We've talked before about Peach's movie theater venture in Ottawa, and how it's presumed to be the oldest operating theater in America and possibly the world. She's been working hard on the latest incarnation of the business-- the Plaza Movie Memorabilia Museum.
The grand opening of the new museum is Thursday, May 15, at 7 p.m. The exhibit includes a collection of props from movies like King Kong, Hunger Games, Three Musketeers and more.
Lawrence's resident movie star Keith Loneker has also loaned some items to the museum, and he'll be at the opening event.
There's a limited number of tickets available, so get yours now! Call the Plaza at 785.242.5555 to reserve your spot.
We're excited to check out the new museum! The Plaza is really a cool old movie theater, the kind you don't see around much anymore. Sandbar friends have had many great times there, including our Rocky Horror Picture Show bus trips at Halloween and a "staff retreat" when we all carpooled down there one afternoon to watch a movie (and someone got a speeding ticket).
She discovered evidence that the Plaza Grill and Cinema might be the oldest continuous-operating theater in the world, and in true Peach fashion, came up with a grand idea: to create an interactive historical experience for all to enjoy the magic of cinema.
The Kickstarter campaign to raise money to fund the project didn't meet its goal, but that's certainly not stopping the project.
Fundraising is in full swing, and the Plaza Cinemagic Experience, as it is now known, will be transformed by summer 2014.
And, the project got a mention in the state blurbs section of USA Today, too!
You can help.
Donations can be made by mail or online, and there are a variety of rewards for donors. Or, share your memories of the old theater on the website. Click here to learn more about the entire project.
We're excited to see Peach's latest great idea unfold!
I have been seriously bad about keeping this blog up. Once upon a time, there were four or five new posts each week. When I logged in to write this, I realized there were three posts for the entire month of September. Believe me, there's more going on at the Sandbar than that; I'm just not there to see it these days.
But, here's something awesome for you.
If you've followed the Sandbar for any length of time-- or if you really know the owners like you insist to the doorguy-- then you know Peach, our founder, also owns the Plaza Grill & Cinema, a movie theater slash bar and grill down the road in Ottawa.
But did you know this: she recently uncovered evidence of the theater showing movies all the way back in 1905, making it a candidate for the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest operating theater in America.
And now, there's a plan to convert the theater into an interactive historical experience so that people can enjoy the magic of the cinema in the middle of America.
How can you help? Well, there's a Kickstarter project taking place right now. If you're not familiar with Kickstarter, it's a crowdsourced funding platform that brings project creators together with backers to make things happen.
You can donate as little as a buck or as much as you want to this project-- but unless the project is fully funded, you won't spend a dime.
The goal of this project is to raise $45,000. The project has three stages that are described here, and it will add jobs as well as economic growth to the community of Ottawa.
What are you waiting for?! Go check it out here, and make a donation if you can.
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.
Peach is opening a Sandbar Sub Shop in downtown Lawrence, right across the street from the Sandbar!
While we're sad that our neighbor and frequent breakfast and lunch spot the Mirth Cafe had to move down the street, we're happy that it opened up a great spot for us to use.
Currently, there are two Sandbar Sub Shops in town- both inside Zarco 66 gas stations. Now, downtown folks can get their fix, too!
Manager needed
First, though, Peach needs a manager for the new restaurant. She's looking for someone who loves the Sandbar, loves food and wants to help people eat healthier.
The ideal candidate will have a great attitude, food service experience, management experience and retail experience is a plus- the new shop will have a gift shop in addition to the deli.
It's a full-time position, and the salary is based on experience.
Are you looking for a fun new job? Do you know someone who is? Contact Peach at [email protected] to find out more!
Last weekend the Sandbar crew staffed the bar at yet another Hearts of Gold Ball, the biennial black-tie event created in 1999 that benefits the Lawrence Memorial Hospital Endowment Association. Peach sits on the board of the organization and we're proud to help give back to the community.
This year's theme was "Home is Where the Heart is" and all funds raised will help update the second floor medical unit, one of the last wings in the hospital to be updated.
The event was in the gymnasium at Corpus Christi Catholic Church- something that we at the Sandbar thought was funny, since bartender Ken is the physical education teacher and gym guru at the school. We joked about how he was sure to notice any marks left on the floor by all the high heels at the ball.
Hayley, Coleen and Ethan all tended the bar, along with Hayley's friend Ally. It was quite a different atmosphere from the Sandbar- no Sandbar T-shirts here! They all looked very professional in black and white.
According to 6 News Lawrence, the ball raised $350,000. There were live and silent auctions with all kinds of cool stuff to buy, and another way for people to donate if they didn't want to buy something- they could "raise the paddle." Basically this meant they could raise their bid card and give a certain amount of money. Apparently, people do that!
We had a great time sharing a table with the folks from Zarco 66. Can't wait for the next one!
Are you looking for something fun to do on family night? A new option for date night? Don't want to drive to Kansas City for dinner and a movie at one of their snazzy movie theaters?
Sandbar founder Peach bought the historic movie theater in Ottawa several years ago and has renovated it. Today, the theater has two big screens and also houses a restaurant.
Every Monday is dinner and a movie night. For only $9.99, you can enjoy dinner from the extensive menu as well as a movie. There are daily matinees for just $5.75 per ticket before 7 p.m., and on Tuesdays you can get matinee pricing all day. Senior citizens can enjoy $5 movie tickets all day on Wednesdays. You can also rent out the theater for parties or other events. Click here for movie specials.
For those of you looking for a great date night, check out the Prime Rib Fridays. For $15 per person, you can enjoy a prime rib dinner and a movie.
If you don't have time for a movie, you can still stop by for something to eat. The grill is open from 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday through Thursday, noon-11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and noon-9 p.m. on Sunday. Click here to see the menu. Catering options are also available.
Ottawa is a great little town and it's a short drive. Try something new and check out Peach's theater! This is where we go every Halloween for our Rocky Horror Picture Show extravaganza. Maybe one of these days we'll put together a bus trip for dinner and a movie?
We love our Sandbar shirts, and we especially love finding old-school shirts from the early days. Fortunately, Dave is a packrat and held on to many of his shirts from the 90's, shirts that many of you have probably never seen.
These days, most of our T-shirts are solid-colored logo shirts. Back then, we mostly sold white T-shirts with cool designs on the back. It was also pre-official-logo time, so the now-familiar tiki head is nowhere to be found on these shirts.
For Christmas, Dave and I had a T-shirt quilt made for Sandbar founder Peach. It's made up of 21 Sandbar shirts through the years and includes a shirt from the ill-fated Jimmy Buffett concert bus trip to Denver, the original latitude & longitude shirt and some of our newer shirts.
Here's a picture:
How many shirts do you recognize?
The quilt's not quite done; our friend Nancy put it together but it still needs to be quilted. Nancy did a fantastic job on it and we can't wait to see the finished product!
Last Saturday, the KU basketball team had a big game against Ohio State. We were fortunate to have a unique event take place at the bar because of this game- a live radio broadcast!
Ryan from The Angle of Pursuit radio show on 970 WFUN contacted us about broadcasting his pre-game show from the Sandbar. Sure, we said; we're always up for something different.
Ryan and his buddy came in on Friday night and got to experience the Bar Band. They were back on Saturday for their pre-game show, and he even interviewed Dave on the air. We'll try to track down a recording of the show, if it exists, so you can hear it. They left for the game and came back afterward, raving about the amazing atmosphere in Allen Fieldhouse, for a post-game show.
Of course, we all know how fantastic Lawrence, Allen Fieldhouse and the Sandbar are, but it's nice to hear what new visitors think. Here's what Ryan had to say:
I'd like to take a moment to sincerely thank EVERYONE we encountered on our trip to Lawrence. First: Dave, Debbi, Peach, Heather, Blair, and The Sandbar staff, you were the best hosts we could have hoped for. Second: The people of Lawrence. We didn't encounter a single person who wasn't a great fan of basketball and a better representative of KU and Kansas as a whole. And Finally: To Roger McCoy, Dave Hatfield, Cody Slaybaugh, Kim Frustere, Robert Bloomer, Dana Schulte, and Curtis Colby for making the trip possible. It was one of the best experiences of my life.
Our fearless founder Peach is Irish, and she really wants to visit Ireland.
Recently, her desire to go there became even greater- someone sent her this:
I don't know where in Ireland this Sandbar is located, but we'll surely find out one of these days. The ice cream cone on the corner of the building is a nice touch, too.
