The Madness of March is in full swing, and we’re excited to see how far the Jayhawks go in the Big 12 Championship this week and the NCAA Tournament starting next week.
To publicly show our affection for our beloved team, we gathered some of our staff members, along with some of the crew from Sandbar Subs across the street, and filmed a little commercial, now airing on local Channel 6.
You all know we don’t mind getting a little cheesy now and then (okay, most of the time). We had a good time on a Friday afternoon, and believe it or not, we only had to do a couple takes to get a good video.
A couple weeks ago, we got word that the Roaming Gnome—a lawn ornament that some joker at Travelocity turned into a globe-trotting quasi-celebrity—would be visiting Lawrence for College GameDay with ESPN.
We get excited about pretty much anything that is 1.) silly, and 2.) an opportunity to take silly pictures, so we were thrilled to find out that the Sandbar made the cut as a stop on the Gnome’s itinerary.
So, on February 28, after spending part of the day on the KU campus followed by dinner at local favorite Free State Brewery, the Gnome and his handlers arrived at the Sandbar.
Of course he experienced everything we have to offer: a Shark Attack, a photo opp with the shark outside our door, dancing on the bar and an indoor hurricane, complete with napkins flying through the air.
Thanks, little buddy, for hanging out with us on a chilly Thursday night. We hope you had fun, come back soon!
The folks at Travelocity made this fun video recapping the Roaming Gnome’s time in Kansas. He also visited Wichita State University for their College GameDay appearance, which was the same day as KU’s.
It’s finally here: the tropical drink that doesn’t cost an entire days’ worth of calories in one drink.
Dave has experimented for a long time with diet versions of our tropical drinks, after listening to one too many of you order vodka sodas. Seriously, how can you drink those things?
He unveiled his concoction last week: We tried to think of a “skinny” name for it that wouldn’t get us sued, but bartender Alex quickly christened it the Little Mermaid. Perfect! Just don’t tell Disney.
The new drink certainly tastes good—but perhaps the best part? It’s only 103 calories. You’re welcome.
Our good friend Big Mike surprised us with a funny picture the other day: a screenshot of Google Earth’s view of the Sandbar.
What’s funny about that? Nothing, unless you happen to know that the gray SUV parked in front of the bar belongs to Dave—and if you look closely, you can see a gift from the City of Lawrence parking department.
Like any good downtown Lawrence employee, Dave does his part to keep the city of Lawrence running by accumulating his fair share of little yellow envelopes. Normally, he pays the $3 ticket before its due and his wife is never the wiser.
But sometimes he gets busted. Like when Google Earth captures evidence of his overtime parking.
P.S. Congrats to Big Mike, his lovely wife Anne and their little boy, who recently welcomed another bundle of joy to their family!
Ever seen a hula girl scarecrow? How about a pirate scarecrow? Well, we made some scarecrows, and we couldn’t just make any old traditional kind of scarecrow—of course they had to have some kind of Sandbar flair to them.
Cottin’s Hardware has sponsored a scarecrow contest and auction for the past several years to raise funds for various community garden projects. Every year, we say “We’re going to make a scarecrow this year!” and every year….we don’t.
Until this year!
Using leftover costume remnants and tropical “stuff,” we managed to make not one, but TWO scarecrows this year: a hula dancer and a pirate. You can imagine how much tropical “stuff” we have on hand: coconut bras, leis, grass skirts, all kinds of stuff.
This beauty could be yours tomorrow night:
The base of this one is even made from the base of one of our old tables, so you’ll legitimately have a piece of the Sandbar.
The scarecrow contest and auction takes place Friday, Oct. 24, from 5-9 p.m. at the George Paley Building, located at 721 East 9th. This year’s beneficiaries are the Central Garden at Liberty Memorial Central Middle School; the New York Elementary School garden; the Boys & Girls Club Teen Center garden; and the Lawrence Community Shelter garden.
But this isn’t just a contest and auction—it’s a party! Free State will be there with beer and wine, and the Purple Carrot and Torched Goodness food trucks will be selling food. And we all know Lawrence loves beer and food trucks…
After the scarecrow prizes are awarded at 5:45 p.m., the live music begins. Listen to Hyde & Seek, Ellie Williams & Michael Paull, Chris & Dan Tomkins and Truckstop Kids
This is a great family-friendly event, so whether you’ve got kids or not, come on out to see some of Lawrence’s unique creativity!
And buy our scarecrows, please. Otherwise we’ll have to put them at the bar…and you certainly don’t want them taking your seat, do you?
Halloween is one of our favorite holidays of the year—we love any excuse to wear costumes!
This year, Peach has put together a fun event at the Plaza Cinema in Ottawa, the oldest operating movie theater in the world and one of her many business adventures.
Get out your best Halloween costume and head south for a costume contest: the best vamp and vampire costumes will win free year-long movie passes!
The fun starts at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, with spirits and bites, along with the unveiling of the Dracula Museum. There will also be a special movie screening of 1931’s “Dracula” starring Bela Lugosi and Young Frankenstein.
The cover charge is $15, and you can buy tickets in advance by calling the Plaza at 785.242.5555. The costume awards and party will resume at the stroke of midnight at the South Beach Cove in Ottawa (formerly our Sandbar South location!).
It might seem like an odd group for the middle of the country, after all, we don’t exactly have a deep sea nearby. But if you’re a fan of scuba diving, whether you’re an experienced diver or merely interested in the ocean, join us for a new adventure.
The Sandbar Sub Shop has teamed up with Dave from Scuba Shack to start the Lawrence Scuba Club. An informational meeting will be held this Friday, Oct 17, at noon at the downtown Sandbar Subs—with a free lunch!
Some of the topics we’ll talk about: the basics of scuba, how to get certified and organizing some group diving trips.
Put this on your calendar and join us on Friday! And we expect some pictures of Sandbar shirts in beautiful, exotic places once you learn to dive…
The popular annual Downtown Lawrence shopping event, Girls Night Downtown, returns on Thursday, Oct. 16.
This year’s shopping bash benefits the Willow Domestic Violence Center, and the ladies of Lawrence (and beyond) are invited downtown to “shop in her shoes.”
How’s it work?
Buy a ticket for $20, or $10 with a student ID. You can buy tickets in advance online or at the Downtown Lawrence, Inc., office or the third floor of Weaver’s. Or, buy your tickets the night of the event at one of two tables: 9th and Mass or 7th and Mass. If you buy tickets in advance, you’ll need to check in at one of the tables the night of the event to get your shopping bag and program.
There’s a list of participating businesses on the DLI website. For the most part, shoppers will get 20% off their purchase in participating stores, with some exclusions.
Bars and restaurants get to enjoy the fun, too!
Sandbar is participating in the event again this year. Thursday night is already home to our best special of the week, Tropical Thursdays, where customers can buy a pint glass for $2.50 (or bring in a pint glass from a previous visit!) and get tropical drinks for $2.50 all night. Tropical drinks are regularly priced at $4.50, so this is a pretty good deal.
So, what does your Girls Night Downtown ticket get you on this particular night? Well, ticketholders will get a FREE pint glass (be sure to let the bartender know you’re a ticket holder; show your shopping bag or program) and enjoy $2.50 tropical drinks, along with our exclusive $1 “Red Shoes” shots.
And, every participating business is also donating a gift certificate and other prizes. Several lucky shoppers will win some awesome prize packages!
What are you waiting for?! Buy your tickets today, and get downtown on Oct. 16 to shop in our beautiful downtown for a great cause!
It’s been awhile since we’ve had a new pint glass design, but our latest one has arrived just in time for this weekend’s Homecoming festivities!
Dave created a football and Homecoming-themed design with batches in crimson and blue, especially for all our Jayhawk fans and friends who might be returning home this weekend for a visit.
As always, pint glasses are $3 each. And, you can bring one in every Thursday for $2.50 tropical drink refills! Doesn’t get better than that.
It’s no surprise that many of our current and former customers have ties to the University of Kansas—either as a student or staff member—since so many folks who still live in Lawrence have some connection to the school.
This year’s Homecoming celebration is coming up soon, and we hope to see many of our favorite regulars back in town!
You may or may not know that Homecoming is actually a week-long event, with activities that have taken place on campus since last Sunday. The big hurrah, though, is the annual Homecoming parade.
Last year, the parade moved from campus to downtown Lawrence—not an unprecedented move, as it’s been held downtown before—but one that we love. We love anything that brings more people to our beautiful neighborhood!
This year’s parade will once again be on Mass Street, but this year it’s on Friday night: tomorrow night! Stake out your favorite parade-watching spot and check out all the cool floats built by students.
After the parade, head down to our block for a pep rally. The band, spirit squad and mascots will be there, and we’ll have a beer tent set up. As long as you’re 21 or older with proper ID, you can drink outside that night. A DJ will play until 9 p.m., but we’ll be selling drinks outside until 11.
It’s also Final Fridays, the popular monthly art event in downtown Lawrence, so this area should be full of things to do and people to see.
Oh, and we almost forgot: our favorite former celebrity bartender, Mr. Rob Riggle himself, will be the grand marshal of the Homecoming parade! Will he step behind the bar again and sling a few drinks? Or pen another ditty on our bathroom wall? We’ll just have to wait and see…
We tried to think of a “skinny” name for it that wouldn’t get us sued, but bartender Alex quickly christened it the Little Mermaid. Perfect! Just don’t tell Disney.
