With a new school year brings football games, and football games bring the Bar Band.
The Bar Band started years ago, I don't even know how long it's been. As long as I can remember, at least. Every year a small group of Marching Jayhawks members splinter off into a rogue group who travel to various bars in town the night before a home football game. Many years ago our employee Chad was a part of the band; our friend Randy was in charge of the group at one point, and the torch was passed to our employee Bob too. The group usually hits The Sandbar first, since we're the smallest bar in town and the hardest one to fit everyone into, and then travels to others like the Hawk or the Wheel.
The Bar Band typically shows up around 11 p.m., instruments in hand. They run into the bar with their trumpets and flutes and drums and trombones, some of them hopping onto the bar and others crowding into the corners. They play the fight song and several other crowd favorites- sometimes they even play Margaritaville for us!- and after about 15 minutes they take off for the next place.
It's a great diversion in an evening at The Sandbar and really helps get the crowd excited. Even folks who aren't really football fans get excited about the Bar Band. It's amazing how loud it gets in the bar when they're playing, and it's fun to watch our patrons get excited about KU.