It’s been an exciting season in the Ames bar scene this fall, with new contenders in both the Eastern and Western divisions.

Just this past weekend, the consistently lacking Eastern division got a boost from the Swingin’ House of Mojo, an Austin Powers theme bar complete with lines from the movie spray painted in psychedelic colors across the room.

I don’t know what is more risky, opening a bar in the seemingly plagued building that formerly housed Friends Club or using four words to name a bar.

But Swingin’ House of Mojo does seem to roll off the tongue, and judging by opening night, the bar could be a hit.

Serving shots in chemistry vials and entertaining patrons with hired dancers ($4 per hour plus tips, according to one source), Mojo seems to be borrowing trends from the coasts, although I did overhear one comparison to the notorious Cedar Falls joint Shag Nasty’s.

Cage dancing, as the bar advertises, is not exactly the accurate term, as the dance platforms look more like they’re surrounded in tooth-pick curtains than cages.

One sure sign of success was the friendly Ames Police Department showing up for a dance or two at the Swingin’ House of Mojo. It appeared as though a few tickets were written to a trio of girls whose mojo dispensation didn’t quite match up to their ages.

Another new addition to the Eastern Division is the already famed EJ’s Legacy — the only bar in Ames with a metal detector at the door.

Not that I’ve been to a lot of nudie bars in my day (of course), but the last time I checked, they weren’t associated with violence. The only loaded weapons … OK, I won’t even go there.

EJ’s has a handful of regular dancers, and according to the mammoth door man, they get new ones every couple weeks.

But the real fun comes on Tuesdays for amateur night. The winner takes a home an easy hundred and at least a few phone numbers. Sorry guys, women only.

Hunky Dory’s and The Fox Lounge are also having strong seasons in the Eastern Division.

Hunky’s, a Thursday night hot spot with an all-you-can-drink special, is worth checking out solely for its revolving palm tree lights, while The Fox is the only place in town where you can karaoke to your favorite Charlie Daniels Band song and be the coolest cat in the bar.

Over in the Western Division, the blue chip bar seems to be Sips, where the most popular saying is “This used to be Tazzles?”

Sips features Ames’ finest DJs, with the coolest “Ice Ice Baby” remixes you’ll hear outside of Miami.

Drinks are a bit expensive for Ames (unless you order shots named after the bartenders), but cover is always only a buck or two.

Another rising hot spot is Lumpy’s, where the most popular saying is “This used to be Lumpy’s?”

Lumpy’s used to be know as the ultimate dive bar, but a summer makeover has the place looking like … a nice dive bar. But who needs windows when you’re drinking quarter drafts?

Boheme (without a La, please) was showing potential at the start of the season, but faltered when it made Friday and Saturday nights 21 and over.

Nonetheless, Boheme’s world music nights can get pretty wild, and its the only bar to offer consistent all-ages shows with local bands.

The Bar Formerly Known as Dean’s List is still sort of known as Dean’s List and still pretty much gives drinks away.

The Tazmanian Devil decor takes you back to the ol’ days up the street but doesn’t quite seem to fit in the new building.

As the season winds down, look for strong showings from People’s (rumors of a huge graduation party are surfacing) and, of course, The Whisky River — where mojo never stops flowing.

Yeah baby, yeah.

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Corey Moss is a senior in journalism and mass communication from Urbandale.