by Debbi | Dec 18, 2006 | Christmas
The Sandbar Lawrence employees (and some former employees…and some friends….and other random assorted folks) gathered at the bar last night for our annual gift exchange.
Our Christmas party has become so big with the Ottawa and Baldwin City folks that it’s hard to have a gift exchange with so many people. We tried one year and it ended up just being very confusing, because wiwth 30 people participating no one could remember who opened what gift or what they wanted to steal. And it took hours.
Last night had a good turnout of perfectly normal packages, some risque presents, and some truly hideous white elephant gifts.
For example:
the stone gorilla yard ornament that Heather wouldn’t part with (it even went to the restroom with her);
the Mizzou mug that no one would admit to bringing;
a ceramic smiling snowman cookie jar;
a jug of generic bleach, keeping with last year’s laundry gift;
a bottle of wine;
a kid’s set of Nerf shooting dart things;
the whole collection of 1994 Playboy magazines.
Nobody knows who brought most of the gifts. It’s probably best that way. It was fun to see everyone fighting over things, mainly the magazines, the liquor, and a truly obnoxious black tuxedo man-thong thing that you had to be present in order to fully appreciate.
A tradition that started last year is finding a movie that makes fun of our friend Tyler, and then Photoshopping his picture onto the cover of the DVD. This year we used "The Ringer," but it wasn’t as funny because he hadn’t seen the movie and really had no idea what the joke was. Next year we’re going to expand this game to make fun of more people besides Tyler. He’s been picked on enough, only because it’s easy.
Several of the attendees showed up in their favorite Christmas attire. They dug through mom’s attic and grandma’s closets and found the best (or worst?) holiday clothing ever. It was pretty funny. If only mom knew what her old sweaters were really being used for…
And to whomever brought the Hpnotiq gift set….thank you, thank you, thank you. It will be put to good use.
by Debbi | Dec 17, 2006 | Christmas
Every Christmas, we have a "discussion" in our house about the annual Sandbar gift exchange.
It all started because one year Dave hung a sign at the bar, announcing the gift exchange. He called it a white elephant gift exchange, but also put a dollar amount on it (no more than $10). For the next week, I fielded all sorts of calls from his employees, well the girls anyway, asking what he meant. "Is this really white elephant?" "Am I supposed to buy a gift or bring something crappy that’s laying around my house?" "What’s he talking about?"
I explained to Dave that "white elephant" traditionally means that you bring something from home as a gift- something ugly that your grandma gave you, or something you got from last year’s office party, or regifting something that you just don’t want. By putting the dollar limit on the sign, people thought that they were supposed to buy a new gift, which is not the meaning behind white elephant.
We argued about it, because he insisted that "white elephant" means the gift exchange game where the first person opens a gift, then the second person either opens a new one or steals the first one, and so on. I equally vehemently insisted that this game is NOT white elephant.
This went on for a couple years. Every year he’d tell people "white elephant, $10 limit," and again I’d take phone calls from people who didn’t know if they were supposed to buy something new or regift something old. A couple times people have been visibly embarrassed at bringing something truly "white elephant," when others brought obviously newly purchased items. We talked about it again last year, and I thought that I finally got through to Dave that he should either call it white elephant, OR put the dollar amount, but not both.
A few weeks ago, I met Dave at the bar for lunch one day and saw the darn sign hanging up again: white elephant, $10 limit. Apparently he and Danny had decided it would be funny to hang it up and wait for me to say something. They got their money’s worth. We had yet another discussion about how he needed to word the gift exchange announcement. Then they turned over the sign, and showed me the REAL announcement, which just read "gift exchange, $10 limit."
Funny, guys, real funny.
I have to admit, however, that we were both right in a way. After checking Wikipedia, the online answer for everything, I found that the gift exchange game of stealing another person’s present actually is referred to as "white elephant," which I had never heard. However, other websites that I found also stated that "white elephant" gifts are generally gag gifts or items you have lying around the house. The stealing-of-the-gifts game is also called "Yankee Swap" or "Chinese gift exchange" or "Dirty Santa."
So I guess I have to admit that Dave wasn’t entirely wrong. But only when he admits that I wasn’t wrong either. And hey, I walked off with a jug of Tide last year which made me perfectly happy.
by Debbi | Dec 16, 2006 | New Year's Eve
This topic has received more votes than any other question we’ve posed on this blog. Looks like all six of our readers are serious about their New Year’s Eve party!
As of a few minutes ago, the Wedding theme was ahead again. Although in the last week or so, voting has been strong for the pajama party theme. I guess the former bridesmaids are coming out in full force demanding a chance to wear those dresses again.
Justin seems to think that because he sleeps in the buff, this would be acceptable (lack of) attire if we had a pajama party. Those of you who know him, please enlighten him. Scary.
Jake and John even chimed in from Australia, voting for the pajama party theme. They claim they’ll be watching the webcam to check out the party….but I have a feeling that they’ll either be partying themselves or sleeping.
We aren’t sure when we’ll announce the theme and all the details for New Year’s Eve yet but stay tuned.
by Debbi | Dec 12, 2006 | Christmas
The annual Sandbar Christmas party was last night.
And what a night it was. We rented a party bus that picked up the Lawrence crew at 5:30. The bus stopped in Baldwin and picked up folks at The Lodge, and then traveled on to Ottawa to the newly opened Plaza Cinema. Movie Dave showed us the new James Bond flick and then it was on to The Sandbar in Ottawa.
Heather and Michelle were mermaids on the bar. The ceilings are a lot shorter in Ottawa than they are in Lawrence- us tall ones have to stick to dancing on the benches.
The bus ride to and from is always fun. This particular bus came equipped with its own stripper pole. Of course this group couldn’t leave that one alone. But it wasn’t the girls showing off their moves- apparently Danny and Blair have side jobs that they haven’t told us about. These two seem to know their way around a pole.
The bus headed back to Lawrence around 10:30. The folks in Ottawa were still going strong when the bus left, and the party continued in Lawrence until the wee hours. No cheese puffs involved this time, though.
Everyone had a great time dancing and drinking and laughing. Peach and Ted always give us a great party at the end of the year. A photo album with pictures from the evening is over on the right side menu. Enjoy!
by Debbi | Dec 10, 2006 | Sandbar Stuff
We have an announcement to make.
The Sandbar has opened an online store at Cafepress, an internet store that allows you to create and sell your own designs, without having to do any of the work. A link to our store is over in the right side menu.
We print most of our own t-shirts upstairs, and some of the more difficult shirts are sent out to one of our preferred companies for printing. But there’s a lot of items that we can’t print ourselves that we thought people might like to buy.
Some of the items in our new store are stickers, magnets, buttons, mousepads, and mugs. You can even buy buttons and magnets in a pack of ten so you can share them! We also have boxers, panties, and baby items like a bib and a onesie. Any of these things would be super Christmas gifts for your fellow Sandbar friends, and they’re not too expensive.
All of the items we currently have are customized with The Sandbar logo. We may add some additional designs later if this venture seems successful. All you do is place your order, and in a couple of days the item is shipped out to you. That’s all there is to it!
by Debbi | Dec 8, 2006 | New Year's Eve
A quick update on the voting for our New Year’s Eve party:
As of a few minutes ago, the voting was very close. There is a tie between "My Best Friend’s Wedding" and "Toga! Toga!", each with 29% of the votes. There is also a tie between "Prom Night" and "Pajama Party," each with 21% of the votes.
A new suggestion came in via The Sandbar’s MySpace page. Thanks to Jeannie for suggesting a tribute to the late Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter. What do you think of that one?
I’m a little nervous about the pajama party idea. While I love the idea of partying all night in my comfy polka-dotted flannels, I don’t want them to smell like beer. Also, there’s that fear that some woman, somewhere, would think it was a great idea to show up in some type of scanty, inappropriate-for-public sleepwear. Or a man who showed up in just his boxers. Scary.
Likewise with the Toga idea. (This was Dave’s idea, by the way, not mine). Several years ago one of our friends came to the bar on Halloween dressed as a spa-goer. (You know who you are). She even had a facial mask on that had cucumbers over the eyes. It was very cute, until someone jokingly tugged on her towel, and it fell off her body. Right in the middle of the bar. I see this happening all over again with sheets tied precariously around people.
The idea behind "My Best Friend’s Wedding" is so all you former bridesmaids out there can wear that dress again. The one you spent tons of hard-earned money on, the one that your friend swore you would be able to wear again, the one that’s been stored in your basement for the last five years and hasn’t seen the light of day. I have several of these dresses. In fact, several of them are almost indistinguishable from each other.
It’s no secret that my favorite theme is prom night. Something about those tacky taffeta gowns with their ruffles and bows just makes me smile. But I’m not trying to tell you how to vote or anything.
by Debbi | Dec 7, 2006 | Stories
Lines. We all hate them, and we hate being IN them even more.
Many nights at The Sandbar, a line is a fact of life. Back when I started going to the bar (yikes, has it really been almost 10 years??!!??), if you weren’t inside by 9 p.m. on a Tuesday night, you were guaranteed to be hanging out in line outside for the next ninety minutes, at least. Weekend nights were the same way.
In a way, the line outside adds to the bar’s appeal. If you drive by a place and see hordes of people waiting to get in, especially if it’s cold outside, then surely it’s a cool place, right? Maybe that’s why so many people keep coming back. My dad couldn’t understand why people would actually wait in line, and then pay a cover charge on top of it, just to come inside. After he spent a few evenings inside, however, he quickly changed his tune. (Or, it might have been the cute girls in cowboy hats dancing on the bar that made him rethink this…)
People will try almost anything to skip the line. The most brazen try to just walk right in, past the twelve other people patiently waiting their turn. Others try to coax the doorperson- they’ll flirt, tease, demand, threaten….we’ve heard it all. Lots of people use the old "I know the owner" line. Trust me, that doesn’t work. If you really knew the owners, you’d know better. We also hear "I’m on the list" sometimes. List? There’s no list. Whoever told you there’s a list was lying.
What many people don’t realize is that everybody waits in line. The employees wait in line. So do the regulars. Dave’s wife waits in line. Heck, even Dave has waited in line before.
It’s not always that bad. Back in the day, there was such a regular crowd on certain nights that everyone in line knew each other. We managed to have fun even though we couldn’t get inside to get a drink. It’s all what you make of it- there’s no point getting grouchy about the line and ruining the rest of your night. Besides, just hang around until a little after ten- lots of people leave right after the hurricane.
by Debbi | Dec 3, 2006 | New Year's Eve
Not to fast forward the holiday season or anything, but we need to start planning our New Year’s Eve party.
The Sandbar loves any excuse for a theme party, and New Year’s Eve is right up there with Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day. The Sandbar has also been featured on the front page of the Lawrence Journal-World for the last several years. The LJW is good to us. But really, since newspapers have such early deadlines, the photographer knows he can come to our place and get a good picture hours before the ball drops that actually resembles midnight revelry. Last year, the photographer was actually asking us "when will someone dance on the bar" as early as 7 p.m.
Most recently, we traveled back in time to the 80’s, the decade of big hair, legwarmers, high-tops, and Flashdance. Oh, and punk rockers, since we had a couple of them crash the party. It took me a little while of fumbling with the curling iron to figure out how to recreate my high-school bangs. I think I did a pretty good job, considering it’s been almost 15 years since I’ve practiced this art, and I didn’t have a can of AquaNet! Dave didn’t have to look too hard for props- those glasses he’s wearing? Those are actually an old pair of his glasses.
Another year, we glammed it up and had "A Night at the Oscars." This was a pretty typical New Year’s Eve night since most girls like to dress up that night anyway. Coleen made her very own Oscar statue out of a Barbie doll, and Will and Erick rented matching pastel tuxedos to wear while working the door.
"Prom Night" was a popular theme. We encouraged everyone to dig out their old prom dresses (or if they didn’t fit, to go buy one at Salvation Army.) Lots of people participated in this theme. One girl even wore her mom’s hippie style wedding dress from the 60’s. We had lots of sequins, ruffles, and bows that night, along with cummerbunds and bow ties. The sillier, the better at The Sandbar.
A photo album with pictures of New Years’ Eve past parties is over to the right side of the page.
What should we do this year? A new random question is also posted. Please tell us, dear readers, what would make your New Year’s Eve complete.
by Debbi | Nov 27, 2006 | Christmas
I wanted to write about holiday parties last week….but I really hate it when people start talking about the holidays before Thanksgiving. So I held off until now….
The Sandbar is a great place for holiday parties. Unless of course you have a hundred employees, and in that case they just won’t all fit. You can bring in your own food, or give us a call and we can help arrange the food. We love it when people bring decorations too.
Our favorite holiday party is our own. Every year employees at both Sandbar’s and The Lodge get together to celebrate. Usually the party rotates from one place to the other…but we probably won’t be able to do it in Lawrence anymore because it’s so small. Sometimes we have dinner at The Lodge and then head over to Ottawa for the party. Last year, we had a rousing game of charades happening in front of the fire at The Lodge. This year, since Peach and Ted opened up the new movie theater in Ottawa, we’re going to have the party there.
One of the funny traditions that has evolved from the many holiday parties is cheese puffs. We brought a huge Sam’s- size container of cheese puffs to the party in Lawrence one year. Later in the night, the remaining hard-core partiers decided to bar hop down Massachusetts Street, taking along the cheese puffs. Anyone who happened to be looking for this group could easily find them by the trail of orange balls left along the street, going in and out of bars, and finally trailing back to The Sandbar.Since that year we always buy a large container of cheese puffs to take to the holiday party.
In the past we’ve had gift exchanges that have gotten pretty wild. We like the kind where you draw numbers, and the first person picks a gift and opens it, and the next person can either steal it or pick a new gift…and so on down the line. You just never know what you might open at one of our parties…it could be a gallon of Tide, a bottle of wine, or a motorcycle helmet that someone found on the side of the road.
Who knows what this year’s party will bring…
by Debbi | Nov 21, 2006 | Stories
We have a lot of dollars.
Tacking dollar bills on the wall is a Florida thing, so we’re told. As the story goes, fishermen would sign a dollar bill and leave it behind in the bar before heading out to sea. If they came back without catching any fish, they knew that they could still afford a beer, because they had left a dollar back at the bar.
It’s become a tradition to count the dollar bills every year on Thanksgiving. It’s a pretty slow night and most places in town are closed. The Sandbar is usually open, however, because usually at least one of the employees begs to work, knowing they’ll be tired of their family by the time evening rolls around.
Last year we counted around 4,500 bills on the walls, pictures, and doors. Of course this is an estimate because it’s really hard to count that many things without skipping one or counting another one twice. And there’s more than one bill hidden behind things that we didn’t think to move.
Every dollar that is taped or stapled to the wall is meaningful to someone- whether they are commemorating their first visit to The Sandbar, a birthday, an anniversary, or a big win. After people stick a dollar up, they look for it whenever they come back to the bar. It’s like a giant wall of memories.
Next time you visit The Sandbar, ask for a marker and tape so you can leave your own dollar on our walls.
