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For Immediate Release

Contact Andrea Bonner,
Executive Director, The Sad Cafe
603-642-9930
andreabonner@adelphia.net

October 5, 2005

The Sad Café Is Hosting a Lights On Afterschool! Celebration

The Sad Café announces their participation in the fourth annual national Lights on Afterschool! event sponsored by the Afterschool Alliance. The Sad Cafe Lights On Afterschool! celebration will take place on Monday, October 24 at 7 PM at The Sad Café, 148 Rte. 125 in Plaistow, NH. This event will be one of more than 6,000 such events around the nation emphasizing the importance of keeping afterschool and out of school time program lights on and doors open.

The Sad Café's invites the community to this celebration of eight years of providing area youth with after school and out of school- time activities. Keynote speakers will be Senators Maggie Hassan and Chuck Morse, and WMUR's Sean McDonald. The evening’s program will also highlight selections from The Sad Café Players upcoming performance of Wonderland, special performing musical guests and The Sad Café’s Youth Advisory Board.

“Lights On Afterschool! celebrates the wonderful work being done in all afterschool programs," says Walter Mailhot, chair of the Board of Directors of The Sad Café. “We are very proud to be a part of providing the youth in this community with safe alternatives for their free time for the past eight years. We know that we are giving them the opportunity to participate in activities that are meaningful to them that serve to provide them with options for a healthy lifestyle.”

The Sad Café, a not for profit organization since 1999, has over 12,000 visitors and hosts over 2,000 performers per year, 75% of whom are between the ages of 14 and 18. It is a unique venue where aspiring amateur actors and musicians of all ages have the opportunity to perform on stage in front of a live audience where they are able to gain confidence, recognition and appreciation. The Sad Café currently has after school programs in rock music and musical theater, providing transportation from area middle schools.

“The Sad Cafe deserves recognition for all it has done for kids after school. We hope people realize how important it is for kids to have somewhere to go after school to take them away from negative influences,” says Taylor Misiak, 14, a member of The Sad Café Youth Advisory Board and an organizer of the event.

Activities at the celebration will include participant instrumental, singing and karate demonstrations, as well as a demonstration of peer outreach prevention activities by The Sad Café Youth Advisory Board. Also on the program will be recognition of some special volunteers who have helped to keep the Sad Café program lights on over the years. Refreshments will be served.

Lights On Afterschool! is a nationwide event to recognize the critical importance of organization supported by a group of public, private, and nonprofit entities dedicated to ensuring that all children and youth have access to afterschool programs by 2010. More information on the Alliance and Lights On Afterschool! is available at www.afterschoolalliance.org. PlusTime NH, the state resource organization for afterschool programs, will be sponsoring a statewide event focusing on after school programs and the arts at the Currier Museum in Manchester. For information on their event please visit www.plustime.org

Please join The Sad Cafe for this special evening as they commemorate eight years of after school and out of school time programming for local youth and the broader community. For information please call The Sad Café at 382-8893 or visit the web site at www.thesadcafe.com

Celebrating our 10th rocking year! Lots of big shows coming up-check out our myspace.com/thesadcafe ...

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