by Debbi | Feb 7, 2012 | Trinkets and Toys
Rubber duckies are one of the most popular drink toys at the Sandbar, and these days, there's a rubber duckie in almost every theme imaginable. We haven't ordered plain yellow ducks in years, because we can order pirates, cowboys, policemen, princesses, nurses, mermaids and all kinds of other ducks.
Lately, the alphabet duckies have been a big hit. Customers love spelling out their names and other words, and it's become somewhat of a game to try to get the duckie letter they want.
Here's what Dave did with his alphabet ducks:
It's kind of hard to see them, but he spelled out his new baby's name with the ducks.
Right now, we have police officer and firefighter ducks. What kind of ducks should we get next?
by Debbi | Feb 4, 2012 | Events, KU Basketball
Today is a big day for Jayhawk fans everywhere. The KU men's basketball team travels to that town in our neighboring state to the east to take on their most hated rival. That alone always makes it a big game, but this year has even more significance, since that school has chosen to leave our conference and this might be the last year we ever play them.
There's a lot of hatred between these two teams. YouTube videos have been exchanged (just Google "We are KU," it's entertaining) and insults have been hurled across the internet.
A lot of the animosity between fans of each school is fueled by history: residents of both states were fighting all the way back in the Civil War era. Several of us actually took a history tour last summer to learn more about Quantrill's Raid, when the city of Lawrence was burned.
We love a good sports rivalry, but we also hope that Jayhawk fans can stay classy tonight, wherever you're watching the game.
Rock Chalk Jayhawk!
by Debbi | Feb 1, 2012 | Drinking Rules, Stories
The stupid things drunk people do in bars never fail to amaze us. Like stealing tables, writing on our building and busting our toilet. Last night was no exception.
We've been kind enough over the years to let customers go upstairs and hang out on our beach, take pictures and escape from the craziness of the downstairs bar. Unfortunately, over the past few years, customers have become more and more disrespectful of this space. Usually after people have been up there, we find the space trashed- popcorn flung everywhere, glasses left behind, and general disarray.
Last night, a group of people went up there while the doorguy had stepped away from the door. Awhile later, after they had left the bar, John went upstairs and discovered the worst mess of all: someone had deployed the fire extinguisher.
Not cool.
The story could end there, with Dave and John staying even later than usual, cleaning up a mess. But it doesn't.
The idiot who made the mess moved on down the street to Tonic, where apparently he bragged about his adventure at the Sandbar. He bragged about it to the wrong person, because that person happened to know Dave.
And that person took the time to come over to the Sandbar and tell Dave what happened, and the two of them went and tracked down the idiot on Mass Street. Dave informed him that he had two options: they could call the police, or he could come back to the bar and clean up the mess he made. He wisely chose to come clean up the mess.
Of course, Dave will still have to clean it himself, because fire extinguishers create a tremendous mess and the drunk guy didn't exactly do a bang-up job of cleaning, but at least Dave made a point.
And then, when the guy was done "cleaning," Dave informed him that he also owed the bar money so that we could replace the fire extinguisher. The guy balked at this, and then had the audacity to say he'd only deployed half of it, and could he then go and deploy the other half outside? Uh, NO.
The irony in all of this? Our fire extinguishers had just been refilled on MONDAY. The day before.
There's a lesson here. Be respectful of the businesses you visit. Being drunk isn't an excuse, either. Don't be a jerk and ruin the fun for everyone else. Because from now on, customers are no longer allowed upstairs.
by Debbi | Jan 30, 2012 | Guest Blogs, New Year's Eve, People, Sandbar Stuff
Have you picked up your 2012 commemorative new year's pint glass yet? They're only $3, and they're super cute!
This pint glass was designed by Sandbar friend Jesse. Here are some of the things Jesse had to say about the Sandbar:
What's your favorite tropical drink? Shark Attack
What's your favorite jukebox song? Jessie's Girl (of course!)
Longest you've waited in line at the bar? Never
Funniest or favorite memory at the bar? On my 21st birthday, an old man licked the long blue plastic nose that came with my friend Deede's drink. Things got really awkward really fast.
Here's a few pictures Jesse sent us:
Thanks for the great pint glass design, Jesse! If you're interested in designing a pint glass for us, pay attention to our blog. We'll announce the next design we're looking for soon.
by Debbi | Jan 28, 2012 | Around the World
More Sandbar shirts in Cancun!
Most people either email their shirt pictures to us or share them on Facebook or Twitter, but we love it when a new picture randomly appears on our bulletin board and surprises us.
Here are two pictures that showed up on the wall:
Ah, Cancun. Another tropical destination we'd like to visit sometime. Meanwhile, we'll continue to live vicariously through our customers.
by Debbi | Jan 26, 2012 | Downtown, Trinkets and Toys
Every once in awhile, we find Sandbar shark toys in other places. Sometimes they're in peoples' bathrooms, or on their desk at work, or in this case, at other bars in downtown Lawrence.
This shark was spotted at the Jazzhaus.
And this one, at Yokohama. Both sharks were found and photographed by our eagle-eyed man on the street, Pat. If you see a shark toy somewhere, snap a photo and send it to us!
by Debbi | Jan 19, 2012 | New Year's Eve, Sandbar Stuff
We've got new pint glasses!
Our latest addition to the pint glass collection commemorates the arrival of 2012:
Sandbar fan Jesse submitted this design a few months ago, and while we wanted to have it available before 2012 actually began, our Christmas glasses were still going strong and well, we were a little busy.
The other thing we love about this design? The stork delivering a baby tiki makes a reference to the arrival of Dave's baby! Whether Jesse knew Dave was about to be a dad or not, we don't know, but we love this design.
Check back later this week to learn more about the designer, Jesse.
The pint glasses are available now for $3 each. Stop by to get yours today, and don't forget to bring it back every Thursday for $2.50 tropical drinks!
by Debbi | Jan 17, 2012 | Downtown, Trinkets and Toys
Sandbar drink toys sometimes show up in unexpected places. While we don't advocate vandalism or littering, we're always amused to see where our trinkets appear.
Former bartender and man on the street Pat sent us this picture:
Yes, that's a mustache on a tree near 8th and Mass in downtown Lawrence.
In other mustache-related news, we discovered via Facebook that the Toy Store in downtown Lawrence is featuring Mustache Mondays. Wear your mustache (real or fake!) into the store on Mondays and compare yours to the ones worn by their toyologists!
by Debbi | Jan 15, 2012 | Trinkets and Toys
Sandbar fan Emily shared this picture on our Facebook page last month:
Here's what she had to say:
"Reppin' The Sandbar in a wedding in Kirksville, MO! The glasses actually made it into OFFICIAL wedding pictures!"
Weddings are a great use of tropical drink toys. Kids (and adults) love them, and they're a great way to break the ice, especially if no one's dancing. So, round up all your drink toys and throw them in a bag; next time you have a wedding to attend, take them along!
by Debbi | Jan 12, 2012 | Around the World
Here's another Sandbar shirt picture!
Deb submitted this photo of Ally climbing Camelback Mountain in Phoenix on Thanksgiving morning:
If you haven't seen our wall of Sandbar shirt photos, be sure to check it out next time you're in the bar! There's one wall by the popcorn machine that's full of pictures (though I noticed that someone stole a photo recently), and a new wall in the back room that's waiting for more pictures!
