People do it all of the time without realizing it — in the car, in the shower and walking to class.

But average everyday singing has advanced with the development of karaoke.

“I saw it for the first time in New Orleans,” Kathy Cempen, owner of the Fox 1 Lounge, said. “I walked by the bar and thought it had live entertainment, and so I checked it out. It was live entertainment, but it was the customers doing the entertaining. I thought the Fox needed this.”

So, when Cempen got home she began to check area businesses for karaoke machines. Within weeks, the Fox 1 Lounge had the new machine and the new source of live entertainment up and running.

“In the beginning people would sing and get a free drink,” Cempen said. “And the staff was hoarse for the first three months from singing and trying to get people up there. I’m not a very good singer but I’m not afraid.”

Seven years later, the karaoke machine is still there. “I thought it was just a fad, but it keeps growing and growing,” Cempen said.

The Fox 1 Lounge has been an establishment in Ames since 1977. It was originally the first of four Fox Lounges — with one in Marshalltown and two in Des Moines. Since then, the other three establishments have closed, leaving the Ames lounge the one and only Fox.

Located in a nook between several apartment complexes, one can easily drive by the Fox Lounge without noticing it.

“It’s a little off the beaten path and you don’t know we’re here unless by word of mouth,” Cempen said. “But it’s a neighborhood bar. The ages range from 75 to 21. There is a good clientele, and everyone gets along.

“You can see the 75-year-old play pool with the 21-year-old and if a stranger comes in for a drink, everyone asks them questions and makes them feel welcomed. The biggest key is the people who come here.”

An average Friday night at the Fox proves Cempen’s statements true. Everyone can be found at the Fox — from those who just turned 21 to those who have just retired, white and blue collar workers, cowboys and skaters can all be found there socializing and singing.

Marty Pepper, Ames resident, said before the Fox 1 Lounge, the building used to house a classy cocktail lounge

“But now it’s a more relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere,” he said. “I like to shoot pool here, and it’s not over-crowded.”

But as the typical Friday night gets later, it’s easy to understand why so many people come to the Fox — to karaoke. Sitting on each table is a book listing the several hundred songs to sing.

At first, patrons seem timid as they pick up the book and flip through it. But by the end of the night, there is a line-up at the disc jockey booth.

“People have an underlying hope of getting found and discovered,” Fox karaoke emcee Garry Riedemann said. “People want their 15 minutes. Here they get their five minutes and can go home.”

“It’s a great way to relax,” Russ O’Rourke, senior in industrial technology, said. “I started coming here my junior year. It’s away from campus and is one of the few places to karaoke.

“The most important thing to remember, whether you can sing or not, is to have a blast,” O’Rourke said. “It’s really addictive.”

Other than karaoke, pool and darts, the Fox 1 Lounge also hosts special events throughout the year, including its upcoming beach party.

“We bring in three tons of sand and limbo,” Cempen said. “We also have swimsuit and best leg contests.

“We’ve been known to hold the party even when it’s cold and snowing to beat the band outside,” she added. “We just turned the heat up.”

This year’s beach party will be the bar’s first since 1990.

According to Cempen, the Fox 1 Lounge is also home of Cyclone Country. The bar serves free breakfast, including omelets, biscuits and gravy and fruit, before home games. Cyclone drinks, doubles for the price of one, are also offered.

“Then, while everyone is at the game, we get chili and munchies ready for afterwards,” Cempen said.

Free food is also offered during happy hour everyday.

“It’s a good drawing feature,” Cempen commented. “It’s good to serve something to eat with alcohol. I could look at it that it slows down the consumption of alcohol, but it slows down intoxication, and we try really hard to not have anyone walk out of here drunk.

“If someone has had too much to drink, a regular or employee will find them a ride home,” she added. The bar also serves free pop and coffee to designated drivers.

“Having a designated driver makes it more fun for them to drink and more fun for us to serve them,” Cempen said. “It also gives them liquid courage to get them on stage.”

The Fox 1 Lounge is open Monday to Saturday from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Happy hour is daily from 3 to 7 p.m. There are reduced drink prices from 3 to 6 p.m. and two-fers from 6 to 7 p.m.

Daily specials include $1.25 Collins on Tuesdays, $1.25 bull frogs on Thursdays and $5 bottomless cup after 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Karoake is run on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

The Fox 1 Lounge is located at 111 South Fifth.