by Debbi | Oct 2, 2006 | Stories
The back room of The Sandbar is going through some changes.
Dave got his hands on a large fish tank some time ago. I don’t know where these things come from, but all things fish-related seem to gravitate to him- people who no longer want to take care of their tanks are constantly offering him fish, coral, tanks, and more. Anyway, it’s a big tank, and perfect for The Sandbar. He built a huge stand/cabinet to enclose the tank and added a ledge on the front for drinks. It looks pretty cool. It sits against the back wall, where the bench used to be. New benches are going to be added around the rest of the walls.
Those of you who spend your evenings hanging out in the back playing darts don’t need to worry, the dartboards are still there. The foosball table, however has been relocated to the upstairs area.
Over the next few weeks the new tank will fill up with a mixture of living things. Some will come from Dave’s personal tank at home. Others will probably come from Pet World, one of Dave’s favorite places for all things fish.
What new fish would you like to see at The Sandbar?
by Debbi | Oct 1, 2006 | Events
Come on downtown next Friday, October 6, for the Get Downtown! event. It’s a free event open to the public, and it’s being held right in front of The Sandbar! The event will take place on 8th street, between Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The KU Pep Band, Spirit Squad, and mascots will provide entertainment.
Live music will begin at 6 p.m. with the Michael Beers Band, followed by Dr. Zhivegas at 8 p.m. Food and drink will be available from local vendors including Chipotle, Free State, Local Burger, and Vermont Street BBQ.
The fun is officially scheduled from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., but we think it will last much longer than that. The Sandbar will have an official ‘sidewalk dining’ area for the evening- this will allow our patrons to be outside the bar in a designated area without losing their space inside the bar. The bar band will most likely make an appearance at The Sandbar at some point during the night, and if you haven’t been in the bar when they show up, you are missing out!
Join us next Friday for a unique and fun event!
by Debbi | Sep 28, 2006 | Places
You’ve probably noticed our list of favorite bars listed on the right side of this page. It’s a short list right now, only because I haven’t had time to add more. Believe me, the Sandbar crew has many favorite bars!
If you ever make it to Nashville, stop by the World Famous Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. It’s located in the heart of the honky-tonk district at 422 Broadway, right downtown and around the corner from the original location of the Grand Ol’ Opry, the Ryman Auditorium.
All sorts of famous folk have been spotted at Tootsie’s over the years including Willie Nelson, Dr. Ruth, Neil Young, Hank Williams Jr, and Rob Schneider. The walls are covered with photos of past performers at Tootsie’s, many who have gone on to have successful careers. Tootsie’s has two bars- upstairs and downstairs, and daily live music on stages in both bars. And it’s not just country music, they play everything. They’ll even let you dance on the bar there…but it doesn’t happen as often as it does at The Sandbar!
We’ve been to Tootsie’s three times now but didn’t see anyone famous. Well, anyone who was famous at the time. One of the bartenders and sometime-singer upstairs was Melanie Torres. She was a finalist on the most recent version of Nashville Star, the USA Network’s answer to American Idol.
The Sandbar crew traveled to Nashville a couple years ago to record the "Sandbar Song," the one that plays after the hurricane. It was recorded in a real studio by professional musicians- a really cool experience. (We did see the lead singer of the band Lonestar at the studio- he very graciously took pictures and signed autographs!) Nashville is definitely a fun place to visit and we’d love to go back.
by Debbi | Sep 25, 2006 | Specials
Ahhh, Tuesdays. The dollar fifty anything special at The Sandbar.
For a long time, it was dollar ANYTHING. Three bucks to get in, and drinks for a dollar all night long. The Sandbar was one of the first bars in town to have dollar nights. Tuesdays at The Sandbar were a ritual for my friends in college. For at least two years I don’t think we missed a single one. I suspect there were many other groups of Sandbar regulars with the same schedule. Back then if you weren’t inside by 9 p.m., you were waiting in line for at least an hour. It may sound crazy, but waiting in line was actually kind of fun, since everyone out there knew each other. It was a party outside, minus of course the drinks.
Over the years the price of alcohol kept going up, and The Sandbar finally had to raise the Tuesday drink price by fifty cents. It’s still a darn good deal, and it still keeps the place packed.
Come on by next Tuesday and have a drink!
by Debbi | Sep 23, 2006 | People
Jake and John arrived safely in Australia.
They’ve been there a week and in John’s words, have been going at it non-stop. They celebrated a Canadian girl’s birthday in Bondi Beach and met people from all over the world. They even had kangaroo for dinner one night.
The boys are now in Surfer’s Paradise along the Gold Coast, which not surprisingly has some of the best surfing beaches in the world. They found jobs almost immediately after arriving, waiting tables and bartending. The bars are open until 5 a.m.! Jake says it was easy to dive right into the job because of The Sandbar and that the drinks aren’t all that different from the States.
Once they get settled into an apartment they plan to start their own blog to keep us entertained with their Australian adventures. We’ll have a link to it once it’s ready.
by Debbi | Sep 22, 2006 | Sandbar Stuff
They’re here!
Seems like everyone has been asking for a new "I Danced on the Bar" t-shirt. We haven’t done one for a year or two- couldn’t find a good design. Well now we found one we love, and you will too! This design was created by the art department at Grandstand Sportswear, a locally owned business here in Lawrence.
Most of our shirts are printed upstairs at The Sandbar by Dave or Justin. Multi-colored designs are a bit trickier, though, so usually other companies print these shirts for us.
Available in sizes S, M, L, XL, and XXL, for $15 each. Stop by to get yours today, or email us to order one.
Let us know what you think about this new design!
by Debbi | Sep 21, 2006 | People
It’s Maynard’s birthday!
Maynard worked at The Sandbar for a couple of years, at the door and behind the bar occasionally. He’s left our fair city to be an insurance agent, but he manages to make it back to town for frequent visits. Maynard also got engaged recently to Brooke. His little brother John has been hired at The Sandbar, so we still have a Maynard around.
Drink a toast today in honor of his birthday.
by Debbi | Sep 19, 2006 | Sandbar Stuff
Several years ago we decided The Sandbar needed a gift shop. T-shirts were already a popular item and since people love the bar so much, we thought they’d probably buy other things.
One of the surprise hits of this little experiment was our custom-decorated coconut bras. I think it was Peach’s idea to stick Bahama Mama toys on the coconut bras, just for fun, and they were hilarious. E6000 glue will hold just about anything. Coconut-bra-decorating has become a fun hobby for some of the female staff members.
Some of the more popular coconut bras have featured:
Compasses: So that even if you’ve been drinking, you can always find your way home.
Pinwheels: People have lots of fun watching these twirl during the hurricane.
Jayhawks: If the Jayhawks had won the national championship in 2003, I think the AP would have picked up the story of the Jayhawk coconut bras. A reporter was asking about them, true story.
We’ve made all kinds of coconut bras- for weddings, Christmas, bachelorette parties, and practically any event that someone, somewhere could celebrate. They’ve had candy, flowers, sharks, beads, and more glued all over them. They make excellent party favors if you need something unique. Let us know, we can make as many as you need.
What would you like to see on a coconut bra?
by Debbi | Sep 18, 2006 | Jukebox
The Sandbar jukebox is considered the best jukebox in town by many people.
Where else in town can you find every single Jimmy Buffett song on one jukebox? Or such a wide variety of oldies, 80’s, and country?
There are nights when the bartenders hear a song so many times they get tired of it. There are other songs that a bartender might hear on every shift, every time he works, over many years. These are some of those songs.
Brown Eyed Girl.
This Van Morrison oldie gets played nearly every shift and several times per day. Jimmy Buffett covered this song, and his version gets it’s fair share of play time as well. It seems to be a favorite of the ladies and often gets people dancing on the bar.
Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy.
A country song, fairly new to the jukebox, this Big and Rich anthem is also a popular Sandbar song. In fact, we’ve started selling cowboy hats at the bar. Some of the bartenders originally brought their own hats to the bar to wear during this song, but the hats kept walking out the door with customers. We ordered a dozen to see if we could sell them- and by mistake, we ordered 12 dozen. A huge box of 144 cowboy hats arrived at this beach bar, and we weren’t sure what to do with them….but at $5 each they were great fun for groups, and sold so well that we’re on our second order.
Dancing Queen.
Another favorite of the ladies who love to dance on the bar. This ABBA song has been part of the jukebox for quite a few years. We’ve seen more than a few guys dance to this song, too. It’s especially popular for bachelorette party groups.
Car Wash.
Bartender’s favorite. One of the Sandbar songs that actually has it’s own dance, and it’s easy enough that anyone can do it. Every time this song gets played- at least once every night- the bar is full of folks doing the Car Wash. More often than not, the benches lining the walls are also full of people dancing. For some reason, the later it gets the more people dance…..
What is your favorite Sandbar song?
by Debbi | Sep 16, 2006 | Sandbar Stuff
Sandbar logo shirts are now available with a brand-new Island Time quote on the back.
"We do more in one week than most people in one entire day!"
Thanks to Matt for submitting this quote. Sandbar friends everywhere can relate to Island Time.
These new shirts are available at The Sandbar in Lawrence and Ottawa for $15 each, in sizes small through XXL. Or, email us to order one online.
Do you have a great idea or quote for a shirt? Email us your suggestion, and if we use it, you’ll get a free shirt.
Dave got his hands on a large fish tank some time ago. I don’t know where these things come from, but all things fish-related seem to gravitate to him- people who no longer want to take care of their tanks are constantly offering him fish, coral, tanks, and more. Anyway, it’s a big tank, and perfect for The Sandbar. He built a huge stand/cabinet to enclose the tank and added a ledge on the front for drinks. It looks pretty cool. It sits against the back wall, where the bench used to be. New benches are going to be added around the rest of the walls. 
