By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Area high school students will again have a chance to swim, dance, eat and have fun at the Alabaster YMCA after Friday night football games this year, as the YMCA is continuing its fifth-quarter parties for a third straight year.

Teens in grades nine-12 are invited to the parties, which will be after local football games from 9 p.m.-midnight at the Alabaster YMCA off Plaza Circle. During the events, the YMCA will provide drinks and pizza to attendees, will bring in a DJ and will offer free swimming, basketball and dancing to kids in attendance. A maximum of 300 teens can attend each party.

“We are excited to be able to open the Y each night after home games (except the homecoming game) to give teens a fun safe place to hang out,” Alabaster YMCA Executive Director Rhonda Elmore wrote in an email. “It’s absolutely free for teens to attend however, teens who aren’t members of the Y must have a parent sign a release form for them to attend.”

Waiver forms are available at the YMCA, THS, Evangel Classical Christian School and at Kingwood.

Through a partnership with the city of Alabaster, the Alabaster Police Department will provide school resource officers for each fifth-quarter party.

Elmore said the YMCA took all Alabaster high schools into consideration when planning the fifth quarter events.

Fifth-quarter parties will be held on Aug. 21, Aug. 28, Sept. 4, Sept. 11 and Oct. 16.