The Sandbar...Home of the Indoor Hurricane!

Shark Week!

Shark Week, the week-long Discovery Channel series, starts Sunday!

Shark Week started in 1987 and is held annually in late July/early August. We've never celebrated it at the Sandbar because it sneaks up on us every year. Not this year!

Shark Week kicks off tomorrow with "Ultimate Air Jaws" at 8 p.m. CST, followed by "Into the Shark Bite" which give you close up views of shark attacks from inside the shark's mouth. Check out the full Shark Week episode guide to find your favorite shows.

Sunday morning at 11:30 a.m., a live, interactive dive tour kicks off on the "Shark Cam," followed by tiger, hammerhead and whale shark feedings.

The Shark Week website has all kinds of cool stuff: shark facts, games, and you can even Shark Yourself! Upload a picture of yourself or someone else and add eyes, a mouth and other shark features. 

Stop by this week and watch some Shark Week features with us! Our signature drink, the Shark Attack, is $2 on Tuesday and $3 on Thursday; all other days it's $4. Happy Shark Week!

Sandbar Ghost Phones Home

The Sandbar ghost seems to be making frequent appearances lately. Here's an excerpt from our "door diary" about the ghost's recent contact.

It was a sweltering hot Monday night at the Sandbar in the middle of July. It was closing time and the two employees, Tyler and Fyler, thought they were all alone. At 2:07 a.m., Fyler's phone rang and logged a conversation lasting six seconds.

Confused, Fyler asked Tyler "Why are you calling me?"

Tyler looked at his phone and realized it had made no such call.

Have you ever felt like you weren't alone in the Sandbar at closing time?

This is the first story we've heard about the ghost making phone calls. In the past, he's hidden money, knocked trashcans down the stairs,  or messed with the fish tank. 

Wonder what he'll do next?

Duckmania

We love rubber ducks. They're some of the most popular drink toys at the bar, especially since you can order rubber ducks in almost any theme now- nurse ducks, construction worker ducks, mermaid ducks.

When Dave was at the pool store and saw a giant inflatable duck float, he had to buy it. It's kind of ominous looking, for a kid's pool toy- the head bobs eerily while it floats in the water and the eyes have a creepy stare. 

Naturally, we had to do something ridiculous with it. So, when the Sandbar staff isn't working, they're playing in the pool and making silly videos like this one.

Sandbar Hurricane Video Entries

Our hurricane video contest is underway! Submissions are accepted until August 7. The contest is sponsored by the Sandbar Sub Shop.

Film your best advice about "What Not To Do During A Hurricane," upload it to YouTube, and send us a link. We'll post it here, and then starting August 7, the public will vote for the finalists.

On August 14- the day of our 21st birthday party- we'll announce the finalists, and you'll get to vote for the winner. The winning video will be included in our 2010 hurricane video, and the creator will win free Sandbar Subs sandwiches for a year!

Our first two entries came all the way from Asia, proving that anyone can enter this contest using the power of the internet- no matter where you are. Margarita Monday proponent Amerika submitted these videos.

The next entry is a social-media themed entry from Raymond, who saw us tweet about the contest on Twitter.

Think you can do better? Film something and submit it to us.

We've got several videos of the staff and friends clowning around with ducks and surfboards that we'll post soon. If we can figure out our new video software, that is.

Joe-ing Away Party

The Joe Factor is leaving the Sandbar.

Joe's lovely fiancee Teresa graduated from Washburn Law in May, and she's taking the bar exam this week. While she's been studying all summer, Joe's been living it up at the Sandbar and at manager Dave's backyard pool. But now, Teresa has landed a job in the metropolis of Emporia, and they'll be leaving Lawrence soon.

Wednesday is Joe's final regular bartending shift at the Sandbar. I say "final regular," because we certainly hope he'll come back to visit and make a guest appearance behind the bar or at the door.

Come join us on Wednesday night and wish Joe well in his new adventures in Emporia. 

Some of the staff in "Cuddle Island" with Joe. That's how much they'll miss him.

Share your favorite Joe Factor memories and moments in the comments!

RSVP on Facebook

Sandbar Baby Shower

"You have a baby! In a bar?!?"

Love that movie. Today, it was reality at the Sandbar. We hosted what we think is our first-ever baby shower.

Long-time regular customers and float dancers Brandon and Sherri (who I think may have also met at our establishment, but I'm not positive) are expecting their first bundle of joy in September. Sherri's friends wanted to have a fun shower for her, and the Sandbar seemed a logical place.

We aren't open on Sunday afternoons anyway, so it was the perfect time for a bunch of ladies to gather and play games, open gifts, eat snacks and drink Bahama Mama's. Heather even made a virgin "Bahama Mommy" for the mommy-to-be. 

The back corner of the bar might have looked a little unusual, with all the pastel gift bags and stuffed animals decorating the space:

 

Of course, the proud parents put a commemorative dollar bill on the wall, high above the ladies' room so no one can tear it down.

We wondered what passers-by might think if they looked in the window and saw ladies pinning baby clothes to a makeshift clothesline. Or the random customer who might think we're open and wander into a pink extravaganza. We even had a stroller and a five month old baby present for the festivities.

The shower was such a hit that we're thinking maybe Sunday afternoons could be useful after all. Bridal and baby showers might be a fun thing for us to host, and for girls who love the Sandbar and want a fun, casual place to hold an event, it's perfect. If you're interested, let us know.

Congratulations to Brandon and Sherri and baby girl!

Meat Flavored Vodka?

A few weeks ago on Twitter, the topic of meat flavored vodka made the rounds.

I saw a link to an article about Smoked Salmon Flavored Vodka, launched by the Alaska Distillery in Wasilla. This flavor follows a similar launch last year of bacon-flavored vodka, by the Seattle-based Black Rock Spirits. (Is it a coincidence that both of these strange spirits are coming from the Pacific Northwest area?)

Flavored vodkas are certainly popular, and according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, vodka is the highest selling spirits category in the country. But when I think of flavored vodka, I think of fruity stuff like raspberry and strawberry and grape. Not garlic or bacon or salmon. 

The meat flavored vodkas were apparently intended for use in Bloody Marys, but bartenders and customers have found other uses for them. The article even mentions a drink called the "Luau," a vodka, pineapple juice, and butterscotch concoction that doesn't sound very tropical to me.

Have you tried an unusual flavor of vodka? Would you?

Sandbar Sub Shop at Zarco66

Road construction on East 23rd Street in Lawrence might be annoying, but there's at least one bright spot over there.

The new Sandbar Sub Shop is open inside the Zarco66 station! Peach opened the first Sandbar Sub Shop a year and a half ago in downtown Ottawa, and the first franchise location opened last spring at the Zarco66 in Ottawa. The plan is to eventually have sub shops in each of the Zarco66 locations, with the first Lawrence shop on East 23rd.

The shop opened last week with a "soft opening." A grand opening celebration will take place soon, but if you're making your way through the maze of construction, stop by for a fresh sub. Dave's little sister works there, too!

 

 

There's also a new Scooter's Coffeehouse in the building, and Dave built some tables just like the ones at the Sandbar so you can sit down and eat.

Stop by and check it out! 

Find the Sandbar Sub Shop on Facebook

Follow the Sandbar Sub Shop on Twitter

Lawrence KS App

Do you have an iPhone or iPod Touch? Want to keep up with local businesses in Lawrence? Check out the Lawrence KS app, a guide to Lawrence restaurants, bars and shopping!

The app was created by our friend Jacinta at LangfordMedia, a web/social media/mobile marketing company in Lawrence.

The application is great for folks who live in Lawrence and especially if you're just here to visit. View business hours, menus, drink specials and more- including live Twitter feeds if the business has an account. You can browse businesses by category, or you can choose "near me" to find places close to you. 

The app costs 99 cents, which is a steal. A really cool feature of this app is that a portion of all proceeds will be donated to the Lawrence Public Schools.

If you own a business, you can request the business to be included as a "featured listing." These are the first places a user sees when launching the app. If your business isn't currently listed in the app, contact LangfordMedia.

Be sure to check out the website for more details! 

(This is a completely independent review of the Lawrence KS app. It was not paid for or requested by LangfordMedia. In fact, I paid for the app myself. I just think it's cool and wanted to share the info.)

Sandbar Tees in Zion National Park

Sandbar friends Ryan and Megan sent us a picture featuring Sandbar shirts from their recent vacation. Here's what they had to say about their trip:

We hiked to the top of Observation Point in Zion National Park, an 8 mile round trip hike, with an elevation increase of 2100 feet in the first four miles.  When we got the top, you could see forever and we were sure thinking that a drink at the Sandbar sure sounded good about then!  

A cool, refreshing Sandbar drink would be the perfect way to top off a hike up a mountain, no?

 

We also got a postcard from them while they toured breweries in Fort Collins.

 

We're just a tiny bit jealous of their trip. But we're thankful that they thought of us while they were out doing fun stuff! Thanks Ryan and Megan!