It’s a sad day for a huge group of patrons to the karaoke bar Divas and Rockstars in West Fargo. Owners Jill and Joel Carlson have announced that after 6 1/2 years in business, D & R has been sold. The final day of singing …March 2nd.

I now know how the gang felt on the TV show “Cheers” when they turned off the lights to the bar for the last time years ago on television.

For years I was one of those guys who just sat in the audience and watched people sing, figuring I had no vocal skills. Well after years of saying someday I’ll get on stage I snuck into Divas near closing time. There were exactly seven people there waiting for the bartender to announce it was time to lock up. I picked out “It’s All Over Now” by The Rolling Stones and gave it a very nervous attempt. My name was called, I got on stage, and actually got a smattering of applause from three of the seven. Well I got my “toes wet”, and have been going there several nights a week since.

After my divorce, D & R became my home away from home after work. The friends I’ve made were many, and I hope somehow to be able to stay in touch. Social Media has helped in that department already, but I’m sure some of us will drift apart just like high school classmates you haven’t seen in years.

I’ve known Jill for some time because I graduated with her sister at Moorhead High. I’m not a drinker but one night instead of ordering my diet soda, Jill decided I needed to have something different. So she developed “The Bob”, a drink of juices and sprite. I remember being there one night and was asked by a stranger what I was drinking. I told him “Well, there’s no alcohol in it” and he quickly replied “That’s what I’m looking for.” I told him to go to the bar and say you want what Bob’s having. Sure enough “The Bob” made it onto their drink menu.

I will never forget one of the anniversary parties when Jill announced to the crowd that she wanted to introduce a man who had faith in getting Divas started. She said she had sat down with him, went through her ideas for this adventure, and said “Can we make this happen?” He said “YES”! Of course we all expected her to introduce her husband Joel, but instead she brought up her banker who gave her their loan. I still laugh remembering that night.

I participated in a couple of “Celebrity” contests (although I still have trouble using ‘celebrity’ to describe me.) I’ll use her name, Susan Murphy, the contestant, who was my duet partner and we chose “Mockingbird” the version by Carly Simon and James Taylor. A very, very tough duet to sing. We practiced every day for a week. We had props, dressed up, rehearsed some comic lines, and got second place. We lost to two guys who came out in their underwear like Tom Cruise in “Risky Business” and sang Bob Seger. (One of those guys hosts a trivia show on KFGO.) After the show though, one of the judges walked up to me and said “It was great to hear that one of you guys can actually sing. Good Job!” I will never forget that night either.

One of the most beautiful things you can hear when singing karaoke is “You nailed it”. I was actually told that once after my attempt of “Bad to the Bone”. Most of these people are half my age. It really warmed my heart when I heard that.

And then the crowd goes nuts when you sing “C is for Cookie” in Cookie Monster’s voice. I was getting requests for that every time I came for a while. I had to make it my last song of the night though because it tore at my throat a little bit.

I still can see the face of their young dj as I was struggling to hit a couple of high notes in a Beatles song. Well, I reared back and gave the next verse a shot and hit the note cleanly. I looked over and she was applauding with a huge smile on her face and gave me the “thumbs up.”

Also, twice during those years I had the honor of singing the first song after the clock struck midnight and ushered in a new year.

At Divas and Rockstars I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of a huge family. I’ve been to weddings; new babies have been born to both staff and patrons and invited to events outside of Divas. Thoughts and prayers have gone out to some who have had medical problems and through KFGO have helped with some fundraisers.

Didn’t even touch on the gal running into the bathroom screaming into her cell phone that the cops were here for her. He was actually booking the VIP suite for a party. Or the Bridal Pub crawl, you can check the video’s on my Facebook page. Surrounded by lovely ladies in bridal gowns telling people we were just making a stop before our flight left for Utah. One gal actually bought that line.

There’s so much more I could say. But to Jill and Joel, thank you for some absolutely wonderful times and best of luck in the future. To the staff at Divas and Rockstars, it’s been a pleasure getting to know you all, and thanks for learning how to make “The Bob”. To all the regulars and you all know who you are, thanks for taking this old boy in as a friend. I will miss my second family. My home away from home. Let’s all have a reunion somewhere down the road.