The Sandbar...Home of the Indoor Hurricane!

It's Electric! A New Tropical Drink

Dave loves making up new tropical concoctions. Once upon a time, the Sandbar only had one: the Bahama Mama. Then along came the Shark Attack, and for a short time we had Pat O'Brien's Hurricane mix shipped in from new Orleans, and after we saw the demand for these fruity drinks, the recipes exploded.

Now, we have eight. EIGHT! That's a lot of options for such a small place. 

We'd like to introduce the eighth addition to our lineup: the Jersey Shore. There was a little bit of controversy in naming this drink. It's blue and glows really bright in its machine, so it was originally it was called Three Mile Island. When I was at the bar this weekend and saw it for the first time, my immediate thought was "Wow! It's electric!" You know, the wedding dance song "Electric Boogie." So that's what we were going to rename the drink.

Until Blair worked Saturday night. He wanted to name it "Jersey Shore," after the inexplicably popular reality show. Of course, the trendy choice trumped mine, so you can now order up a Jersey Shore at the bar.

Ironically, I've been told that the cast of Jersey Shore frequents a club in New Jersey called the Sandbar (no idea if they really go there, but there is/was a Sandbar in Jersey), and one time on Twitter someone showed me a tweet from Snooki that talked about her love of Bahama Mamas. I'm sure ours are better.

Happy Kansas Day!

Today, January 29, 2011 is a BIG. DAY.

Our great state of Kansas turns 150 years old today.

The Sunflower Showdown between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Kansas State Wildcats tips off at 6 p.m. tonight. This is the first installment of the Showdown during basketball season. We love that it falls on Kansas Day.

ESPN's College GameDay crew is in Lawrence this weekend for the big game, too. Yesterday they filmed the making of the Wang burger (Dave's favorite!) at The Wheel, and today they broadcast live from Allen Fieldhouse. Students (and old people, from what we've heard) crowded into the fieldhouse for their chance to be on TV.

They'll broadcast again from 5-6 p.m. right before the game starts.

And finally, the entire state is encouraged to raise a glass of Kansas beer, wine or cider at 6 p.m. to toast Kansas' birthday.

Happy Birthday, Kansas! And Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Sandbar Fans in North Dakota

About four years ago, a group of friends from North Dakota started coming in to the Sandbar during their annual pilgrimage to Lawrence. They were in town this past weekend for the KU-Texas game (sad face!), so we asked them to tell us a little bit about how their annual trip got started, and their thoughts on the Sandbar.

Here's what James had to say:

We grew interest in Lawrence when one of our classmates (Jeff Boschee) played basketball for the Jayhawks and have been continuing our venture there once a year ever since. I believe he played for Kansas from 1999 to 2003 (might be off a year) and we always liked to go out and have a good time there.

As of 4 years ago we discovered The Sandbar and it has been our favorite inLawrence ever since. The people that hang out there are super friendly and Dave is one of the nicest guys in lawrence to b.s. with. The other reason that we like to come to the Sandbar is to make sure we get a dirty banana shot.

While we are on our visit in Lawrence we take in a basketball game as well as taking in a lot of history, we seem to learn someting new about Lawrence every time that we come. Thanks for taking the time to do this, it is a great place and will always be our first stop when we arrive.

Dave took a picture of James and his group (and some random girls that Dave says he kind of encouraged to jump into the picture):

Thanks guys for making us a stop on your annual trip to Lawrence! See you next year!

We're Going to Fin Land!

No, not the country, although that could be an interesting trip.

Jimmy Buffett is finally returning to Kansas City after a long break and playing the Sprint Center on April 30 as part of the "Welcome to Fin Land" tour. He last played in Kansas City in 1997.

Lots of years ago, the Sandbar crew took a bus trip to Denver to see Jimmy Buffett. It was before my time, but I've heard lots of stories and seen the pictures. And there were certainly stories. I'm hoping to corner a few of the trip's participants and grill them about what they remember so I can share it here.

Back in the late 90's, we took another bus trip to Buffett, this time to St. Louis. It rained almost the entire show but we had a blast.

And now, we'll see him in Kansas City. The Sprint Center won't be quite the same as an outdoor amphitheater with large parking lots suited for tailgating, but we'll make it work.

It certainly was a fiasco to get tickets. Dave was on the phone and I was online right at 10 a.m., and we spent a lot of frustrating time with Ticketmaster. I finally managed to get a few pairs online, and then Dave had the best idea ever: go to the Ticketmaster outlet at HyVee. Genius! He got tickets with no problems at all.

We don't have any official plans for the concert yet. We've talked about taking a bus from Lawrence to the concert; we've also thought about renting hotel rooms and spending the night near Power & Light. Once we have a Sandbar party plan, we'll be sure to let you know.

Who else was lucky enough to score some tickets?

I Want to be a Bartender

We get a lot of applications and resumes dropped off at the bar. From college students to professional people looking for a second job to graduates of bartending schools, there are no shortage of people in Lawrence who want to tend bar.

Often, Dave finds scraps of paper around his office and behind the bar with names and phone numbers scribbled on them, along with availability to work. And sometimes, we even get fancy resumes bound in folders with pictures of the person.

The other day, Dave was cleaning his office and throwing stuff away. He had a whole pile of old applications and resumes to shred, but since there's not a shredder in the office he brought them home. (We care about keeping your information safe from identity thieves.)

I flipped through the stack out of curiosity and quickly realized the pile contained great blog material.

So, coming soon, some of the great lines people use when they apply for a job in a bar. Not to worry, no names or other identifying information will be revealed. Stay tuned.

More Fun With Wigs

Our New Year's Eve wig party was a big hit, and now our staff (ahem, Dave) can't get enough of the wigs.

The rainbow-colored clown wig has made an appearance on more than one occasion and more than one head since New Year's Eve.

It's too bad we can't find a super cheap supply of wigs somewhere. Everyone seems to love the drink toys they can wear, like the glasses and the moustaches. How awesome would it be to get a wig with your Bahama Mama?!

Staff Profile: Tegan

Even though she's worked at The Sandbar for nearly FIVE YEARS, this is the first time we've had a staff profile on Tegan. It's about time! (I think she just avoided my requests in the past.)

How long have you worked here? Since May, 2006.

What's your favorite drink to drink? Beer, Irish Car Bombs with the Men of the Sandbar, anything in a shot glass. (that sounds sort of bad) (Editor's note: no, it really doesn't. It makes you sound fun.)

Favorite drink to make? Margaritas if we aren't super busy.

Most unusual drink request you've had? Vodka gimlet, Phil and a random patron are the only two people who have ordered them.  Maybe they are making a comeback after a Mad Men episode?  (Betty Draper ordered one at the bar on the episode when she had her first affair.)

Favorite memory from working? When Dave got super hammered and after closing time he was being "helpful" and running back and forth with the mop, he fell, slid across the floor and slammed into the front benches. Only to follow it up by running into the locked front door on his way out and breaking the lock.  Still my favorite night at the Sandbar! (Editor's note: I was there for this. And it really was hilarious. Only because it's sort of out of character for Dave- don't go thinking he does this stuff all the time.)

Best story from the bar? One night Blair hit me in the face with a bottle of vodka. Sounds worse than it was. I was putting the empty bottle away, and he was being "helpful" and was handing me a new one to put in the speed row. He hit me in the mouth with the bottle, no busted teeth. It was pretty funny. We were all freaking out because I was crying, but it ended up being fine - just a busted lip. 

What do you do when you're not working at the bar? Work at my "real job," go to sporting events, spend time with friends.

Favorite jukebox song?  Don't have one...

Song you never want to hear again? Pour Some Sugar on Me, Save a Horse Ride a Cowboy, anything Lion King, anything ABBA...

So, Tegan has some pretty funny stories from the bar. She's also well known for baking amazing cookies and bringing them to the bar- but not eating them.

You may have also noticed a trend in these staff profiles; namely, the jukebox songs they never want to hear again. The same songs and artists keep making an appearance...

And finally, I searched my entire catalog of Sandbar pictures (and I have a lot of pictures) for pictures of Tegan, and I couldn't find very many. This one's from last Halloween. I think she must avoid me when I have a camera in my hand.

Sandbar Tee in Philadelphia

Sandbar friend Annie recently traveled to Philadelphia and sent us this picture of her Sandbar shirt! This is the first picture we've gotten from Philly.

Thanks, Annie! Hope your trip was lots of fun.

If you've got a picture of your Sandbar shirt somewhere cool, send it to us!

Live Music Fridays at the Sandbar Sub Shop

Starting this Friday, January 21, the Sandbar Sub Shop in downtown Ottawa will feature live music Fridays!

The lovely Katlyn Conroy will kick off the series. She's a fantastic singer/songwriter/musician in Lawrence who also happens to be Peach's niece. She'll start at 6 p.m.

The dinner specials for the evening:

• Succulent seafood chowder with a side salad of fresh greens, feta, sunflower seeds and garden vegetables for $6.95
• Slow roasted brisket piled high on a toasted bun with your choice of side for $6.95

After enjoying dinner and the music, head over to the Crystal Plaza Theater and enjoy a special showing of "True Grit" at 8 p.m. Special ticket price for this showing is only $6.

This event is to celebrate the Sub Shop's new live music nights and entertainment choices in downtown Ottawa, and we hope you'll join us!

RSVP on Facebook

If I Had A Million Dollars...

That might be the words to a song we all know and love, but it's also a claim we can make. Sort of.

Recently Dave was doing some routine maintenance around the bar (I don't really know what that means) and he pulled some stuff off the ceiling. One of the things he found, which we've never seen before, was this:

Way back in 1993, we got a check for a million dollars from Uncle Andy's Hambonery. Anyone remember this place? (It was before my time.)