Sue Sitter/PCT Kat (left)?and Bob Brossart will host karaoke tonight at the Rugby Eagles.

While many North Dakotans say they have a second job, not many can say their second job attracts a crowd or doubles as fun hobby.

Bob and Kat Brossart, however, say just that about their second line of work.

Bob and Kat’s Karaoke has been providing entertainment for gatherings throughout north central North Dakota for 18 years.

Bob, whose “day job” is managing the environmental services department at Heart of America Medical Center, says he’s been hosting karaoke gigs “since ’92.”

“The thing I like the most about it is people’s enjoyment of music, and meeting new people,” Bob told the Tribune.

“I like it,” his wife, Kat said. “I’m a people person. I love people. I have more than 1,800 followers on my (Bob and Kat’s Karaoke) Facebook page.”

Kat, who works as office manager and advertising sales consultant for The Pierce County Tribune, described Bob as a “musical person. I am, too.”

“And what other job can you have a drink in?” she laughed, referring to the times the couple works in bars. Kat quickly added that she and Bob are responsible with alcohol. “We never drink and drive,” she noted.

“But boy, we have a blast,” Kat smiled, describing how they sing and encourage participation from their audiences.

“Initially, people are shy about singing, but once they have done it, they open up more,” said Bob. “After the first time, they’re not as shy.”

When Bob was asked how he gets people to step up to the mic, his wife chimed in: “Kat does it!”

Kat said karaoke has been at the core of her marriage since 1999, when she lived in Nebraska and met Bob online in a karaoke chat room.

“We both sang and played music into our computer microphones, and we hit it off,” Kat recalled.

When the two met, Kat noticed Bob used older technology. “He was using these sheets with song titles in itty-bitty letters. He was using cassettes. I said, ‘Heck no!'”

Kat replaced the materials with newer items, and when the couple married in 2001, Bob’s Karaoke became Bob and Kat’s Karaoke.

Since then, the two have hosted karaoke “gigs” in venues such as bars, church halls for wedding receptions, and parks for family gatherings. Kat said they braved 100 + degree temperatures at Lake Metigoshe for a wedding reception, and icy roads driving to communities such as Dunseith and Starkweather.

“We’ve even done gigs on farms, like when they’re done harvesting, some will host parties,” Kat said.

Kat said they “try to stay within an hour drive” of Rugby when they travel to gigs. She said they appear often at Dale’s Truck Stop in Dunseith and Gunslinger’s in Willow City.

Bob and Kat’s Karaoke will appear at the Rugby Eagles tonight at 7:30 p.m., with a prime rib and shrimp supper beforehand. According to manager Jeff Bercier, Eagles membership is not required.