Ames has People’s, Iowa City has Gabe’s and Cedar Falls has Stebs, check that, had Stebs.

After this weekend, the central point for live music in Cedar Falls will be sold to a new owner ending a 25-year run near the campus of the University of Northern Iowa.

After hosting such acts as Ben Harper, Flaming Lips, NRBQ, John Hammond, The Drovers, Bo Ramsey, Trip Shakespeare, My Scarlet Life and Midwest rock veterans House of Large Sizes, Stebs will close its doors. The weekend, which features a handful of local bands, is being tabbed The Last Bash.

One of Stebs’ owners, Sherm McNeal, who began there 17 years ago at the age of 24, says the Cedar Falls music scene will only temporarily be hurt by the change.

“Since Stebs has been it for so many years, we’ll be providing an opportunity for someone else to take over,” McNeal said.

McNeal cites his reasoning for selling Stebs as the simple fact that it was time to get out because he was getting too old to try and relate to the college crowd.

He says the new owner, Tom Lyanovich, who presently owns a pizzeria across the street from Stebs, spoke of having some live music, but McNeal feels that Lyanovich’s main interest is turning it into a dance club since extensive remodeling is being planned.

Stebs’ other owner, David Meyer, has been with Stebs since its inception when he began as a bartender. But he has now begun to build a family and wanted to leave the business.

“I’m tired of the late nights and the pressures of the business,” Meyer said.

But looking at Stebs from a different standpoint is People’s Bar and Grill owner Tom Zmolek. He doesn’t feel that Stebs closing will affect the Cedar Falls music scene very much at all.

“What music scene?” Zmolek asked. “Cedar Falls has one of the worst scenes around; with Stebs closing, it will be even worse.”

But the ones who will feel the bad effects, Zmolek believes, are the bands that play at People’s, Gabe’s and Stebs back-to-back-to-back when they visit Iowa.

“This just gives them one less college town to play,” Zmolek said.

When House of Large Sizes began playing at Stebs, it was the place to be for the older crowds to check out live music, but now bassist Barb Schilf feels the music scene is weak and more focused around all-ages shows.

“People of drinking ages aren’t into shows,” Schilf said.

Schilf and company heard that Stebs was up for sale about three or four months ago and are surprised at the differing reactions.

“It’s weird because there are more people sad than there were people that came to shows,” Schilf said. “People just weren’t supporting live music.”

But Schilf feels that the closing of Stebs will help the music scene.

“It will be a shot in the arm,” Schilf said. “It will cause bands to get off their butts and go out and get shows for themselves instead of just playing at Stebs.”

As far as the music scene goes, Schilf suspects that something similar to Stebs will open up downtown, leaving the campustown area to focus on dance clubs and cheap beer.

So as local music continues to grow throughout the state because of the attention Slipknot has given the Iowa music scene, some band members are hoping that a new venue will open up in Cedar Falls so bands can broaden their music to the ears of UNI students.

Local funksters Mr. Plow played at Stebs this past February and were very surprised to hear of its departure from the Iowa music scene.

“We had a great time playing in Cedar Falls, and it’s something we hope to do again in the future,” Nick Pearson, vocalist for Mr. Plow, said.