The Sandbar...Home of the Indoor Hurricane!

New Sandbar Drink Specials

We like to mix things up every once in awhile, so we're introducing some new specials- and we think you'll love them.

Dave wanted to emphasize even more the drinks the Sandbar is known for- the Shark Attack and the Dirty Banana shot. So, join us on Wednesday nights for the "best of the Sandbar" and enjoy $3 Shark Attacks and $1 Dirty Bananas. It's almost better than being at the beach!

Can beer has been making a comeback, so Sunday nights are Can Night now. Stop in for $2 cans before the work week starts again. We'll have a random selection of cans for you- right now it's Bud Light, Miller Light, Corona and Tecate- but it'll change depending on what Dave decides to stock.

The rest of the nights are pretty much the same:

One other thing- we're dropping Buzztime trivia sometime in the next month, so if you're a trivia addict, get in and play it now.

Sandbar Golfers at the Spurling Scramble

Some of the Sandbar crew headed out to Alvamar last Thursday for the fifth annual Spurling Scramble, the annual golf tournament put on by the Lawrence Police Officers Association, Fraternal Order of Police and International Association of Firefighters.

Proceeds from the event benefit SAFE, the Surviving Spouse and Family Endowment, which provides  funds to families of police and fire personnel killed in the line of duty. "Violet's Valor" bracelents were also available to purchase, to help support a local family's expenses while their daughter fights leukemia.

The Sandbar sponsored one team of golfers: Phil, Joe, Tyler and one of Tyler's friends. Dave did what he does best- dispensed shots to golfers and took pictures of them in the Sandbar beach-themed cutout. He also got to hang out with Karen and Kalissa, which is probably the real reason he opted for that job instead of golfing.

Andrew's other employer, adidas, also sponsored a team. Andrew and Tegan played on that one along with some guys Andrew works with. The adidas team won first place in the second flight, and the Sandbar team won second place in the second flight. We've got trophies to prove it!

It was super windy that day, but at least it didn't storm. Everyone had a great time, and we always enjoy supporting great causes like this one. Check out our Facebook page to see pictures of golfers with the photo cutout.

Freaky Fast Closing Time Food

Down at the Sandbar, we love us some Jimmy John's. They're open late, they deliver and they're freaky fast. What more could you want when you're starving late at night, mopping up a mess and washing dishes, when you'd rather be home in bed?

Andrew started working the door at the bar the day he turned 18. Also that day, he began calling Jimmy John's for late-night sustenance. He's ordered the same exact thing, at least three times a week, for three years now.

Andrew's been dreaming of the day he calls, gives just his name and location, and the employee knows exactly what order to put in without him saying another word.

It happened. Sort of.

Andrew was busy sweeping the sidewalk or doing some other thankless closing task, so Dave made the nightly call.

Dave: I need to put in an order for Sandbar

JJ: Is this for Andrew? Bootlegger, no veggies?

Dave: <stunned silence> Yep.

Andrew's dream finally came true. And it only took three years.

(We've got another funny story about Jimmy John's. We'll share that one another day.)

Bartender Danny and the Fun Police

We love to see our friends, customers and employees doing good things for the community, and bartender Danny is a rock star. He's getting ready to ride in his fourth Bike MS, a fundraiser for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

In his first three rides, Danny raised $600, $1000 and $1200, and so far this year he's raised a whopping $1600! Go Danny!

The Sandbar is a big supporter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Many of us here unfortunately know several people impacted by multiple sclerosis. Last year we sponsored a team in the Lawrence Walk MS event, and we had a great time raising money and walking.

One year Danny shaved his head when he met his fundraising goal. Another year he grew a mustache. And kept it around for awhile.

We don't see Danny as much as we used to since he moved to Kansas City for nursing school, but donating a few dollars to his efforts would be a great way to let him know how much you appreciate all those shots he's poured.

Visit his fundraising page to make a donation and read about his commitment.

Sandbar Wedding: Joe Factor and Teresa!

Saturday was a big day for the Sandbar family. Two weddings in a day- former bartenders Austin and Josie, and recent bartender Joe and Teresa.

Joe and Teresa got married in the Arts Incubator event loft in the Crossroads District of Kansas City. Holy cow, this place was gorgeous! The loft had old wood floors, exposed brick walls and glass windows all around the room that showed off a fantastic view of the Kansas City skyline. The thunderstorm and all its lightning only added to the beautiful night view.

 

The ceremony was short and sweet and very Joe and Teresa. And then they were married!

We ate, drank and danced. Tyler and his buddy Joe served as bartenders for the evening. There were toasts- some were funny, some were serious and some brought tears to the eye. And then they brought out Teresa's uncle dressed as a Cuban Elvis, and he sang some Elvis tunes while he read the lyrics from his phone. We've never seen anything quite like it!

There was almost a food fight. (Don't tell Teresa.) Dave convinced Andrew's girlfriend Jamie to shove a cupcake in Andrew's face, which led to Andrew conspiring to do the same to Dave- only filmed on camera this time. Andrew managed to waste a bunch of delicious cupcake frosting by smearing it on Dave's face, but unfortunately the camera girl failed to record it in time. 

Frequent Sandbar regular from several years ago Devo caught the bouquet. She's in Chicago now doing stand-up comedy. 

We managed to gather the Sandbar crew together for a group picture, and several random people kept trying to squeeze into the shot. We must have been a really cool group or something.

We danced and laughed and partied until after midnight, and then like true Sandbar staffers, we stuck around and helped put away the tables and chairs.

It was a fantastic evening and the wedding was beautiful. We highly recommend checking out the Arts Incubator if you're looking for a unique wedding or party venue in Kansas City.

And congratulations to Joe and Teresa on their marriage! They're in Emporia now, where Teresa practices law and Joe does...we don't really know. We miss them at the Sandbar!

 

Help Light the Night- Leukemia & Lymphoma Fundraiser

Our very good friend and customer Susan is participating in the Light the Night Walk, a fundraising event for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The LLS funds research that contributes to advances in treatments for blood cancers, as well as treatments such as chemotherapy and stem cell transplants.

The Light the Night Walk is a chance to pay tribute to those battling blood cancers and to commemorate loved ones who lost their battle.

We're supporting Susan in this effort because many of us also know someone who has been touched by these cancers.

You can make a tax-deductible donation on her fundraising page. 

As an added bonus, for every $10 you donate, Susan will enter you into a drawing for a laptop donated by the dentists at Legends Drive Dental. And, if that weren't enough- if the team reaches their goal, the dentists have agreed to shave their heads! 

What are you waiting for! Be a superstar and donate a few bucks.

September Specials at Sandbar Sub Shop

Have you tried the Sandbar Sub Shop yet? You've got even more opportunities to eat there now, with two locations in Ottawa and a location in Lawrence. More Lawrence locations are planned for the near future!

The Sub Shop has some great specials for September:

Buy any sub, and add a bag of chips and a 32 oz. drink for just 66 cents! (Get it? Two of the Sub Shops are at Zarco66- hence the 66 cents. Clever, no?)

If you've got a family to feed or another large hungry group, you'll love this special. Get four subs, four bags of chips, and four drinks for just $19.66. That's less than $5 per person!

You don't even need a coupon for these deals- just mention that you saw it online to make sure you get the special.

There's also a bunch of great coupons on our Facebook page, and you can check out our menu here.

Sandbar Wedding: Josie & Austin!

This has been the season for Sandbar family weddings! Bartender Heather and Ken, former bartender John and Natalie, former regulars Ashley and Tyson, and we're not done yet!

Josie and Austin- who both spent time on both sides of our bar- are tying the knot on Saturday. They didn't meet at the Sandbar but they've spent many hours together here. Austin worked here before Josie, and then when a shift opened up he recommended her to Dave and she spent about a year here.

Josie's favorite Sandbar memory is of Austin dancing on the bar to "Car Wash." She says it's the cutest thing in the world, because he doesn't love to dance but always get into that song. Austin said he couldn't top that memory. And he'd probably rather I not share it with you.

I borrowed this picture from Josie's Facebook page. Aren't they cute?

 

Got any great wedding advice for these two? Or, better yet, do you have fun memories of their bartending days? Share it with us in the comments, and we'll make sure they see it! 

Big congratulations to Josie and Austin from all your friends at the Sandbar!

Sandbar Customer Requests

We get a lot of requests. People want drinks, toilet paper in the ladies' room, songs to be skipped on the jukebox and their friends to be let in when there's a line.

Sometimes, though, we get funny or unusual requests. Like this one:

This particular request- for purse hooks under the bar- is funny, because we've actually talked about this before. At the time, though, we decided against it for fear that ladies would hang their purses and forget them. But, perhaps not. Maybe we'll put in the hooks and give it a try.

One other thing- polite and friendly requests like this one stand a much larger chance of getting our attention!

Sandbar Art

Today was the annual Fall Arts & Crafts Festival in South Park in downtown Lawrence. This year, we found something we weren't expecting- the Sandbar!

One of the first booths Dave & I stopped to visit was full of gorgeous artwork depicting local images- downtown, KU and other scenes around town. A giant canvas of the Sandbar caught our attention right away. 

After further investigating this booth, we discovered that the artist also happened to be our wedding photographer- Robbin Loomas of Sterling Image. We loved her then, and we really love what she's doing now: a style of digital art that blends photography, painting and technology.

According to her website, the work begins as a photograph and then she uses a combination of digital tools to transform it into something new, leading people to wonder if it's a photograph or a painting. It's a little bit of both.

We bought several cards- one with the Sandbar, of course, and a few others with images of KU, Sunflower Bike Shop and a cool scene of a bicyclist pedaling down Massachusetts. She had lots of different sizes of the images available, and one day we hope to own the Sandbar canvas!

  

Pretty cool artwork, huh? Visit her website to see some of the other images available- you'll recognize a lot of them!