Oh! The Places You COULD Go! by Joe Schmitz

As most of you know, there isn’t a whole lot to do in the podunk little town of Harlan, IA. You can find most students of HCHS sitting in their basements watching TV, or cruising around in their cars with a couple of friends. They putt around town slowly wasting gas because they don’t have anything else to do. However, there are a few different things that kids can do in Harlan, and a lot to do outside of Harlan.
Now that the weather becoming worse and the cold is rapidly increasing students may be looking for a place that’s nice and warm to hangout in. Instead of just driving around or sitting at home kids could be inside, at the Hansen Brother’s coffee shop on the North-west corner of the square. They offer warm, and cold drinks, and plenty of food. They have a bast collection of snacks, and plenty of places to sit and eat them. Hansen Bro’s has a lot of couches for students to sit comfortably and talk to each other, they play a soft ambiance of music in the back ground with the pleasing smell of coffee lightly hinting at your nostrils. Harlan also offers the bowling alley, Cyclone Lanes, where kids can get together and have fun with an activity that gets you away from the norm. At night the mood changes to a more exciting, vibrant alley of laser bowling. Personally, Cyclone Lanes is my favorite place to get pizza. They are open daily, for more details on hours visit them at 912 Chatburn Avenue (Highway 44).
There are also many activities for teenagers outside of Harlan. Having the Council Bluffs/Omaha area within about an hour gives a great variety of events. The obvious choices for a leisurely night would be strolling around one of the many malls the area has to offer, or perhaps seeing a new movie in a large theater. Some just like to get away to try a new restaurant, or visit an old favorite, but there have been some new things to do popping up in the city. For example, there is a new indoor Go-Kart facility in Council Bluffs called Joe’s Karting. It offers a new way to spend your free time, plus, it’s fun for almost anyone. For more information visit their website at http://www.joeskarting.com. Omaha offers another great places for hours of entertainment, SkateDaze. SkateDaze is a large facility with a roller skating rink, rock wall, small rides, laser tag, and much more. Visit www.skatedaze.com to learn more. This time of year there are also tons of “Haunted Houses” to visit. They are a great way to have a good time with your friends by watching them all get really scared, if you go I suggest going towards the back so you can watch everyone else’s reactions. If none of that seems to be your cup of tea, there are plenty of concerts always going on in the 712, and if all else fails, sometimes its fun just to spend some time walking around Wal-Mart for hours on end.
If you haven’t noticed by now, there is a lot more going on in our area than most people realize; all you need to do is open your eyes, and get a little creative.