We'll probably be talking about last Saturday's 20th birthday party for a long time here- there's just so many stories and pictures to share.
I didn't want to ruin the surprise of the stage before it was unveiled on 8th Street, so there weren't any pictures before the party. Much like St. Patrick's Day every year, we try to keep as many secrets as possible! And this event was definitely similar to a Sandbar St. Patrick's Day.
We borrowed a trailer from our friend Scott at Zarco66- and this trailer was at least ten feet longer than the Madl trailer that we use in March every year. Of course, that also meant that it wouldn't fit in our back yard, which is where our usual float-building shenanigans take place.
Peach and Scott hooked us up with a guy who owns the old bus barn in East Lawrence, and we rented a space in there to store the trailer. It's close to the bar so it was pretty convenient. Our usual float-building crew worked on the stage: Dave, Justin, Michelle, Coleen, Bridget, and Aaron. I'm probably forgetting some others who helped, too.
We spent a couple weeks building a giant pirate ship on the trailer, complete with a blue sky mural on the back by Sandbar art director Brother Pants. Coleen and her mom Sylvia sewed up some white sails. After a lot of painting and building, we had a pretty fun ship/stage ready for the party.
And then the big day arrived...
On Saturday, the guys had to dismantle the lower parts of the ship so they could drive the trailer to the corner of 8th and New Hampshire. It was pretty entertaining watching the ship arrive in Downtown Lawrence- and even funnier to watch twelve guys try to get it parked among the traffic.
But they did it, and by 5 pm on Saturday, a pirate ship had landed on 8th Street in front of The Sandbar. The guys all went to work, frantically re-assembling the parts they had removed and getting the ship ready for the night.
Tomorrow: More early evening party activity.
