Iowa State Daily

Those who have hit the Campustown bar scene this year may have noticed some big changes. Some bars have moved, others have changed names and some just look a heck of a lot nicer.

Lumpy’s

The bar-going crowd knows the basement of People’s Bar and Grill as Lumpy’s. Employees and regular customers have been the first to tag the bar “the biggest dive in town,” but all that is changing.

Lumpy’s, located at 2428 Lincoln Way, will reopen Sept. 1. With the help of local music guru Justin Means, management has been upgrading the bar left and right.

“We’re still in the remodeling stage right now, but we are improving the bar by adding a larger selection of liquors and putting more beer on tap,” People’s manager Jim Moran said.

“We are trying to find a shuffle board table also, but they are really hard to find.”

In addition to new dart boards and other game tables, Moran said the bar is adding expanded seating for the back area and possibly live music and DJs.

Sips

Sips, which will fill the space previously occupied by Tazzles, is owned by Andy White, who opened The Scene last fall.

“We have remodeled the whole place,” said Ross Petersen, manager of The Scene. “There will be a DJ and a dance floor.”

Though located in the same building, Sips and The Scene are separate establishments. However, White urges people to experience both bars while they are in the neighborhood.

“Once you walk in the front door, you have your choice,” he said. “We have both bars sort of working together to get people to go back and forth.”

Taking on a sports bar persona, Sips will feature two big-screen televisions that will highlight a variety of sporting events, White said.

“It is more of a laid-back drinking bar,” he adds.

White also is toying with the idea of having live music on an occasional basis, but he said nothing is definite yet.

Sips opens on Sept. 8 with a full week of specials as part of the Grand Opening Party.

The Dean’s List/Tazzles

Tazzles has relocated to the same building as The Dean’s Lis,t and the two bars will temporarily go under the collective name of The Dean’s List/Tazzles.

The Dean’s List owner Chuck Hill said he is having trouble deciding on a new name.

The three-leveled bar, located on Chamberlin Street next to DaVinci’s, has undergone a few facelifts, and more are planned, Hill said. The often-complained-about sticky carpet has been torn up and replaced with tile.

“It’s a lot nicer than it was,” Hill added.

The two upper levels will be open during the day as well, while the basement will open at 9 p.m. or 10 p.m.

“We want to start opening the basement during the day because it has our pool tables and things like that,” Hill said.

Along with floor improvement, the upper-level bar has increased the variety of alcoholic beverages.

“The upstairs bar was really run-down,” Hill said. “We need to redo the bar on the main level, but since we are so busy, we’ll have to wait until Thanksgiving break.”

The Sound Factory

A new dance club, The Sound Factory, recently took over the building formerly known as Friends Club, at 115 Main St. New owner Kevin Haze remodeled and reopened the club on July 9.

“Literally the only thing left of Friends Club is the building,” Haze said. “Everything on the inside is completely different.”

Haze spent the last 10 or 12 years traveling the country as a DJ in different clubs. He was involved with an Internet/satellite operation that broadcast his show to different dance clubs across the country.

After gaining some experience in running clubs, Haze decided it was time to open his own.

“I got tired of traveling,” he said.

Haze installed a $100,000 JBL sound system, which he said might be too big, but sounds good anyway. All songs are played through a computer from a list of over 20,000 selections.

“We have everything from ’50s music to stuff that is popular right now,” Haze said. “You could hear a techno song followed by a classic rock song.”

A state-of-the-art laser and light system and high-tech dance floor, complete with a dancing platform have also been added to The Sound Factory.

Future plans to book national acts every couple of months are also in the works.

“We would like to bring in some of those bands playing in the Chicago and Minneapolis area to come play here on an off night,” Haze said.

Despite Main Street road construction, Haze feels the bar has done pretty well so far.

Starting next week, he wants to start a non-alcohol night on Tuesday for those who are 18 years or older.

“There will be a small cover and a big dance party,” Haze said.

A regular drink special found at the Sound Factory allows customers who purchase $10 wrist bands to enjoy all-night, unlimited drinks (excluding shots).

“If you don’t pay a cover, you just pay normal prices for drinks, which are still pretty fair,” he adds.

Haze encourages anyone and everyone to come out and give The Sound Factory a chance.

“I have been doing this for a long time so I have a lot of professional staff and security so everything is run very professionally,” he said. “Everyone can come and be entirely safe and have a good time.”

Those who can find time in their busy study schedules are invited to hop around town, check out all the new changes and pick their poison for the year to come.