TEAM SPIRIT—The Sycamore Canyon Middle School Coyotes volleyball team, coached by parent volunteers Sue Gallant, Mitch Maki and Dan Bonfiglio, right, gather for team spirit during a recent game at the Alex Fiore Teen Center in Thousand Oaks. The facility is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Although the Thousand Oaks Teen Center is turning 20 years old, it will always be a teen at heart.

When the Teen Center began in 1989, acid-washed jeans and denim jackets were in style just as they are in 2009, but there were also differences.

For instance, teens turned on the radio and heard a song that went, “Here’s a little song I wrote. You might want to sing it note by note—don’t worry, be happy.” Sure, teens can still listen to that song, but if they did want to hear that uplifting ditty, it would most likely be on an MP3 player, not on the radio.

“Cheers,” “Murphy Brown,” “L.A. Law,” “Columbo” and other classic TV shows from two decades ago would most likely be played via an Internet connection. Neither an MP3 player nor an Internet TV option existed when the Teen Center opened.

But kids ages 12 to 17 are still attracted to the 14,000-square-foot facility as much as their 1989 counterparts. Maybe because it was built just for them. The facility at 1375 E. Janss Road, next to the main library and the senior center, is attracting kids now for many of the same reasons they came then, including sports and fun.

For those who’d like to see firsthand what’s going on at the Teen Center, an open house anniversary celebration will take place there today from 5 to 7 p.m. During that time there will be a hamburger and hot dog barbecue with chili, cheese and chips. Cupcakes will also be served.

A rock climbing wall and inflatable slides will be set up outside.

Inside, classes will go on as usual, with adolescents learning skills such as stained glass making, dance, music and how to use computers. The sports program will also be going strong, with middle school boys’ basketball players competing in the three-quarter-size gym.

A game room, music room and two plasma TVs connected to video games are also indoors.

Over the years thousands of children from seventh to 12th grade have come to the center each month—hundreds per day, said teen service director Brenda Coleman.

“If you multiply that by 20 years, it’s amazing how many teens have been served,” she said.

The Teen Center is funded by the city, managed by the Conejo Recreation and Park District and supported by the Conejo Valley Unified School District, she said.

During the anniversary celebration Mayor Tom Glancy is expected to speak along with Coleman, CRPD chair Susan Holt, and Teen Advisory Council member Sheela Sood, a freshman at Newbury Park High School. Other advisory council members will be leading tours at the facility.

Awards will be given to Teen Center supporters, including Thousand Oaks Auto Mall, Thousand Oaks Women’s Club and the Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park and Conejo Valley Rotary clubs, Coleman said.

“The success of the Teen Center is truly due to community support,” she said.