The Sandbar...Home of the Indoor Hurricane!

Exciting News About the Sandbar Sub Shop!

2010-01-06T22:43:19-06:00

Peach and Ted opened a modified version of The Sandbar one year ago in downtown Ottawa- the Sandbar Sub Shop. It has all of the kitsch and charm of The Sandbar- and lots of our own wall decor- but serves up healthy sub sandwiches and salads instead of Bahama Mamas.

The Sandbar Sub Shop turns one year old this month, and if that's not exciting enough, there's also a new location!

Here's a great article from the Ottawa Herald that talks about Peach's recent franchise of the Sub Shop to our friend Scott, from Zarco66.

Scott owns eight convenience stores & gas stations throughout the area, and he's created the first Zarco66 Oasis at his location at 2518 East Logan Street in Ottawa. He started remodeling it three months ago, and now it includes a Scooter's Coffeehouse, liquor store, and a Sandbar Sub Shop.

The article talks about some of the cool things Scott wants to do with his shops; he's already been an innovator by having one of the first gas stations in the state with renewable gas blends.

We're excited about the Sandbar Sub Shop's anniversary and also our new partnership with Scott and Zarco66! Next time you're in Ottawa, be sure to stop by and check it out. And maybe he'll have a Zarco66 Oasis in Lawrence very soon!

New Year's Eve in Review

2010-01-05T22:56:44-06:00

Did you make it to our New Year's Eve party? Don't worry, we'll tell you all about it!

Usually, we're pretty busy on New Year's Eve, and it's always hard to predict whether there'll be a line or not. This year was a little different- probably due in part to the crazy cold weather and also the fact that people have been scaling back their spending. We weren't super busy all night, and didn't get busy at all until around 10 pm, but it was still a fun night.

As you know, we love theme parties and costumes! We're always trying to come up with a new one, and putting together the costume is sometimes as much fun as the party itself. Dave came up with the "White Trash" theme for this year's New Year's Eve. Not a lot of participation from the crowd, but the ones who dressed up did it right.

Dave rigged up a plastic trashcan with a spout and created his own version of "Trashcan Punch." We reminisced about purple passion and other old-school drinks; Ron even shared a story about ruining his mom's brand new cooler when it left stains from the drink.

Forget the classy plastic two-piece champagne glasses we normally use for the midnight toast. This year, we went all out with Spongebob Squarepants dixie cups.

We had extra white wifebeater tanks on hand, and Dave managed to coerce several guys into putting them on. There were cowboy hats, leopard print leggings, lots of denim, and blue sparkly eyecolors.

Of course there was food. And cheese dip. We served hot dogs with generic bread, cheese curls, and crackers with spray cheese. Have you seen the movie "Four Christmases?" Remember when they visit Brad's dad, and the sister-in-law offers "hor doo-vers?" That's what we had.

One funny anecdote- the jacket Dave wore to the bar was an old denim jacket emblazoned with the Sidewinders logo across the back. You don't remember Sidewinders? It was a country bar located where the Barrel House is now, and Dave worked there once upon a time- sometime in the early 90's.

That's our New Year's Eve in a nutshell. Check out our pictures on our Facebook page or Flickr, and upload your own.

Looking forward to the next big costume lovin' holiday.... St. Patrick's Day!

Welcome 2010.

2010-01-03T16:47:20-06:00

A new year and decade is here, and so is more snow.

What did everyone do for New Year's Eve? Our White Trash party was fun, we'll have some stories and pictures tomorrow.

For those of you who like to collect our pint glasses, we have a special New Year glass in stock right now.

The design was created by our friends at Grandstand. The Santa gnome was provided by our friend Tierney, it's not a new drink toy- sorry! Pint glasses are $3 each, and you can bring yours in every Thursday for $2 tropical drink refills.

And good news for the Shark Attack fans- the original sharks are back in stock!

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T14:00:42-06:00

Goodbye 2009, hello 2010! All of us at The Sandbar wish you a wonderful new year!

Tonight, the last night of 2009, features not only a full moon but also a blue moon. What's a blue moon? Well, according to my fine sources (Wikipedia!):

A blue moon is a full moon that is not timed to the regular monthly pattern. Most years have twelve full moons which occur approximately monthly, but in addition to those twelve full lunar cycles, each solar calendar year contains an excess of roughly eleven days compared to the lunar year. The extra days accumulate, so that every two or three years (7 times in the 19-year Metonic cycle), there is an extra full moon. The extra moon is called a "blue moon." Different definitions place the "extra" moon at different times.

What does this mean, really? Well, the moon won't be blue. It's just a second full moon in December. (Great. Please don't tell Dave this. He already believes that full moons bring out the crazies, and he might hide in the basement if he knows it's another full moon tonight.)

According to CNN, the last time a blue moon happened on New Year's Eve was 1990. It's pretty cool that it's happening at the end of a decade this time.

Have a blast tonight, whether you celebrate with us in Lawrence or Ottawa or choose to do something else. And be safe!

Don't forget, if you're in Lawrence, you can call 842-TAXI or send a text message to TAB4CAB and Tipsy Taxi will give you a free ride home. However, we also advise that you have alternate plans in place in case Tipsy Taxi is really busy and can't pick you up when you're ready to go home.

Update:

I forgot to mention our specials tonight!

Since it's Thursday, we'll still be running our normal "Tropical Thursday" special, but with a slight change. The special includes all of our specialty tropical drinks (minus the Shark Attack, sorry!), and tonight will also include Trashcan Punch.

Tropical drinks are $3 tonight. Buy your limited edition New Year's Eve pint glass for $3, or bring back one you already have.

Also tonight, we will have $2 Blue Moon shots, in honor of tonight's blue moon.

Thoughts of a Four Year Old

2009-12-30T14:55:21-06:00

A group of Sandbar friends and regulars meet every Monday for lunch at Tres Mexicanos for half price chimichangas. I sort of feel like I'm cheating on La Familia, but the chimis are so good and so cheap. We've been doing this for almost a year now, and it's a revolving door of faces each week.

This week, Chris, a doorguy from a loooong time ago brought his family to lunch. His adorable four year old boy entertained us with play-doh donut creations and flirtatious smiles. Oh, and his thoughts on bartenders.

"What does a bartender do?" someone asked him.

"Pour BEER!" he yelled with a devilish grin.

When he got a lot of laughs for that, he did what all kids do- kept right on going.

"Beertender!" he repeated over and over.
"How old do you have to be to drink beer?" his mother asked.
"TWELVE!" he shouted.
"NO!" mom said, laughing (perhaps nervously).
"Thirteen! Eighteen!" he said. At this point he was loving the attention.

I think we might have finally convinced him that he has to be thirty before he can have beer.

What's The Best Gift You Gave This Year?

2009-12-29T10:16:52-06:00

Lots of people talk about the gifts they got for Christmas (or whichever holiday they celebrate this time of year), but you don't hear very many people talking about the gifts they gave to someone else.

I posed the question on The Sandbar's Twitter page last week:

What's the best gift you are giving someone this year?

I got lots of responses from people and they were fun to read! Here are some of them:

The Big Buck Hunter game for a boyfriend
Homemade banana bread that is now requested every year (can we get some of that?!)
A new guitar for a brother
Batman Arkham Asylum for a boyfriend
A drum set for a 4 year old nephew (uncle is now banished from the family!)
The book "For Jayhawk Fans Only" for parents
Basketball tickets
Sweet shoes
My time and patience (might be the hardest of all for some of us!)
A Nebraska Cornhuskers snuggie for a stepmom

What about you? Add your favorite gift in the comment section. It doesn't have to be expensive or creative or particularly spectacular...just the one thing you gave someone that was perfect.

New Year's Eve Festivities

2009-12-27T19:25:33-06:00

Wow, 2009 is almost over. Where does the time go?!? That means it's time for yet another legendary Sandbar New Year's Eve party! With costumes, of course.

We've got three different events for you to choose from this year.

The Sandbar, Lawrence:

Ring in the new year, white trash style!
Grow out your mullet, dig out your best tank top, or make some Daisy Dukes out of your old favorite pair of jeans.
$10 cover charge at the door, includes snacks, party favors, midnight champagne toast, and prizes for best costumes.
Go bobbin' for cheap beers and enjoy trashcan punch!

The Sandbar, Ottawa:

Frankie Diamond will help us bring in the New Year with all your favorite songs!
$5 cover charge includes party favors, balloon drop, and midnight champagne toast
A rented taxi will provide FREE rides home to everyone! Contact us for more details.

The Lodge of Baldwin City:

The Jay Eudaly Band begins at 8 pm, playing all your favorite dance songs. Come meet Kansas City's Master Guitarist!
$30 per couple/$15 per person includes appetizers, champagne, and party favors
Spend the night! $99 includes the party and a motel room
$150 includes the party and one of our fabulous motel suites.
Reservations requested, contact the Lodge at 785-594-3900

RSVP to the Sandbar events on Facebook (Lawrence or Ottawa) and share them with your friends!

Thanks to all of our loyal friends and customers for another great year at The Sandbar. We couldn't do it without you!

You Better Not Pout...

2009-12-24T00:36:01-06:00

And you better not cry, because this is what happens when you do.

A few days ago, I posted the first of our annual "Elf Yourself" creations using Sandbar staff members. I explained that the video only allows up to five elves, and given that we have about 14 employees, they wouldn't all fit into one or even two videos. Even though all of the staff wasn't represented at the time, it didn't mean they wouldn't be included in the future.

Danny was heartbroken that he didn't make the cut, so I made a special Elf Yourself video just for him. I hope he appreciates it.

Enjoy.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Sandbar Christmas Party 2009

2009-12-22T23:49:27-06:00

This post was intended to be published yesterday, but it's taken too long to recover from all the fun at our annual Christmas party, so it's late. Sorry.

Where to start?!?

Usually we ask everyone to wear ugly Christmas sweaters, but Dave wanted to kick it up a notch. We requested that all of the staff and their guests dress as their favorite holiday character- and perhaps unsurprisingly, they delivered.

I believe it was Dave who told someone "we like to not be ourselves as much as possible."

This year Dave offered a cash prize for the best costume. As if this crowd needed an incentive. All the participants lined up on the benches, and we narrowed it down to four based on applause from the crowd. The final four were John the Nutcracker, Michele as Mr. Hankie the Christmas Poo, Chris as Cousin Eddie, and me! I was the Leg Lamp from A Christmas Story. John won the contest and Michelle came in second. Excellent costumes, guys.

Of course we had the annual White Elephant/present stealing gift game. Some people bring nice gifts; others bring crap. I'd like to point out the two especially awesome gifts in the pictures above. Thank God someone stole the toilet paper holder from Dave.

We rounded everybody up and had some of the non-costumed folks take some group shots outside the bar. Check out that variety- we had Mary and Joseph, Santas, elves, Scrooge, a couple Cousin Eddie's, Suzy Snowflake....such a creative bunch of people we have.

Towards the end of the night, we decided to do a test run of next year's Santacon. Some smart person chose the Red Lyon as our destination- which while we all love the bar, it's a million blocks away from the Sandbar. Some of us were wearing heels. And some of us- meaning John the Nutcracker- forgot our ID, and the lovely man working the door refused to let him in without it. John walked all the way back to the Sandbar to retrieve it, and all the way back to Red Lyon to have a drink with us.

Successful night. Can't wait to do it again next year.

More pictures available on our Facebook page and Flickr photostream.

Happy Birthday, Pat!

2009-12-20T15:13:32-06:00

Our Man on the Street and former bartender Pat turns 40 on Christmas Eve, so we threw him a party last night. Instead of the usual fracas at The Sandbar, though, we took it down the street to The Barrel House, a dueling piano bar that opened earlier this year.

If you haven't visited our neighboring bar yet, you should. It's great for groups and parties, and the piano players are great fun.

Our party was in the Blue Moon Lounge, one of the VIP balcony rooms that overlook the main bar area. We had our own private bartender and lots of space for friends and family.

Pat got called up on stage, where the piano player made fun of him for awhile, forced him to sit atop the piano, and made him chug a beer or two. They sang Happy Birthday, too.

Another highlight of the night was a special performance by the Bar Band, and they played Happy Birthday to Pat also.

The birthday boy has been planning a trip to Key West to celebrate his birthday for months now, and he leaves this week. We all hope he had fun last night! If you see Pat, be sure to wish him a happy birthday.

Greetings from the Sandbar Elves

2009-12-18T23:06:37-06:00

Every year we get super excited when Elf Yourself arrives. Here's our first attempt at holiday greetings from some Sandbar elves! I gave in and upgraded my JibJab subscription this year, so many more of these are on the way. I can only put five elves in each video, so obviously these greetings don't include *all* of our staff. I'll do some more so everyone gets in there.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

You might notice that Dave did "the worm" at one point in that video. Next time you see him, ask him about the time he tried to do that on a hardwood floor.

And another version:

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Have you made an Elf Yourself video this year? Leave a link in the comments!

Sandbar Shout-Out in Gruene, Texas

2009-12-16T19:04:37-06:00

A few weeks ago, some of the Sandbar crew ventured south to Austin, Texas. It was a rag-tag bunch- managing partner Dave and his lovely wife, our art director Justin and his lovely wife, and our Man on the Street Patrick.

It also happened to be the weekend that KU played the Texas Longhorns in a little game called football, so there were lots of folks we knew down there.

But, the game wasn't actually the reason that Dave and I were there.

We planned the trip for two reasons: to check out the bar scene in Austin and steal borrow some ideas, and to catch a concert at the legendary Gruene Hall, the oldest continuously operating dancehall in Texas.

One of our favorite artists, Roger Creager, played Saturday night. He's played in Lawrence and Kansas City several times, and he's partied with us at the Sandbar after a couple of shows. We weren't about to miss the opportunity to see him at Gruene.

Dave and I had dinner at the restaurant next door to Gruene Hall, the Grist Mill, before the show. All of a sudden, who comes walking past our table but Roger himself. Dave got his attention, he stopped to chat for awhile, and went on his way.

About halfway through the concert later that night, Roger started talking about road trips, and fans, and how it's great that people come from all over to see shows. Then, he said this:

"I even ran into a buddy of mine who's here all the way from The Sandbar in Lawrence, Kansas!"

Clearly nobody's mind was on football, or else they knew we were losing badly, because we didn't get booed by the crowd. Dave and I cheered, and a kid about ten feet away came running over to us.

I won't lie, I had seen this guy earlier in the night and thought he looked familiar. Sure enough, he introduced himself as Andrew, a grad student at KU who had been in the Sandbar less than a week ago.

It's such a small world. It was very cool that our tiny little bar got a shout-out in front of a crowd of maybe a thousand people in Texas.

Coming soon, a post about some of the things we learned from the bars in Austin. I know, I'm slow.

Santacon

2009-12-15T20:34:48-06:00

Have you heard of Santacon?

Our Man on the Street, otherwise known as Man Who Will Be Celebrating His 40th Birthday Soon, tipped us off to this event. Or rather he has been pestering us about it with video links and posts on our Facebook pages.

I finally decided to check out what was so important, and I'm glad I did. We are totally doing this in downtown Lawrence next year. We might do a test run at our annual holiday/employee appreciation party next weekend.

How fun would it be to roam around Mass Street with a huge group of Santas, scaring little kids handing out candy canes, and spreading holiday cheer?

Employee Appreciation Night

2009-12-14T15:23:40-06:00

Otherwise known as the employee and friends Christmas party, this night of fun and games takes place soon.

The last several years, we've gone with the ugly/tacky Christmas sweater idea. It's been popular. Some of us have shopped at Goodwill and JCPenney's for attire; others have raided their mom's attic for the clothes they were forced to wear while growing up.

We're changing it up just a little bit this year.

Dave decided that merely wearing an ugly sweater appliqued with snowmen wasn't quite good enough. This year, everyone is encouraged to dress up as their favorite holiday character: Santa Claus, Elf, Clark Griswold, or any number of other easily recognizable Christmas folk.

Word on the street is that Heather and fiance Ken already have their outfits. And I'll tell you right now, Dave and I will knock your socks off with our awesome craftiness.

Of course, if an actual character is too much for some to plan, a regular tacky Christmas outfit is fine. A few weeks ago, I was shopping at Goodwill for sweaters, and they had two large circular racks full of some of the best selection I've ever seen. Apparently a week later, they ran out, restocked, and ran out again.

What do you to do celebrate the holidays for your employees?

Oh, and just in case you were planning to hit The Sandbar on Sunday for some drinks: we won't be open to the public until 8:30. We need a little employee time first, but join us after 8:30 for what's certain to be a fun night!

Engaged: Heather & Ken

2009-12-13T17:05:13-06:00

If you're around The Sandbar very much, or if you keep up with our blog, then you know Friday bartender Heather got engaged last spring. The wedding plans are moving along and the future married couple is enjoying pre-wedded bliss.

Heather & Ken's engagement announcement hit the LJW this weekend. A lovely photo of the pair accompanied the announcement.

You'll have to scroll down the page to see the announcement, because it's grouped on a page with all the other brides-and-grooms-to-be.

We like that Heather included her bartending gig as part of the announcement!

12 Days of Sandbar Christmas Gifts

2009-12-11T00:05:34-06:00

Twelve extremely cool Sandbar themed gifts would seem like an easy blog idea, but I have to admit it came to me in a very roundabout manner.

The other day at my "real job," I got a rare spam email. I say spam only because it was an unsolicited email from a company I've never heard of, but it wasn't anything sneaky or poorly spelled. It happened to have pictures of cute socks, so I clicked to their website and promptly fell in love.

Hence, the inspiration for "12 Days of Sandbar Christmas Gifts."

Day 1: Shark Bite Socks

Anyone who loves our famous Shark Attack drink needs a pair of these socks. How could you not smile when wearing something like this?

Day 2: Palm Tree & Coconuts Salt & Pepper Shaker

I died laughing when I saw this set- it's exactly the sort of cheese that we love at The Sandbar and would be a perfect gift for our annual holiday gift exchange. Somehow I think boys, especially, might like this one.

Day 3: Pirate Lego Magnets

We love all things pirate. And who doesn't love Legos? They even have real magnets so you can keep them on your fridge or your file cabinet or wherever else they'll stick.

Day 4: Parrot Christmas Holiday Tree Art Thing

Not really sure where to start with this one. Most of the 12 days of gifts are things I'd dearly love to own. Not so much this one. It's rather unique. I suppose if you like to feed the birds, and you like parrots, and Santa, then you might like this. (It kind of looks like a rainbow-ish Jayhawk, too).

Day 5: Tiki Tissue Box

Can't get enough of the Sandbar hurricane and Tiki Ted? Get a Tiki Tissue Box. This box is sized to hold a standard tissue box, and he'll blow Kleenex out his nose. Really, I can't make this stuff up.

Day 6: Mermaid Cookbook

Need a gift idea for kids (or fun-loving adults)? Check out this mermaid cookbook, with recipes like Sea Foam Foats and Goldfish Gorp. I actually own this cookbook (thanks to Michelle!) and can vouch for it's coolness.

Day 7: Jimmy Buffett's new CD, Buffet Hotel

I should be slapped upside the head with a giant vinyl shark for forgetting that this CD was released just a few days ago (December 8, to be exact). Jimmy Buffett, hero of everyone who needs a little escape from life now and then, has another new CD just in time to fill your stockings.

Day 8: Beer Chapstick

Some of the options above a little too spendy for you? This stocking stuffer will set you back about the price of a drink. Yum, beer flavored kisses.

Day 9: Great White Shark Slippers

For all the shark lovers out there, here's a little something for your feet to keep them warm. I wonder if these come in Dave's size...

Day 10: The ShotCarver

Make your own shot glass using a piece of fruit and this little gadget. See, I'm helping you find ways to make drinking alcohol just a little bit more healthy.

Day 11: My Little Sandbox

Need a reminder of the beach for your desk? A toy for the kids when they can't go outside? Here's your very own tiny sandbox to play with when you need some stress relief.

Day 12: Mermaid Wine Bottle Holder

Our last gift in the series. A hand cut, hand finished, colored steel mermaid is ready to hold your favorite wine bottle. Ironic, a little, since we're not exactly a wine bar. But it's a neat gift anyway.

We hope you enjoyed our 12 Days of Sandbar Christmas Gift series! We'll do it again next year.

The Sandbar Featured in a Movie

2009-12-09T13:11:33-06:00

No, not our high budget hurricane film every few years. This time, we're going to be in an actual movie!

A filmmaker contacted us last month and wanted to use our bar for a scene in his movie. Naturally, we said yes. We don't turn down anything fun. And, even better, he needed some extras!

I'm not giving any details here because I don't want to spoil his announcements. And I have no idea when the movie will be finished. But, we had a blast spending a chilly November afternoon at the Sandbar, wearing bathing suits and tropical attire, and learning how tedious movie-making really is.

Maybe we'll get to have a red carpet premiere party someday!

Sorority Pub Crawl

2009-12-08T16:54:21-06:00

Last weekend a group of sorority girls stopped by The Sandbar on their senior pub crawl downtown. They took the time to pose for a group shot upstairs on our beach while trying to finagle future jobs from Dave.

The picture's quite ironic- lots of Ugg's, coats, and other cold-weather attire in front of palm trees and sand.

These girls have clearly posed for lots of pictures- they arranged themselves in record time. We loved their matching pub crawl shirts.