Club Scout

Sorry, Cartman: South Park's been canceled. No, not the shit-talking Comedy Central show -- South Park Tavern, a Broadway bar that had housed a running theme night for South Park, the cartoon. But on August 13, the day after Mike Mastro and his three partners pulled the plug on South Park Tavern, they premiered the Cherry Pit in the same slot (60 South Broadway). As Mastro explains it, the owners were "right in the middle of discovering our identity. We had half a sports bar, half a club, and we decided to go for more of a club."

So they gave the place a new name, got rid of the sporty neon beer signs around the bar and added new hardwood around it, along with new carpeting and a few semi-separate seating areas. For example, directly back from the bar is a space where dark goth meets lounge plush, its black decor and pillowed bed overseen by a photo display of Louisiana grave sites. In the dance area, there's a new P.A. and sound system (a light-works update is coming), as well as a VIP zone with two roomy, half-circle booths. Other revisions to make the Cherry more tasty: a multi-tap bar setup that expands the beer selection, corrugated metal along the walls for a more industrial look, and refurbished seats in dark cerise. Mastro also promises that the club will maintain a personal-touch policy, with all four owners getting to know their customers.

Of which there should be many, because the Cherry Pit now features six nights of entertainment, with DJs rotating through most nights and more live bands planned for the future; respected goth artist Faith & the Muse kicked off a national tour here on August 30. Want your band to be among the first to play through the Pit's pristine speakers? Call Kim Sparks at 303-777-4200 (South Park Tavern's old number).

The End Zone, at 455 Havana in Aurora, isn't new -- owners Jeffand Susan Turner will soon see their cozy neighborhood bar turn sweet sixteen -- but after almost two months of silence, the bar is trying out another karaoke night. TJ's Showtymewill host the popular, sing-it-yourself activity on Thursdays. The club seats about eighty, with the rest of its 160-person capacity crammed between pool tables and a dart-board region. In addition to the karaoke trial run, the Turners will introduce live music this month, and they're looking for talent, too -- primarily solo acts, duos and trios that work in musical styles ranging from acoustic to rock and blues. Musicians looking to tackle the End Zone can call the bar at 303-364-6855 or e-mail JBTEZ@aol.com.