That's right, your favorite dive has been serving up tropical drinks in downtown Lawrence for 25 years now, and for the past five years we've celebrated our birthday every August with a giant block party in the street.
This year, the party gets even bigger! Join us for TWO NIGHTS—yes, two nights!— of live music, lots of beer, and more fun than people should be allowed to have.
Here's all the details:
Friday, August 8
Celebrate Sandbar Subs World Headquarters' first anniversary in downtown Lawrence
Both nights will feature a beer garden in the street in front of the bar. The cover charge for the beer garden is $5 each night, and you have to be 21 or older to come in.
However, the event itself is family-friendly, so you're welcome to bring kids and lawn chairs and hang out outside of the beer garden, too.
We can't wait for the greatest weekend of the summer, and we hope you'll join us!
It's December! This month is one of our favorites (let's be honest, we love almost every month for some reason or another) because of all the holiday festivities. And of course, we find ways to incorporate costumes!
This Saturday, Dec. 14, is the fourth annual SantaCon, and we're excited to participate again. SantaCon is a "conference of Santas," or better known as a pub crawl of Santas.
Anyone (of legal age, of course) is welcome to participate in this event! All that's required is a Santa suit or other holiday attire. A Santa hat is not enough, you need to put a little more effort into it!
The Santas are invited to gather at the Sandbar starting at 3 p.m. on Saturday (or earlier, if you like-- we open at 1) for a little holiday cheer. The pub crawl will then head down Mass Street to the Granada around 4, followed by a stop at Red Lyon and ending at the Bottleneck in time for the KU basketball game at 6 p.m.
SantaCon is a ton of fun, but it's also a charitable event. Santas are asked to bring donations for Ballard Community Services and Lawrence Humane Society. Cash, of course, is preferred but there's also a list of most-wanted items for each agency on the SantaCon website.
And if you have kids, bring them downtown to see the Santas! We promise, it's not a drunken mess like you might imagine a pub crawl to be. It's a jolly good time with Christmas carols and bells and lots of holiday cheer. We just happen to enjoy a few drinks along the way!
Something you probably don't see every day: thirty kids, in a bar, without their parents.
That was our day yesterday at the Sandbar.
Our friends at the Lawrence Public Library are hosting Read Across Lawrence, an annual community reading event, and this year's selection for kids is "Turtle in Paradise." The book is about a turtle who heads for Key West, and the hurricane of 1935 is featured in the book.
Read Across Lawrence includes educational events to go along with the book, so, naturally, it made sense to hold an event at the Sandbar. Where else in Lawrence can you find a little bit of Key West, and a lot of hurricanes?
So yesterday, about thirty kids got their first taste of the Sandbar as they moved between three educational stations and learned about the science behind hurricanes from UKanTeach students.
After about 45 minutes of learning, the kids got to experience the famous indoor hurricane, complete with the cheesy video and napkins flying through the air.
This might be the cutest thing ever:
Once it was over, the kids got a souvenir strand of beads to take home with them.
A funny thing that happened: as he got his beads, one kid asked Dave "can I have a moustache?"
Dave and I looked at each other in a bit of shock. "How does he know about moustaches?" we wondered.
But we just got the box of moustaches and started handing those out, too.
Thanks, Lawrence Public Library and parents, for letting us be part of Read Across Lawrence!
Our new neighbor across the street, the Sandbar Subs World Headquarters, has been open for almost a month now and business seems to be brisk.
If you haven't stopped by to check it out, you should-- it's not just a sandwich shop (although the sandwiches and wraps are delicious!) but also a place you can stop and get a fountain drink, a cell phone charger or a bottle of Advil.
Remember Round Corner? For you newbies, it was a drugstore on the corner of 8th and Mass, where Italian restaurant Intorno now sits. Round Corner was an old-fashioned drugstore that also housed the Cheese Shoppe, one of Dave's favorite former restaurants downtown.
Well, personally, the new Sandbar Subs reminds me of a cross between the two. Think convenience store plus quick, quality food.
We aren't the only ones who think so. Our Twitter friend Mrs. Mass recently paid a visit across the street and wrote about her experience for the Lawrence Journal-World.
Favorite quote:
"Did I say this sub shop is going to do wonders for downtown? ... This sub shop is going to do wonders for downtown."
You can read the full article here. Apologies in advance if you have to answer weird Google survey questions in order to read the story-- we promise it's worth it!
First, though, a little bit of history behind this one.
Our wonderful Lawrence Public Library is gearing up for this year's Read Across Lawrence, the eleventh edition of the community reading event sponsored by the library, KU Libraries and Friends of the Library. This year's book is "The Worst Hard Time," by Timothy Egan.
The book chronicles the stories of a half dozen families during the Dust Bowl and how they survived. Lots of community events are planned for Read Across Lawrence, including book discussions, exhibits and Film Church at Liberty Hall.
Read Across Lawrence Book Night kicks off the month-long event, and this is where the new tropical drink comes in.
Our library does a great job planning events that appeal to a wide variety of people, and they've certainly tapped into the bar scene. On Friday, Aug. 30, during Final Fridays in downtown Lawrence, library staff will be wandering around Mass St. handing out copies of "The Worst Hard Time" and library tattoos (of the temporary kind).
What's in it for you? Well, showing your library tattoo or a copy of the book will unlock secret drink specials at several Lawrence establishments, including ours!
We did some quick research to find out what types of drinks were popular in the Dust Bowl era, and we found that the list included punches. So, we found a great recipe for Planter's Punch, a rum-based drink that we like to think of as a vintage version of our tropical drinks.
Stop by Friday night to try our Planter's Punch, and if you show a copy of the RAL book or your library tattoo, it's only $2.50!
Our new neighbor, Sandbar Sub Shop, is also participating in the book night and offering $1 fountain drinks. See the full list of drink specials here. And, stay tuned for news about the kids' version of Read Across Lawrence- we're involved in that, too!
Lawrence's favorite weird and fun-for-the-whole-family downtown festival, the Lawrence Busker Fest, is back this weekend for its fifth year.
Wondering what a busker is? You must not be a townie. Just this week, I had the pleasure of explaining to an out-of-town friend what I meant when I offhandedly referred to the "busker fest."
You know the freaks, geeks, artists and musicians that hang out on the streets downtown and perform for tips? They're buskers. (I hope you aren't offended by the description. I took that straight off the Lawrence Busker Fest website.)
The difference is, with the festival, there's an organized schedule of some of the most talented performers around. There's also facepainters, statues and balloon artists spread around downtown to entertain the whole family.
The festival kicks off Thursday night with Busker Ball at the Granada, and the buskers will perform on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Click here for a schedule.
And, for the adults out there, you can enjoy a cold beverage outside! That's right-- 8th street in front of the bar will be closed to traffic and we'll be selling drinks outside on Friday and Saturday evening.
So, bring the kids downtown for some of the most unusual entertainment you'll find in Lawrence this weekend!
Thank you to all of our wonderful customers and friends who celebrated with us, and a huge thank you to Peoples Bank for sponsoring this year's party.
In case you missed it, we went all out this year with a giant stage, even bigger beer garden and a Grammy-nominated band, the Fabulous Thunderbirds.
And perhaps the best part? The weather was gorgeous- really, we couldn't have asked for better weather, especially after a long, gray, rainy week. It wasn't hot like it's been for all our other block parties; it didn't rain; but it wasn't cold, either. Truly perfect.
Very Important People enjoyed a preparty in the brand new Sandbar Subs World Headquarters right across the street from the bar, where a new Peoples Bank location will be housed as well.
Local band Cowboy Indian Bear opened the show and then the Thunderbirds took the stage. They played until around 10:30, which left plenty of time for party-goers to mingle in the beer garden after the show.
We took a lot of pictures. Click here to see them on Flickr, or you can watch the slideshow below.
The
Sandbar, a downtown beach bar, has been a staple on the Lawrence bar scene
since 1989. A little over a decade ago, Sandbar founder Peach started dabbling
with the idea of expansion.
“The
subs story started when I found out that most downtowns would not allow a bar
to go in without food sales,” she said. Overland Park and other similar
towns—including Lawrence-- have zoning
regulations to prevent the same type business.
Longtime
bartender and manager David Johanning agreed to take over the responsibility of
the Lawrence bar while Peach explored expansion options. This was during
the time the Legends shopping center in nearby Kansas City was under
construction. “We were asked to
participate in the original Legends plan,” Peach said, “but realized we were
not experienced enough at that time to handle such volume.”
The
small town of Ottawa, close to home, was a great place to test ideas and
concepts. Peach opened a second Sandbar location that was a restaurant and
bar (click here to read more stories about the Ottawa adventures) and enjoyed
it, but she knew it wasn't quite the right match.
During
this time, the Madls became friends with the Zaremba family of Zarco66. The
Zarembas had just bought a store in Ottawa, and Scott and his family often came
into the restaurant on wing night.
A
downtown Ottawa sub shop without table service was the next effort, and boy it
worked. It was great fun, Scott came down and enjoyed the food and a
partnership was born. We now have three Sandbar Sub Shops inside Zarco66
convenience stores in Lawrence and Ottawa.
The
Sandbar Subs World Headquarters is slated to open in August, right across the
street from the original Sandbar, along with a new location of Peoples Bank.
Now
how did the relationship with Peoples Bank happen? Peach explains, “Well, back
in the old days, banks would sometimes be ‘not nice.’ My husband and I had the
opportunity to buy the building the original Sandbar bar was in. However, I was
rejected by a bank my accountant referred me to-- because ‘you receive the
majority of your income from the sale of alcohol and we are a family owned
bank.’”
Their
regular bank wouldn’t loan money for properties outside of Baldwin City. So one
day Ted said, “Hey, I have a cousin who’s a banker, let me call her!”
“That's
when I met Maley Wilkins of Peoples Bank, and she took great care of us.”
Another
connection to Peoples Bank comes by way of the Winter family, who are
well-known around the Lawrence area.
“When
we first got the Crystal Plaza Theater in 2005, it was struggling, “ Peach
said. Peoples Bank kept sponsoring events and coming by and supporting us in
many ways in Ottawa. The late Wint Winter, Sr., who was chairman of Peoples
Inc., was a wonderful man and he is honored at the Plaza Grill and Cinema with
a picture on the Wall of LOCAL Stars in the lobby.
As
for the new Sandbar Subs World Headquarters/Peoples Bank adventure in downtown
Lawrence?
Peach
says it came about when Scott and Maley spent time talking instead of listening
to speakers at a Chamber event and came up with this wonderful plan.
“And
Ted and I said ‘we're in!’” said Peach.
Usually, this is where they say the rest is
history, but in this case, the next chapter is just beginning.
Be sure to join us on August 10 for the big block party bash! Click here for more info.
It's that time of year again, friends- time to celebrate our birthday with another block party! This year's extravaganza takes place on Saturday, August 10.
This year, our friends at Peoples Bank have stepped up to sponsor the
event and kick it up a notch. In addition to celebrating our birthday,
we'll also be celebrating the grand opening of Peoples Place at the
corner of 8th and New Hampshire (in the former Mirth Cafe location),
which will house a new Peoples Bank location as well as the new Sandbar
Subs World Headquarters.
This year's concert will feature the grammy-nominated band the Fabulous
Thunderbirds, with local favorite Cowboy Indian Bear opening the show.
Also new this year: a VIP party! Very Important People like you can enjoy a
pre-party with appetizers and beverages in the new Sandbar Subs space
before the concert starts. Each VIP ticket also includes a
limited-edition party T-shirt, a meet & greet with the band and
admission to the beer garden and Sandbar.
The concert itself is free and family-friendly, but you'll need to buy a
ticket if you want to enjoy it from the beer garden or inside the
Sandbar- and you must be 21 to do that.
We're selling tickets in advance this year, too. (We're just going all out, aren't we!)
You can buy tickets online here (use promo code SANDBAR to save $5 per
ticket for regular beer garden tickets, or SANDBARVIP to save $10 per
ticket on VIP tickets). We'll have tickets available in retail locations
this week, including at the Sandbar, Sandbar Subs and Peoples Bank.
Stay tuned for more updates and fun announcements about this year's party!
RSVP on Facebook and share the event with your friends! And don't forget to use #sbparty13 when you talk about it online.
One of our very favorite downtown events is coming back this year for the third time- the Kansas Relays shot put! It's also one of the most unique events to take place in Lawrence.
We hope you'll join us next Wednesday, April 17, at 6 p.m. in front of the bar. The street will be closed all day so the crews can set up the giant sand pit, bleachers and everything else needed for a downtown shot put contest.
We'll be selling drinks outside, and the inside bar will be open. Be sure to get down here early so you get a good seat! This event draws thousands of people downtown, especially if the weather's nice. Several of the world's top throwers will be competing.
Wednesday's event will also include prize giveaways and inflatables for the kids.
And the next night (Thursday, April 18) features the elite women's long jump event, also on 8th Street just across Mass Street.
Click here to get more info about the events. See you there!
Click here to read our post about the very first downtown shot put.
