by Debbi | Nov 19, 2006 | Trinkets and Toys
The Sandbar’s signature drink, the Bahama Mama, is served up with style. Every drink comes with a colored string of Mardi Gras beads and the latest trinket that we’ve ordered from our favorite catalog, Fun Express. It’s really fun picking out new toys to hand out with the drinks, but sometimes it can get difficult to find just the right item- something that fits our theme and is also relatively inexpensive.
Key chains are always popular. They’re also easy for the bartender to loop over the straw. We’ve had flip flops and disco balls; miniature flamingos and rubber chickens.
Small toys that can float on top of the drink make frequent appearances, like rubber duckies. We started out with the plain yellow ducky key chains, but now Fun Express has all kinds of cool themed rubber duckies, for every holiday and event imaginable. Right now we have rubber duckies in Thanksgiving costumes.
One of the most popular toys we’ve ever had were squeezable holiday characters; when you squeezed the toy, a long red tongue spit out of it’s mouth. Apparently, though, these toys were deemed ‘dangerous’ for kids and they are no longer made. A similar trinket has taken their place, the ‘putty eye’ characters. When these toys are squeezed, their gel-like eyes bug out of their head. Of course if you squeeze too hard, the eyes pop all the way out. We learned that the hard way.
Toys with drinks have been so popular that we’ve expanded our lineup. The popular Shark Attack drinks come with their very own toy shark, and the new Pink Flamingo comes with fancy flamingo straws.
Our new random question to the left encourages our readers to vote for the best Bahama Mama toy. We’re also constantly on the watch for fun new items we can use, so if you find something that screams "Sandbar toy" let us know!
If you missed our other random questions you can view them here.
by Debbi | Nov 18, 2006 | Jukebox
It seems that everyone loves to do the Car Wash. Almost half of you chose Car Wash as your favorite "dancing on the bar" song. And any given night, or day, if Car Wash plays on the jukebox, there is always someone on the bar. This song more than any other seems to draw people up to dance.
What is the appeal of this song? I think it’s several things. For one, there are actual dance steps to follow. Even those of us who can’t dance have fun doing the Car Wash, because we’re doing the same move as everyone else. (Perhaps with less rhythm, but anyway.) And the dance moves are very repetitive, so there’s not a lot to remember. We even have a video of Dave and Danny that plays during the song, so newbies can follow along and learn.
The real reason I think this song is such a Sandbar staple? It’s been hyped up by the staff. If you’ve ever been in the bar when this song comes on the jukebox, you know what I’m talking about. At the first sound of the clapping, Sandbar staff and regulars hop onto any available surface and snag their spot.
Dave especially likes to direct this show. During the song he shouts out the moves…."Wash it down…." "Spray it off….." and everyone follows along. And of course the dance moves are highly exaggerated.
The crowd can’t help but get into this song with all the excitement in the air. The atmosphere definitely changes when the Car Wash starts.
I hope to set up a link to the video soon so you can watch the Car Wash from home.
And for the 20% of you who picked "Something Else" as your favorite bar-dancing song…..tell us what that song is! Leave us a comment. It could be the next song featured in a Sandbar video!
by Debbi | Nov 16, 2006 | People
Marlin is the official Sandbar entertainment.
Marlin and his guitar frequently play at The Sandbar in Ottawa, out on the deck where there’s plenty of room for people to crowd around and listen to the music while they drink their cares away.
It’s not as easy to have live music in Lawrence, simply because the bar isn’t big enough for very many people, and most nights it’s just too busy. But every once in awhile we’re lucky enough to have Marlin play on a Sunday night, when the pace is more relaxed and the patrons can appreciate acoustic music.
This Sunday, November 19, is Marlin’s next gig in Lawrence. He’ll start around 8 p.m. If you’ve never listened to him, come on down. He plays a great variety of sing-along type songs, from Kenny Chesney to Simon & Garfunkel to Jimmy Buffett. There’s no cover charge, and we’ll even have snacks.
Marlin and his wife Julie joined the Sandbar crew on our retreat last month, and we had a lot of fun telling stories and jokes while Marlin strummed his guitar and sang for us. A very enjoyable evening under the stars, next to the fire. We can’t give you a campfire on Sunday, but we promise you’ll still enjoy the show!
by Debbi | Nov 13, 2006 | Newsworthy
My mom sent me a newspaper clipping from the Wichita Eagle’s Thursday edition. It’s part of an Associated Press feature "Weird News," which regularly shows up in newspapers around the country.
Shake it like a lawsuit
New York- A woman who said she fell off a slippery bar and injured herself while dancing in a "Shake It Like Shakira" contest is suing the Manhattan saloon that sponsored the competition.
Megan Zacher, 22, of Delanco, NJ, fell at Calico Jack’s Cantina on July 8, her lawyer, Lawrence Simon, said Tuesday. He said the fall caused a torn knee ligament that required surgery. Zacher was dancing on the bar, vying for the $250 prize, when she fell, Simon said.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from Calico Jack’s.
A man at Calico Jack’s who identified himself as the manager said he had no comment.
-Associated Press
Ironic timing of the article, given that I just wrote about dancing on the bar last week. Come on, people. Nobody forced her to get on the bar. She got up there out of her own free will. When are people going to take responsibility for their own actions and quit blaming somebody else for everything that happens to them?
We’ve had a few people fall off the bar at The Sandbar, but it doesn’t happen very often. Employees have fallen off, too. The funniest time was when a woman slipped and fell right into the trashcan, bottom first, and sat there and laughed. We gave her a shirt that said "I Danced on the Bar at the Sandbar," and she laughed even harder.
Sure, our staff pays attention to the people who dance on the bar. If they seem very drunk at all, they’re not allowed up there. The bar is always cleared of anything that might get in the way of feet. And there’s a rail to hang on to and help catch people who lose their balance. Not to mention the crowd of people who are usually hanging out directly in front of the bar and have caught a few falling dancers.
Of course it’s no fun if someone gets hurt. But to choose to dance on a bar and then sue the place because you fall and get hurt…that’s just no fun either.
by Debbi | Nov 9, 2006 | People
As you know, our former employees Jake and John took off for Australia in September.
They’ve set up a blog to keep us in the loop on all their adventures. Check it out at www.getjealous.com/australialive. You can live vicariously through these two clowns in Surfer’s Paradise.
by Debbi | Nov 7, 2006 | Jukebox
Dancing on the bar at The Sandbar is a rite of passage. Once you’ve climbed up the shaky bar stools after a few too many drinks and shaken your thing in front a bar full of people, you’ve become part of the Sandbar club. It’s not a very elite club- there are thousands of others who have done the same. But it’s a fun club, and once you’ve done it, you’re likely to do it again and again.
We have our favorite bar-dancing songs at The Sandbar. Usually whenever one of us actually puts money in the jukebox, we carefully pick our songs so that all of the bar-dancing songs are in just the right order.
The original bar-dancing song is "Shake Your Tailfeathers" from the Blues Brothers soundtrack. It has it’s own special dance moves that everyone can follow. Peach and Dave have been dancing on the bar to this song since the bar’s early days.
We recently made videos for "Shake Your Tailfeathers" and another crowd favorite, "Car Wash." The videos feature Sandbar employees dancing on the beach upstairs, and they play during the songs so that Sandbar newbies can learn the dance moves. Of course they’re also there to entertain the crowd; after all, Dave and Danny in giant afro wigs is a pretty funny sight.
What song is the best Sandbar dancing song?
If you pick "Something Else," leave us a comment and let us know what your favorite is. Maybe we’ll make a video for your favorite song next!
by Debbi | Nov 6, 2006 | Halloween
Congratulations to the costume contest winners, the KISS groupies!!
A member of the band was on hand as well. And, thanks to Antje and her ever-present camera, I have added even more pictures to the Halloween photo album on the sidebar. Enjoy!
by Debbi | Nov 3, 2006 | Halloween
Boy, you folks really liked Dave as "The Hammer." What is it about this costume that you like so much? Is it the wig? Is it the pose he struck in the picture? Or, God forbid, is it the fact that he’s actually in his underwear of all things?
Some of you reading this may have been around that Halloween night. Dave and I trick-or-treated my former co-worker that night, because she really wanted to see his costume. He really did start out with black athletic shorts on, but they didn’t have quite the effect of a wrestling leotard. So, nothing like your husband dropping his pants on a front porch on Kentucky Street. After that we met up with a group of friends at The Sandbar- Slash, Medusa, and Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz among others. We all had a few drinks and headed over to G Willikers, the restaurant that used to be located in part of the Salon di Marco building. Once more, the shorts were dropped in favor of the underwear. He even crossed Massachusetts Street in just the underwear.
Honestly, it wasn’t blatantly obvious that he was wearing underwear as a costume. Sure they were short, but he did cover up the waistband with duct tape. But of course…everyone knew. Mostly because it was so funny, we couldn’t stop talking about it.
What was the best Halloween costume you saw this year? What do you think Dave should do next year? Leave us a comment and give your two cents.
by Debbi | Oct 29, 2006 | Halloween
Check this picture out… some of our Halloween visitors on Saturday night. Yet another man who was willing to dress up as a woman- Paris Hilton- and his wife as her trusty sidekick Nicole Richie. Yes, they’ve reconciled, according to the tabloids! I have to admit, this Nicole costume was very creative….
by Debbi | Oct 29, 2006 | Halloween
One down, one to go.
We find any excuse to celebrate. Most of the time Halloween falls on a weekday, and a lot of folks don’t like to go out on weeknights. When this happens, The Sandbar celebrates Halloween on the nearest Saturday, as well as on October 31.
Last night was quite a party. People got there early, and they stayed late. There was a line at the door almost all night. About half the customers were dressed in costume. Dave and Blair, the late shift bartenders, dressed as Devo- the 80’s group that’s famous for "Whip It." A last minute trip to Walmart gathered all the necessities- black turtlenecks to cut the sleeves out of; black pants to cut off for shorts; and glittery iron-on letters. Dave made the red hats himself out of pink construction styrofoam. Three dollar glasses from Cottin’s completed their stylish look.
Ken, Matt, Aña, and Brooke came as the TV show "Deal or No Deal"- Ken was Howie Mandel and the other three were beautiful blonde models. Matt even wore heels all night, unlike all the other men in the bar who were dressed as women- like Chad, who stuffed his French Maid costume with kitchen towels.
We had a flasher; McDreamy from Grey’s Anatomy and some other doctor types; a chicken strip; a saloon girl; Joe Dirt; a secret service agent; a German barmaid, and Cruella deVil. Mr. Clean and Julius Caesar even made appearances. A photo album with some of our pictures has been added to the sidebar. We’ll be adding more pictures after our second Halloween on Tuesday.
Come on back Tuesday night for some more tricks and treats. We’ll have more Bacardi and Captain Morgan promotions and giveaways, and it’s $1.50 anything with a three dollar cover at the door.
