Bellevue Boys and Girls Clubs to Open "The Club" in Lake Hills with Pizza Contest

Boys and Girls Clubs of Bellevue will open its new center at the former Lake Hills Library on Thursday with a pizza cooking comptetition, according to an announcement by the organization.

The doors open Thursday, July 12, at 3:30 p.m. at  “The Club,” the former Lake Hills library (15228 Lake Hills Blvd, Bellevue) that the organization purchased and converted into a teen center. The building was vacated by the King County Library System when it opened its new two years ago.

“We are thrilled to open this dynamic space for our teens and tweens. It will offer 4 times the existing space we have for our teen members and is located in East Bellevue, where we are committed to expanding our reach,” said Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue CEO, Kathy Haggart in a prepared statement. “Our mantra is - make it fun! - so even the opening will have a teen centric flavor.” 

The Club's 10,000 square foot open floor plan will feature a performance stage, game room, teaching kitchen, technology center and learning lounge. More than 150 youth per day are expected to attend the center, according to an organization press release.

BGCB has teamed up with Coca-Cola and Domino’s Pizza to incorporate a pizza cooking competition into the grand opening festivities.

The competitors are part of the center's BE Healthy program, which focuses on nutrition education and cooking classes, according to the organization.

The winners of a series of cooking contests at the Club will form the final four teams who will compete in the Pizza Cooking Competition on the opening day, according to the organization.

The teams will compete based on three criteria - presentation, nutritional balance and taste. Presentation and nutritional balance will be judged by a celebrity panel. Taste will be judged by the teens attending the opening, the organization reported.

-- Information provided by Boys and Girls Clubs of Bellevue