Club Cannon is gearing up for one of their busiest seasons, the autumn "back-to-school" months, with new programming, new equipment, and a new coordinator at the helm.

Earlier this month, John Sefel left his position as the Producing Artistic Director of an Educational Theatre in Manchester, NH, to become the newest member of the Club Cannon team. He comes prepared with a background in facility and non-profit management, teen outreach, and theatre and music promotion and management.

"I'm thrilled to be coming aboard," said Sefel, "we have a great program here. My job will be to keep the successes going, and to make sure that everyone in the community knows we're here and sees us as the resource that we are!" Sefel also serves as the Artistic Director of Ghostlight Theater Co. of New England, is a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, and is an Adjunct Faculty Member at Chester College of New England.

Looking at Club Cannon's event calendar, it seems he's wasted no time in putting his background in the arts to work. The fall's first event will be a Poetry, Music and Art night on September 5th, to coincide with the Chamber of Commerce's First Friday Celebrations. "We'll be following this with a back-to-school rock concert on Saturday, September 20th, featuring some of the best local high school bands playing for an audience of their peers." Sefel says he plans to follow these events up with a Middle School Dance, a Halloween Rock Concert, movie nights, more poetry nights, and dozens of other events as the season goes on.

"We're open to anything," he said. "We're here to be a safe, welcoming, drug-and-alcohol free zone, where teens and the community can connect and be
just be themselves. If someone suggests an event that lives up to that mission, then we're all ears!"

In addition to Sefel's arrival and the new and revitalized programming, Club Cannon is starting the new year with some new and repaired equipment as well. C.I.M. Industries recently donated three used computers to the teen center, greatly updating their computer lab capabilities, and so offering far more resources to teens for homework, games, and socializing. One local volunteer is providing free technical support to the organization to upgrade their phone and internet systems, while another has offered to help re-plan, replace, and rebuild the center's sound system.  Meanwhile, Sefel has worked to repair an old foosball table and to revitalize other games within the center.

"Now, if we could just find a volunteer to fix or replace our air hockey table" Sefel hinted.

In addition to their various events, Club Cannon operates teen "drop-in" hours on Tuesday - Thursday from 2:30 - 6pm, and on Friday and Saturdays from 2:30 until 10pm, where all area teens are welcome to come in and enjoy a safe, welcoming drug and alcohol free zone. Parents or teens interested in Club Cannon can call John Sefel at 603-924-5718, email him at john@cpcnh.org, or visit the Club Cannon web page at cpcnh.org. Teens, bands, and volunteers are always welcome and needed.

Club Cannon is the Teen Center wing of Creating Positive Change (CPC), a community-based coalition of people and organizations working together to address substance abuse, and the problems associated with it. CPC is both a catalyst and conduit for activities, information and advocacy that promote and support healthy choices around the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs in the communities of eastern Cheshire and western Hillsborough Counties in New Hampshire. Club Cannon serves teens from the towns of Antrim, Bennington, Dublin, Francestown, Greenfield, Greenville, Hancock, Jaffrey, Mason, New Ipswich, Peterborough, Rindge, Sharon and Temple, and hosts events for various ages throughout the year, including the extremely popular annual Monadnock Battle of the Bands competition. Club Cannon is located in the GAR Building at 40 Grove Street, in downtown Peterborough, NH. More information about both CPC and Club Cannon can be found at http://www.cpcnh.org.