The Hub: Music and So Much More for Area's Young People

Filling 5,400 square feet of industrial space just off Schoolhouse Road, The Hub defies easy description.

“People ask, ‘What's The Hub like?’ And, well, it's not really like anything; it's kind of its own little definition,” says Dan Stinnett, The Hub’s founder, president and director. “We're not a YMCA, we're not just a concert venue, we're not a youth group—and yet there are elements of all those things that fall into this place.”

The Hub’s mission, though, is easily defined, according to Stinnett.

“We're here because we care about kids,” he says.

Located at 1303 S. Schoolhouse Rd. (in the second row of buildings behind Camelot Homes), The Hub occupies three separate spaces that have been opened up and combined into one space. Within that space are:

• a concert venue with a legal capacity of 262 people (the average crowd is more than 100);
• table games, including foosball, air hockey and table tennis;
• a cafe with a wet bar that can serve the entire venue and seat several dozen;
• a loft above the cafe area for socializing;
• a digital gaming area with Xbox and other gaming systems;
• a computer lab.

And it's all been designed to provide New Lenox young people with recreational fun on the weekends.

The Hub concept first came about in 2007, when Stinnett was substitute teaching in New Lenox and saw a need for safe recreation for youngsters. In July of 2008, the first event was held.

Currently, The Hub is open every Saturday for high school and college-age youth, and it’s open every other Friday for middle schoolers. Admission for most events is typically $5, but …

“If kids don't have money, they're more than welcome to come,” Stinnett says. “We have kids show up and I know they don't have any money. Other kids show up and I know that they're wasting their money on all kinds of stuff and that’s why I know they don't have any money. …

“I would rather have the kids here than have their five dollars.”

But those who can pay are encouraged to do so.

“We may have five or 10 kids show up in an evening with no money, so that's 25 or 50 dollars that we don’t have from those bodies,” Stinnett says. “But, again, those kids are much more important than that money. I try to be discreet about that, but I always encourage them to bring something ... even if it's only a few bucks and all in dimes and nickels.”

And what does that five bucks—or several dollars of dimes and nickels—get a kid?

“We tried to design the space to appeal to all groups of kids,” Stinnett says. “There's some that want to come for a concert—they want to hear a show, they want to hear live entertainment. Other kids are just looking for a place to gather, to hang out. They just want to gather with their friends and kinda be left alone. And other kids are more into gaming.”

Whatever they come looking for, there are a few things they will not find.

“I have two rough rules with music: It has to be clean, not only with language but also with theme. And the second rule is that we don't do hardcore, we don't do ‘screamo,’ ” Stinnett says.

Off stage, Stinnett keeps things fun but under control.

“It is a place that is supervised and that has an unspoken code of conduct that expects certain behavior,” he says.

That applies not only to fighting, but also to the other end of the spectrum.

“We don't allow romance here ... we don't allow kids to get affectionate,” Stinnett says.

“I operate under the assumption that kids come here and they know our rules and they're OK with that, and as a result, we have a lot of kids … most of the kids here are well behaved and so that moderates it here. We don’t have to step in all that often.

“We have very few issues. In fact, I would say that we have had no significant issues here. Some petty theft over the years, but I would assume that those were one-time visitors.”

Stinnett says most of The Hub’s patrons have become familiar faces.

“It's a place were kids come because they become family,” he says. “My team and I, we get to know them and it's a thing where we see the same kids every week or every other week or once a month. And so there's a relationship that's built there. They come because they're welcome here, it feels like a place that they belong and they just have a good time.

 (But) it's not just what happens here on Saturday nights...”

To illustrate that point, Stinnett told of a local musician who wanted to perform on stage. Stinnett knew the young man and his parents, and he told the youngster he’d have to clean his room before he’d be allowed on stage. It wasn’t the parents' request and it was not a Hub requirement–it was Stinnett intervening to make a difference for this child.

“People say that every community in America needs a place like this, and I would agree,” Stinnett says. “But the reason that this works is not because of a great business model, it's not something that you can simply replicate, but it comes from the heart of me and my team ... and it takes a lot of patience to work with the kids.

“In the course of doing this, I didn't consult anybody, I didn't model this after anything, I didn't do a lot of research ... this was just something born out of my own heart, my own vision.

“For me, it is not about the music. That is our platform and that is our marketing ... and that’s what draws the kids, that's what they're into. For me it is about the well-being of these kids—how are they doing, how are they living, how are they growing up? This is simply a context to have kids together to be able to live life.”

And away from their parents, right? Not entirely. In addition to the performers’ parents who are welcome to sneak in the back and watch their kids perform, Stinnett actually wants to meet the parents of anyone who walks through the doors.

“I try, especially when I see parents dropping kids off that I haven't met before, I try to get them to come in and see the place and learn what we're all about with our organization and try to demonstrate the degree of professionalism and responsibility,” Stinnett says.

The facility is available for limited public rentals, and Stinnett says he would like to do a better job of providing something for moms with little kids during the day, and even something for senior citizens during the week.

“(I need) to be careful that there's not an article in the paper that The Hub is where senior citizens are gathering, because that gets around and then affects the overall recognition of who you are,” he says.

Stinnett hopes a lot of people will see what he has to offer the youth and will be willing to provide some financial support. The admission fee does not cover all his costs, which currently do not include rent, as the space is being donated at this point (the facility also has not-for-profit status and donations are tax deductable). But Stinnett hopes that with donations and other revenue streams, The Hub will be self-sufficient and be able to pay its own rent. Stinnett started taking minimum wage pay this past February.

If you do make a donation or contact Stinnett about renting out the place, be prepared to deal with things in a way that just doesn't happen much anymore.

“We're pretty laid back here when it comes to formalities. My word is my bond,” Stinnett says.

The Hub’s next live performance will be a rare midweek event to kick off Lincoln-Way schools' spring break on Thursday, April 21. Featured acts include The Falling Trance, Aaron McDonald and North Shore; admission will be the usual $5.

The Hub

• Address: 1303 Schoolhouse Road, Unit 3
• Phone: 815-717-8002
• Website: http://www.lwhub.org
• Patch Directory: See our directory listing by clicking .

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