth commissioner, said it's difficult for teens to find activities in the city on weekend nights.
"There's nowhere to hang out in Saratoga," Cohn said. "If you find a place, the cops come in 20 minutes. If you go to elementary schools, people hang out there. But the problem is that alcohol would be there, and people would get arrested."
The concept of the Boneyard was evolved by Saratoga's Youth Commission, which surveyed high school students about what they would like in a weekend activity.
"People said they wanted a place to hang out," Cohn said.
Currently, Saratoga's teen programs are limited. The city offers special trips like skiing events; "Togapalooza," a bimonthly live-music event held at the community center; dances for sixth- through eighth-graders, and the Boneyard.
But teens say that weekends in Saratoga often boil down to partying at homes where parents are away, or hanging out at sites around the city, which can involve getting in trouble with police or merchants.
In addition, there is a feeling among teens that Saratoga is not a "teen-friendly" environment.
"Teens feel looked down upon in Saratoga," said Sarah Adolphson, a youth commissioner. This feeling can be especially prevalent in the downtown area, she said.
The impetus for the Boneyard arose in part out of problems between merchants and teens regarding teens "hanging out" in front of business locations downtown. Merchants became frustrated and the police eventually got involved.
Santa Clara County Sheriff's Deputy Doug Havig said police have received complaints from Saratoga merchants and patrons about young people loitering, being loud, and leaving trash.
Commander Robert Wilson commented, "We're down there (in the downtown area) as a result of complaints from merchants and the public about the conduct of kids."
Kathleen Amezcua is a co-owner of International Coffee Exchange, a popular teen hangout in downtown Saratoga. In particular, the parking lot behind the shop can be a big draw for teens.
"We don't simply want to chase teens away," Amezcua said. "We try to make a distinction between teens hanging out and the activities associated with hanging out."
While Amezcua said she would like her business to be a place where teens feel comfortable, some of the activities associated with "hanging out" concern her. "When kids get drunk to the point of passing out, it worries me," she said. "We have trouble involving teens in the life of the community."
Breitenbach, the youth commissioner, said teens don't have a problem getting hassled at the International Coffee Exchange.
However, some teens say that not every downtown business shares the welcoming attitude of Amezcua's establishment.
For instance, former teen employees and customers of the Blue Rock Shoot said that venue's atmosphere was not welcoming to teens.
Kristen Sellner, a sophomore at Saratoga High School and former employee, said the owners told her that the business did not want to attract the high school crowd. But Mitchell Cutler, co-owner of the Shoot, has a different perspective regarding teens in his establishment. "We welcome teens with open arms," he said. "There's no difference between adult and teen customers."
Besides troubles with merchants, some Saratoga teens feel they are harassed by sheriff's deputies who patrol in Saratoga. "The police are not kind to students in general," said Cohn.
Hubbard, the student, added, "People who have gotten in trouble: The police will continue to harass them even if the person is trying to clean up their act."
David Breitenbach described a time when he was walking to his car during the day, and stopped to talk to friends at a coffee shop. He said the police were soon on the scene taking down names.
But Deputy Havig denies harassment. "Personally, I haven't seen harassment," he said. He said deputies might take down names as part of an investigation of a prior incident. "I have no problem with the kids being there as long as violations don't occur."
In addition, concerns about drug and alcohol use are a part of the law enforcement attitude toward teens, Havig said. He has arrested teenagers for being under the influence. "I'm afraid someone will eventually get hurt due to drugs and alcohol."
Commander Wilson said he does not think deputies harass teens. He said that in the downtown, police have the difficult job of balancing the rights of the teens to spend time in the area against the rights of merchants to have the area free of disturbances. He added that deputies feel caught in the middle between the competing rights of merchants and teens.
After the Saratoga City Council received complaints from merchants, city officials began looking into the possibility of providing teens a place to hang out on a weekend night.
"There was a lot of concern from the community about kids not having anything to do," said Pisani. "The Boneyard arose out of a combination of the Youth Commission saying, 'We need a place' and the City Council recognizing the need."
Teens say the Boneyard has a lot of potential.
"We would love to hang out here," said Joy Paterson, a Los Gatos teen who came to the Boneyard one night to watch the band.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, June 5, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved