A local bar manager hopes to set a trend with smoke-free Tuesdays this month, but other Campustown bars and patrons have mixed emotions about the future of a smoking ban in Ames.

Club 8, 216 Stanton Ave., became the first Campustown bar to provide a smoke-free night last week in association with the Story County Tobacco Task Force’s “Everyone Deserves Smoke-Free Air” campaign. The campaign is scheduled to hold a smoke-free night every Tuesday during the month of April, including a celebration on April 17 during Veishea week.

Lloyd Flanders, manager of Club 8, said he was pleased with turnout last Tuesday and hopes to see numbers increase throughout the month.

“There wasn’t a ton of people because it was the first time,” Flanders said. “I think once the word-of-mouth gets out we will see more people. I’m excited to see where this goes.”

Other Campustown bar managers and owners don’t expect smoke-free bars to become the norm in Ames. Cafe Beaudelaire, 2504 Lincoln Way, offers a nonsmoking environment for their patrons before 8 p.m., during which time smoking customers must stay at the bar.

Josh Jacobs, assistant manager of Cafe Beaudelaire, said they discussed the possibility of going nonsmoking when they took over the bar a year ago, but said it would be difficult to do when other bars allowed smoking.

“I can’t say for sure how it would affect business if we went smoke-free,” Jacobs said. “It would be a tough situation. If all bars were smoke-free I don’t think it would affect business.”

Flanders said during lunch and supper hours, however, people prefer the nonsmoking environment.

Zachary De Young, senior in forestry, said he isn’t convinced that more bars will go smoke-free, or that they should.

“Basically, I don’t agree with it,” De Young said. “It goes against people’s rights. I have a lot of friends who like to smoke at the bars and I don’t see [smoking bans] working.”

Kari Cummins, senior in hotel, restaurant and institution management, said she could see the benefits of bars going smoke-free, but she said she is skeptical about it actually happening.

“It would be good for everyone if they were [smoke-free],” Cummins said. “Unfortunately, I think businesses would suffer if they do.”

Despite the skepticism, a non-smoking bar alreadu exists in Campustown, of which students and business owners seem oblivious.

Terry Cullen, owner of Es Tas Mexican Pub and Grill, 120 Welch Ave., said his bar is non-smoking by choice.

“Yes, there is a non-smoking bar in Ames,” Cullen said in a letter addressed to the Daily. “I appreciate efforts such as that of Club 8. I am a non-smoker and appreciate non-smoking bars.”

But while Cullen sees the advantages to providing a smoke-free environment to bar goers, other bar owners see his approach as bad for business.

Tom Northrop, of Welch Ave. Station, 207 Welch Ave., said there are too many regular customers who smoke and said his establishment will not be implementing a smoking ban anytime soon.

“Absolutely, positively, no question about it. I don’t think it would ever happen,” Northrop said. “Only way we’d go smoke-free is if the state passed a law.”

Although his bar isn’t trying to stop smokers, Northrop said they have installed eight air filtering units and have spent money to keep smoke out of the air with additional air conditioners and dehumidifier. “I don’t see any other bars in Campustown doing that,” Northrop said.

An Ames smoking ban was struck down by the Iowa Supreme Court in May 2003.