Abby Edgington, 16, works at Main Street Ice Cream. It used to be Smalley's Theatre, back in the days when going to the movies was still an option in town.

Edgington spends most of her summer at work and it's a good thing, because there isn't much else here to do, she said.

"Sometimes I go to concerts at SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center) and Darien Lake. But do I get bored in Cooperstown? Yes, I do."

She said that some young people are into sports or other activities that fill their time while others complain about the lack of options.

Erin Flint, 20, recently opened a coffee shop in Cherry Valley called Erin's. An all-star athlete from the Cherry Valley-Springfield district, she said that there's always plenty for young people to do.

"Just look around," said Flint. "There's always something that needs to be done."

Steve Cembrinski, 20, of Cooperstown, recently penned a guest commentary for The Daily Star, the headline of which was, "Village offers little for young adults."

Cembrinski refers to young people between eighteen and twenty as "lost souls," for whom there's a "whole lot of nothing to do in Cooperstown."

"Now don't get me wrong," he wrote, "getting movies and hanging out with friends is great, but how long can that really entertain us?"

Later in his commentary he said that he and friends were asked to leave Doubleday Cafe because it was after 9 p.m. and they were minors. On another occasion the same thing happened at the Hoffman Lane Bistro during a live musical performance, according to Cembrinski. Both establishments serve alcoholic beverages.

Bistro co-owner Mark Loewenguth grew up in Rochester and said he recalls having had the same difficulties as a young person, even though he lived in a city instead of a small town.

"Join the ranks," he said. "Everybody goes through it. You have to make your own fun at that age. As a business owner with a liquor license we can't encourage young people to hang out here at night. If they come in for dinner with their parents and then stay for the music, that's one thing. If a young person wants to come in and listen to the music and not drink, they're the exception to the general rule. Most of them will try."

The lack of a gathering place for young people was a problem in Cherry Valley, too, so Alexis Saba, 17, took the initiative to organize a renovation effort at the Old School, where a cafe, open on weekends, now has live music, films and an open mic.

"This gives young people a chance to get together on the basis of something productive, not sitting around watching T.V. We'll have art and music. It means a lot to us to have this part of our old school renovated. To have kids going back into that space to do something productive is really meaningful," Saba said.

Saba said that the Old School was filled with dust and rubble and that she was amazed to see it renovated down to the tiniest detail. She said it turned out better than she thought it might, and the second week it was open, Saba said fifty young people, including interns from Glimmerglass Opera, showed up and had a good time.

Simone Scalici, 21, of Cooperstown, said that now he and friends can get together at one another's houses for "a few beers" or go to village bars, but that's a recent development.

"Before that, we could get together at someone's house or have a bonfire in the woods, but that's about it. There's no organized business establishment open after six o'clock where kids can hang out. There used to be something above the library called The Attic with pool tables and games, but that was a while ago and it isn't there now. There used to be a fish market on Railroad Avenue and I had an idea to open up a non-alcoholic club in that building, but I don't have the money."

Matt Hazzard, 19, echoed that sentiment.

"Steve Cembrinski is one of my good friends and when I read that article I realized that a non-alcoholic dance club would be a good idea," he said.

Cembrinski said, "A lot of kids in Cooperstown hang out in the park or in front of Sal's. It's foreboding thing. You never really wanted to hang out there if you weren't into that scene, smoking and all that. There's plenty to do during the day, but not in the evenings. You might agree with the shirts at Doubleday Cafe that say Cooperstown is a drinking town with a baseball problem. You could get into a lot of trouble just looking for things to do in this town."