Rumors Circulate About a Teen Night Club in Canton

For the past two weeks, teenagers in the Plymouth-Canton community and surrounding areas have been buzzing on social media about the opening of a new teen After Dark club in Canton.

Fred Hussein, the owner of Canton Coney Island for more than 18 years, said he is booking private parties for teens out of a banquet room that he manages in the Golden Gate shopping center at 8663 N. Lilley Road, just south of Joy. He plans to host his first event, an after-Homecoming party on Saturday. 

Parents have heard next to nothing about a teen club and reached out to Plymouth-Canton Patch to find out more information. One parent commented that many kids want to skip Homecoming altogether and just attend the event at the banquet hall. 

Hussein, who also manages Golden Gate Banquet Hall, said this is a newly vacant location, right next door to his other hall, in the same shopping center as his restaurant. Hussein said this is a fairly new idea and just came to him a few weeks ago when a parent approached him about his daughter's Homecoming after party at his home.

"A gentleman came up to me said 'Freddy, there's no way I'm going to have 100 girls there,'" he said. "This is a nicer place, why keep it closed? I want to make it safe, clean and utilize it for the community."

Hussein said he plans to dedicate Saturday nights for teen parties such as birthdays and graduations, and already has a sweet 16 party planned for next weekend. The rest of the week, he hopes to rent out the space for business luncheons, meetings and showers. 

"I've been talking to teenagers - they work for me at the Coney Island - and they've been going to Walled Lake," he said. "That area is a little bit rough. So many parents don't want to send their kids that far - a 30 to 45 minute drive."

The event Saturday night has conflicting times. Hussein said it will run from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. while a flyer shows times from 7 p.m to 12 a.m. Regardless, Canton has a 12 a.m. curfew for those under 18. 

In addition, there will be a cover charge for teenagers who attend, $5 for girls and $10 for boys. 

Jeff Goulet, Canton Township Planner, said Hussein is approved for two separate banquet rooms with the Township, and as far as a zoning standpoint, everything is permissible. 

Goulet said they would alert police about the event because of a previous problem the township had with teens smashing bottles in the parking lot of an internet cafe that became a popular teen hangout. 

Hussein said he hired five professional security people for the party and will organize the parking lot. He said they already added extra lighting in the lot and plans to close off the back area parking to make sure nothing goes wrong. 

The space was already inspected and approved by the fire department, according to Hussein. And he was expecting the township building inspector to return to the location Thursday afternoon to give a final approval.

What do you think of a teen After Dark club in Canton? Would you allow your child to attend? Tell us in the comments.