The Sandbar...Home of the Indoor Hurricane!

Shark Family Tribute

This shark picture frame is one of the millions of items that hang out on our walls. We love sharing the stories behind our decor, when we can remember them.

Several years ago, a woman who worked (or maybe still does) at Lake Perry brought a group of friends and family to the Sandbar on a regular basis. Her dad lived in California, and he'd come to Kansas for extended visits during the summers to see his daughter.

The group loved drinking Shark Attacks, and they collected all their sharks and sent them back to California with dad. He strung them up and used them to decorate a bar he built in his garage (or maybe his basement, the details are a little fuzzy).

One day, the woman came in and told Dave that her father had passed away. She'd taken several pictures of their family wearing Sandbar shirts or drinking here and created a collage frame- complete with beads and sharks glued around the edges.

She asked Dave if he would hang the picture in the bar as a memorial tribute to her dad, and of course Dave agreed.

The picture frame hangs in the front of the bar near the windows. Check it out next time you're here.

Conner's Castle Float Picture

St. Patrick's Day might be a distant memory for anyone not associated with the Sandbar, but we think about it all the time. We were thrilled to get an email the other day with this picture attached:

 

You might remember a couple of adorable little knights peeking out the windows of our castle float. They're the sons of our friend Curtis and his lovely wife Rochelle, and they were so excited to ride on the float this year.

Conner drew this picture for school and his parents thought we might like to see it. His level of detail is amazing for such a youngster, and he even drew him and his brother in the window! (I think that's supposed to Dave acting all wild and crazy in the top turret.)

Sandbar Tees in the Dominican Republic

Sandbar friend and regular Michelle (wife of Brother Pants, our art director and picture framer) is a nurse by day. Actually, she got some publicity for that recently- not only was a story about her career change on the front page, but a ginormous picture of her in nursing action was there too. Check it out here.

Anyway.

One of Michelle's interests outside of her paid nursing job is mission trips. She's taken several trips, starting back in nursing school when she went on a spring break trip to Mexico. She had to miss the annual St. Patrick's Day parade to participate in that trip, so you know she's dedicated to nursing.

Earlier this spring, she made a repeat trip to the Dominican Republic with a group of nurses and doctors. They worked with women's health care needs for about a week. But it wasn't all work- there was a little bit of time for play. Another friend of ours who is also a nurse- Tyler- was on this trip too, and they took some time to pose in their Sandbar shirts on the beach.

Michelle has spent the past week in Guatemala on yet another nursing mission trip. We hope she took her Sandbar shirt along for more pictures.

Sunday Funday

Sundays aren't usually a busy day at the Sandbar- they're laid back and slow, a good day for idle chatter with the bartender or even watching TV with the jukebox turned a little lower than normal. Last Sunday was an exception.

Some of our Margarita Monday (and some other nights of the week) regulars are experiencing some life changes: Briana graduated, Amerika is moving to New York City, and Phil had a birthday (but he's not going anywhere that we know of). So, what better way to celebrate than to open a few hours early for Sunday Funday!

Of course there was a shotski for six, featuring the Fail Whale shots:

 

We ate Choco Tacos and cookies; drank Bahama Mamas and beer and Beachtini's (some drank more than others, ahem); and socialized. Oddly, there was no hurricane or mermaid, but there was a ceremonial signing of a dollar bill that was later stapled prominently on the wall.

The party might have carried on into the night if it wasn't for a certain popular TV show that was ending its run on Sunday night. It was a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon, especially one that was nice enough to enjoy the patio.

It's always a sign of a good time when you have a pile of tropical drink toys at the end of the party. Thanks to everyone who came in on Sunday, come back soon!

Photos courtesy of Phil Martinez and his fancy camera.

A Written Complaint

I found this in the staff notebook that lives by the door.

Apparently, a customer who was asked to leave wanted to register a complaint. The staff gave him a notebook and a pen and told him to write it down.

No indication of who the bartender was or why the person was asked to leave. No one was fired. Carry on.

UPDATE: According to a bartender at Fatso's, their establishment has a nearly identical note posted at their bar. Must be a serial complainer on the loose downtown.

A Love Poem for KU

I find all sorts of interesting things on Twitter these days, which has become my go-to source for news and events happening both locally and nationally. After KU's commencement weekend, I looked at tweets that were tagged with the #kugrad hashtag, and I found a lovely poem.

A KU alumna named Erica, who now lives in Colorado, was back in town for her brother's graduation. She was inspired to write this poem about all the things she loves about KU. And, guess what? The Sandbar got a mention! And she said she also has a bunch of sharks in her apartment now.

Here's a link to her blog, where the poem appeared.

An Alumnus Returns

The yellow, blue and pink
Of brilliant Lawrence skies
Fraser Hall marks the skyline
What a sight for homesick eyes

Chiming Campanile bells
In rhythm with my heartbeat
Green trees, Mom and Pop shops
Line up and down Mass Street

Memories come washing back
Ghosts floating on the hill
And as I haunt my old halls
I've got that nostalgic thrill

The sand and waves at Clinton Lake
Brick road - Ohio Street
Fratters with Coors at The Wheel
Sperry's on all their feet

Schooners at Louise's
Playing in the Chi-O fountain
Walking up steep 14th street
Feeling like it's a mountain

Graffitied desks in Wescoe Hall
Allen Fieldhouse student stampede
Wave the wheat for touchdowns
Tailgating BBQ/beer feed

Boulevard Wheat at Quinton's
Shark attack at the Sandbar
Cave's no replacement for Crossing
Take Saferide, not your car

Musky smell of a frat house
Themed parties with sorority
Friends who have touched my life
Rock chalk chanting with me

Crimson and blue is what I bleed
A Jayhawk, true and tried
Once you've got it, it only grows
Nothing like Kansas pride

Limestone buildings standing proud
Towering over the blue
My Alma Mater, traditions strong
Hail to old KU

Doesn't that bring tears to your eyes? It captures so many great things about Lawrence and KU- it's a perfect tribute!

Jimmy Buffett, an Alabama apartment, & a Lawrence resident

Back in April, I saw a tweet from a customer who had been in the bar the night before and visited our fake beach. I thanked her for coming in, and she responded with this:

Whoah, what? I couldn't let that fun fact go by without an investigation. A short conversation (on Twitter, naturally) and a link to another blog later, I had a story. Turns out, Sally's dad supposedly lived in the apartment after Mr. Buffett, and then she took up residence in apartment #223 in 1998.

The short version:

Our favorite beach music maker attended Auburn University for one year in 1964. He lived in the Plainsman Apartments, pledged a fraternity, and learned how to play the guitar so he could win the ladies' attention. Lucky for us, he decided music was more important than school. And the rest is history.

The long version is available here. It's actually quite an interesting story from a blog dedicated to all things Auburn. The author researched the rumors surrounding Buffett's attendance at Auburn, and with the help of a biography called "Jimmy Buffett: The Man from Margaritaville Revealed" by Steve Eng, he had his answers.

Pretty cool that we have a resident among us who lived in Jimmy Buffett's college apartment!

Have you seen the patio in Ottawa?

In honor of the rainy weather we've had all week and the hot, sunny temperatures expected for the weekend, we bring you one of the highlights of summertime beer-drinking: a patio.

If you haven't been to the Sandbar in Ottawa, you're missing out. Sure, the bar was created in an old Taco Bell building, but after seven years, you'd never know it.

One of the great things about our sister location is the fabulous patio out front. It's gone through a lot of changes since the bar opened, and it was significantly improved once the smoking ban in Ottawa was passed and the smokers needed a fun place to go.

And this is the best kind of patio, because it's all-weather; it's covered and semi-enclosed to help block the wind and cold, and there's lots of tables and chairs. And a foosball table! Our signature decor hangs all over the walls, too.

 

Check it out sometime. Sometime this summer we'll schedule a volleyball game on the beach in Ottawa, and take a bunch of you down there for drinks on the patio.

Sandbar Graduate 2010: Brenna

Last week, we posted a request on this blog, Twitter, & Facebook for Sandbar graduates- college students who frequent the Sandbar and are graduating this spring, leaving Lawrence and the Sandbar behind (or not, in some cases).

We've profiled graduates in the past, usually employees because they have to answer my questions if they want to keep their job (not really), but this year we got lots of responses from graduating customers. We're excited to share their stories with you!

Today's Graduate: Brenna. You might remember her as being the one who wrote this fabulous article about Dave.

What's your favorite Sandbar jukebox song? Bonus points if you tell us why.

Tossup between Abba ("Does Your Mother Know") and Under the Sea. My friends make fun of me for my ridiculous music choice outside of the bar, and it's awesome I can listen to these songs in there. Plus, who doesn't know the words to the Disney song?

Remember the first time you came here? Tell us your first impression.

My first time there was on my 21st birthday. I'd heard so many great things from older friends  about it that I had to go (picture on right). I had an awesome time and did my first hurricane...I believe I'm at five now. I always have fun at the Sandbar when I go because it's  got great music and I love the shark attacks! Now, whenever friends come to town from far away, we go to the Sandbar (picture on left). It's definitely got the most memories of any bar in town.

Also, one time my dad came to town on a Wednesday night and wanted to go to the bars I go to. We went to the Sandbar at about 7:30, and me, my boyfriend and him were there with like two other people at the bar. My dad got a shark attack and then a Sandbar shirt. It was great to show him where I go, because he was at KU 30 years ago.

What's your drink of choice? The one you'll miss the most?

Like I said, I love the shark attacks! I have so many sharks it's ridiculous. My third picture is one time when I was given a bouquet of sharks.

Tell us what you're doing after you graduate- sticking around town? Moving on to greener pastures?

I'm sticking around and working at the LJWorld. 

How many hours have you waited in line?

I tend to plan to come early enough so I don't have to. I know how busy it gets :)

Sandbar Graduate 2010: Vanessa

Last week, we posted a request on this blog, Twitter, & Facebook for Sandbar graduates- college students who frequent the Sandbar and are graduating this spring, leaving Lawrence and the Sandbar behind (or not, in some cases).

We've profiled graduates in the past, usually employees because they have to answer my questions if they want to keep their job (not really), but this year we got lots of responses from graduating customers. We're excited to share their stories with you!

Today's profile features Vanessa, a regular for quite some time now.

What's your favorite Sandbar jukebox song? Bonus points if you tell us why.

I absolutely love “Fishing in the Dark.” I didn’t know the song very well before numerous trips to the Sandbar. Now I love singing along and joking about its double meaning with my friends!

Tell us the funniest moment you remember at The Sandbar- whether it involves you or not.

It’s hard for me to pick just one favorite funny moment from the Sandbar, but if I was forced to  pick one I would say it was it happened during my sorority’s moms’ weekend last year. A large group of us wanted to take our moms to the Sandbar. One girl’s mom was already a big fan of the Sandbar (because her son had worked there a few years ago) and insisted on buying a Hurricane. So here we are six girls on the bar with one mom in the mermaid outfit having the time of her life. We not only danced to the Hurricane but also to “Working at the Car Wash” and “Shake your Tail feathers.”

Remember the first time you came here? Tell us your first impression.

I could probably pin down the exact date of my first Sandbar experience, but I will approximate it as early December 2008. I had wanted to visit the Sandbar for quite some time but having an early birthday makes it hard when none of your friends are 21. Finally a few of us were all 21, and we set off to the Sandbar. I immediately felt like I had been transported to an island oasis. I am a big fan of beaches and warm weather so anything to make December in Kansas seem a little warmer was a big plus for me. Pretty much from that point on Sandbar became my favorite bar and still is today!

What's your drink of choice? The one you'll miss the most? 

  My drink of choice is Landshark. I love the fact it is on tap, but I could probably get a Landshark somewhere else so I will pick another. The Shark Attack is by far my favorite tropical drink from the Sandbar. It is more than just the drink I like. It is the whole experience  of the drink. I love tipping my little shark upside down to mix the grenadine into the blue liquid. Also what is not to love about getting a free toy?!

Tell us what you're doing after you graduate- sticking around town? Moving on to greener pastures?

Graduation, yikes! Is it really next weekend? Anyways, I am spending my final summer in Lawrence before heading off to Los Angeles. Keeping my fingers crossed, I will find a job in public relations.

How many hours have you waited in line?

 I have waited many of hours in line at the Sandbar. Two of my longest waits actually happened in one weekend. Homecoming brings a lot of alums back to KU, which means longer lines, but both hour waits were completely worth it once inside! I have discovered if you come around 9:30, the line is usually fairly short!