They were rocking out. Playing ping pong. And riding a mechanical bull.
An evening of fun at Rockford's new N'Center. "It's pretty exciting getting a program set up for the youth in Rockford. So I thought was a cool place and i'd come check it out," Mitch Anderson, a senior at Auburn High School. Friday night marked the first night Stateline teens got to check out the N' Center. Anderson made a stop at the Guitar Hero video game station and says he'll back be back for more of everything. "If I get the chance I'll be down here as much as I can," Anderson said. Magdalena Guerrero, an Jefferson High Sophomore, says she'd probably be at home on a Friday night if it weren't for the N'Center. "They have stuff like watch TV, be on the computers or do a lot of stuff here. So you wouldn't be bored here," Guerrero said. The N'Center is part of the N'Factor youth movement aimed at turning high schoolers away from crime and violence. "We started pulling statistics, there was over 1,200 teens victims or arrested for violence crimes last summer alone," said Adam Smith, Director of Education and Life Long Learning for the City of Rockford. While Friday night offered more celebratory festivities, the N'Center features educational and enrichment activities. Teens can take classes on success-building skills, fitness and technology that this demographic often enjoys. "It's really a cadillac space, all high-tech gagdets for kids," Smith said. A cadillac space poised to cruise on with these passengers eager for more. The N'Center will start regular operations next week for the summer and later on for after school come the fall. The N'Center is parterning with the Salvation Army, which owns the building. Rockford Mass Transit is also pitching in, offering free rides to the N'Center for teens.