by Debbi | Oct 30, 2010 | Events, Halloween
Let there be lips!
Last night the Sandbar hosted its second annual Rocky Horror Picture Show party bus extravaganza, and it was a smashing success.
We had a minor snag at the very start of the night- our bus was scheduled to leave the bar at 7 p.m., but due to all the happenings in downtown Lawrence (Final Fridays, show at Liberty Hall, celebration of Mass Street being named a Top 10 street), our characters had a hard time finding parking places. We got off to a late start and even had to pick a couple people up on random streets far away from downtown. We had a blast watching everyone walk into the bar in costume!
(Note- Michelle made the gold and black costumes in the picture above. No pattern- she just figured it out as she went. Amazing job!)
The bus traveled to Baldwin City and stopped at the Lodge, and then we continued on to Dunn's Landing for a Halloween party. By the way, THAT is an amazing place. Very cool barn. We had chili and warmed up with some Sandbar dancing tunes before continuing on to the Crystal Plaza Theater in Ottawa for the main event.
And what an event!
Several members of our group are RHPS-diehards. Others had only seen the movie once or twice- but it didn't matter. The audience was possibly more entertained by the constant narrations of Movie Dave and Scotty Mack than the movie itself. Peach's movie theater crew did and awesome job dealing with our rowdy group.
After the movie, we hit the road back to Lawrence and the Sandbar. What a fun night! We're looking forward to making this an annual event.
More pictures on our Facebook page and Flickr account.
by Debbi | Oct 9, 2010 | Events, Halloween, Ottawa
We had so much fun on last year's Rocky Horror Picture Show adventure, we're doing it again! This crowd favorite will certainly become an annual event.
This year's party bus details:
- When: Friday, October 29
- Time: 7 p.m., The Sandbar in Lawrence
- Cost: $25 per person
The bus will leave The Sandbar at 7 p.m. and travel the haunted back roads to Baldwin City, where we'll stop and pick people up at the Lodge, probably around 7:30. The adventure will continue to Dunn's Landing, a fantastic farm in Wellsville, where we'll stop for a Halloween party and refreshments.
Finally, the bus will head to the historic Crystal Plaza movie theater in Ottawa for the main event: a special screening of Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Audience participation and costumes are highly encouraged!
The cost of $25 includes the bus trip, refreshments, Halloween party, admission to the movie and props. After the movie we'll travel the same route back to Lawrence.
A sign-up sheet is at the bar now, and you can pay by check or credit card. You'll have to pay at the time you sign up; we can't hold your spot without payment because we need to know how many people are going. We might have to get two buses!
Or, you can pay via Paypal by sending your payment to sandbar@thesandbar.com. If you can't make it to the bar to sign up, and you don't want to use Paypal, please e-mail us at the same address to make payment arrangements.
We hope to have lots more crazy characters join us on our Halloween adventure this year!
by Debbi | Oct 31, 2009 | Events, Halloween, Ottawa, Pub Crawl
Last night was our inaugural Rocky Horror Picture Show party bus extravaganza, and judging by the amount of fun that was had, it might become an annual event!
The party started at The Sandbar in Lawrence, where about 30 of us gathered to wait for the bus. A majority of us were dressed in costume from the movie- lots of Brads and Janets and french maids.
We posed for a group picture before boarding the bus:
And then we were off! We traveled down the country roads to Baldwin City and made several more stops to pick people up. We even drove right by Tony and Robin's house near Baldwin- after they had made a crazy effort to meet the bus in Lawrence on time. Next time we'll pick you up on your corner!
The bus continued on to Ottawa, bouncing over potholes along the way and inspiring more than one person to beg the driver to stop alongside the road so they could have some "relief." The begging didn't work.
We finally made it to the Sandbar in Ottawa, and our crew partied with the folks in Ottawa for about half an hour. Of course there was bar dancing:
If you can't tell from the picture, Dave is sort of doubled over. The ceilings in Ottawa are much shorter than the ones we're used to and he barely fits up there!
Everyone loaded back up on the bus and we headed downtown to the Crystal Plaza movie theater. The Sandbar rented out the place for a private showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, complete with props like water guns, party hats, and newspapers.
I've never seen the movie in it's entirety, but I was relieved to find that more than a few other attendees were newbies too. One of the funniest stories from the night was about the person who kept asking everyone to be quiet, because she was trying to watch the movie!
Half of the crowd ran to the front of the theater and danced to the Time Warp song during the movie:
Kudos to Movie Dave and Scotty Mac, who kept the crowd entertained during the entire show with their constant commentary. They've apparently seen the movie more than once. And we can't figure out why Movie Dave won't dress up for Halloween or any other holiday, but yet he's willing to go out in public dressed like Brad…
After the movie everyone loaded back up on the bus and we retraced our route home, dropping folks off at random corners in the country. The ride home was a little more subdued- perhaps because the coolers were pretty empty.
The bus got back to the Sandbar in Lawrence before closing time, so we had a few minutes to catch up on the happenings of the evening with those who had to stay behind. Lots of people in the bar were excited to pose with some of our characters.
All in all, it was a fun event filled with Sandbar staff and regulars, along with some new faces we hope to see again!
More pictures from the event are available on our Facebook page or Flickr photostream. We also created a Whrrl story during the event, but because the iPhone has such a poor camera, the pictures aren't very good quality.
by Debbi | Oct 15, 2009 | Halloween, Ottawa, Pub Crawl
Halloween– one of our favorite days of the year- is rapidly approaching, and we've got a special treat for you!
We rented a party bus, and we're looking for a bunch of our favorite fans to take a trip to Ottawa on Friday, October 30, for a special Sandbar-only screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show!
Peach and Ted, longtime Sandbar owners, also own the recently renovated Crystal Plaza Movie Theater in Ottawa and are excited to host our group for the night.
Interested? Here are the details:
- Ticket price is $25 per person
- Meet at The Sandbar (Lawrence) at 7 pm for a Rocky Horror pre-party
- Ride the party bus to Ottawa and back
- Showtime is 10 pm
- Refreshments provided on the bus
- Accessories goody bag provided at the show
There's a sign-up sheet at the bar, and the staff will gladly take your money. You can call and pay with a credit card, too. We encourage you to sign up in advance- space is limited (it always is at the Sandbar!), so don't wait until the night of the party.
Of course, we also highly encourage costumes and audience participation!
If you've never been on a Sandbar party bus before, let me tell you that the bus trip alone is worth the $25, and I have pictures to prove it. This is a trip you won't want to miss.
by Debbi | May 2, 2014 | Events
It’s history in the making!
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).
