A couple weeks ago, The Sandbar hosted a farewell party for someone near and dear to our heart, Carol. I say "farewell" because it was really a congratulations-on-your-retirement party, only she’s a little sensitive about the word retirement and claims that this is only a temporary break from the working world.
Last night, Carol’s family held another party for close friends and family at a different establishment which will remain nameless. After the gathering there wrapped up around 8:30, everyone decided that they wanted to go to The Sandbar. The party moved down the street a few blocks and continued well into the night.
Carol and her three daughters donned the mermaid costumes and danced on the bar. This might be the first time we’ve ever had a mother and all three of her daughters on the bar at the same time. They did a great job for their first time as mermaids.
They weren’t the only family unit in the bar last night, however. I’m going to put a plug in for my little brother Mike, who made the journey up I-35 from Wichita yesterday with his buddy Kale in anticipation of today’s KU basketball game. They had a fine time trying new drinks (like the Big Wave Dave), enjoying old favorites, meeting new people, and watching the crowd.
And finally, while not a biological family, we had another interesting group descend on the bar last night who could be considered a family of sorts. KU’s game today was against the Colorado Buffaloes, and some members of their traveling party (no players, if you’re wondering) managed to find their way to our bar. We seem to attract the opposing team’s fans quite often. As long as they’re fun we don’t mind, we love to show visitors a Sandbar time, and these guys were no exception. A great group of guys- and a girl- hung out for several hours among the Jayhawk fans, even conceding that KU was likely to win the game. Colorado fans are welcome back anytime.
Ironically, the usual crowd of Sandbar family members- employees and regulars- was on the small side last night.