The Bistro on Bridge restaurant, and Club 212 on the second floor, in downtown Phoenixville. Both are owned by Zack Hoffman.

POTTSTOWN PA – Club Revive, the teens-only nightclub that opened in December 2008 at Sanatoga’s Sunnybrook Ballroom, and then grew into new locations and a second career for its founders, has shortened its name and again lengthened its reach.

Now known simply as “Revive,” owners Sandra and Cary McGuckin announced this morning (Thursday, Dec. 10, 2009) via e-mail that their organization had partnered with Club 212 in Phoenixville PA to hold teens-only entertainment events there on Sundays when schools are closed on the following Mondays.

The first Sunday event for those between the ages of 14 and 19 is scheduled for Dec. 27 from 7:30 p.m. to midnight at Club 212, 212 Bridge St., Phoenixville PA.

The Phoenixville venture is the latest in a series that has broadened Revive’s dances from its Greater Pottstown base to Allentown, Sellersville and Boothwyn PA. The 4-to-6 hour events usually feature a disc jockey, programming fast-paced music in a variety of genres to a dance floor packed with between 300 and 500 youths. Admission prices range from $10-$15. Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages also are sold.

Club 212, located in Phoenixville’s increasingly busy downtown, describes itself as an “upscale and unique nightclub experience, (with) top quality space, sound and lighting.” It occupies the second floor above a restaurant at the same address, called Bistro On Bridge. Both are owned by Zack Hoffman.

“Teens are an important part of our community, and are too often excluded or shunned from most places. There is really very little offered them in the way of entertainment, which leaves them to their own devices,” Hoffman said. By partnering with Revive for events, he added, “we can provide a fun and positive diversion.”

Marking the entrance to Club 212.

Due to Club 212′s usual adults-only atmosphere, the McGuckins say their agreement with Hoffman creates something different – beyond a typical school dance – yet secure for their teen audience.

“We create an atmosphere that the teens love. We give them a real nightclub experience with world class DJs, while simultaneously creating a safe environment that parents approve of,” Cary McGuckin said.  “Parents are invited to hang out, grab some food or a drink (in the restaurant) downstairs and socialize with other parents … while their kids are upstairs.”

Revive got its start on the day after Christmas 2008 in Sunnybrook Ballroom, the result of months of planning by Sandra McGuckin, a local real estate agent who wanted to find something fun but supervised for her own teens to do on a Friday night. The first event was such a hit that others were quickly slotted into Sunnybrook’s calendar.

But a fight that broke out after the first few dances, and which required police intervention, created a rift between the McGuckins and Sunnybrook. What was then consistently referred to as “Club Revive” was moved a half-mile away to Academy Hall on Industrial Highway in Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township, where its has operated since.

The McGuckins’ attempts to branch out have been most consistently successful in Sellersville. Another dance there, titled the “Christmas Holla-Daze Remix” is set for Dec. 18.

“Our whole underlying message is that you can have a good time without the use of drugs or alcohol,” Sandra McGuckin noted, “and we promote that through example.” Although Club 212 is primarily a venue for adults, all alcohol will be removed before the teen events. “I take care of these kids like they are my own” – the MuGuckins have four – “and their safety is my primary concern,” she said.

Photos from Club 212

Related:

• Revive Finds Phoenixville Partner For Dances
• Summer’s Been Busy For Club Revive
• Teen Dancers Walk As Relay Team
• Fusion Is Sunnybrook’s New Revive
• Allentown Newspaper Features Club
• Club Revive Hitting The Road, Too
• Club Revive Dance Cancelled, Or Just Moved?

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