
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, May 10, 1993                   TAG: 9305100058
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BIG STONE GAP                                LENGTH: Medium

TOWN GIVES IN TO TEEN CRUISING TRADITION

After years of trying to prevent the town's youths from cruising up and down the main strip in their souped-up cars, leaders finally gave up and held a celebration in honor of the tradition.

"There's no need to try to run the kids off. It's their town, too," said police Sgt. Greg Gilbert, a member of the Police Benevolent Association that helped launch the program in support of cruisers.

"And where else would you send your kids than where you knew they would be under constant police observation, under street lights and driving an average of 5 miles per hour? Where else could you send them?"

"We decided to get involved with the program to get people downtown," said Jeff Moore, president of the local business association. "With cruising, we have people coming to downtown, enjoying downtown and bringing business to downtown."

During the ceremony honoring cruisers, local authorities seemed actually pleased to see the teen-agers blaring their music and honking the horns of their automobiles.

"They've got some good stereos this year," a police officer shouted to a co-worker.

As in many other towns, cruising is a tradition here. It probably reached its peak in the 1960s when The Country Boy Drive-In was the favorite teen hangout.

Today, the pastime is as popular as ever, with teen-agers and youths at heart drawing crowds to Wood Avenue almost every night during the summer.

But merchants, residents and police are among several groups that have complained about the large number of vehicles downtown. And for years, Big Stone Gap, like many other small towns, has done its best to deal with these problems - stopping just short of eliminating them.

Then the Gap Corp., the business group, and the Police Benevolent Association launched a program in support of cruising.

The program began Friday with a big kickoff celebration and prizes.

Spencer Owens, a 19-year-old Powell Valley High School student, has been cruising his hometown since he was old enough to drive. "There's nothing else to do. They don't have nothing for kids here."

Tony Casolari, 24, and Jimmy Scott, 20, come from Cumberland, Ky., about three times a month to cruise Wood Avenue.

"We come to chase girls, I guess," Casolari said with a grin.

Several youths, however, said they were concerned about the mention of keeping their music at a reasonable volume. Josh Stanley, an 18-year-old from Appalachia, said, "If you're going to cruise you've got to do it right."

by CNB