by Debbi | Apr 30, 2010 | Events, Sandbar Love Stories
That quote from doorguy/bartender Tyler's Twitter account sums up last night pretty well. He's pretty new to Twitter, and I think the size of the Free State Social tweetup crowd surprised him just a little.
We've had a busy week. And it's not over. Here's a quick run-down, with more to follow very soon.
Free State Social Tweetup
Yesterday was the inaugural Free State Social, a social media conference held in Lawrence and put on by the World Company. It drew folks from all over Kansas and some from out of state who wanted to hear nationally known speakers like Chris Brogan, Jeremiah Owyang, Sarah Evans, and Shawna Coronado.
The evening event was a community tweetup open to all, and The Sandbar was one of the six participating locations offering specials. It was a hot spot all night.
Heather's Wedding
Friday bartender Heather is getting married tomorrow! Her rehearsal dinner is tonight along with an after-party at our neighbor, the Barrel House. Tomorrow's the big day, and we're excited for her!
Pictures and stories to follow next week, as whenever the Sandbar crew is involved, there are shenanigans to share.
Hearts of Gold Ball
This biennial (is that the right word? every two years?) fundraiser for the Lawrence Memorial Hospital is Lawrence's premier black-tie event. The Sandbar has catered the liquor for every ball since its inception. As luck would have it, the ball is scheduled for….tomorrow night.
Our staff will be busy working at the Sandbar, Hearts of Gold, or participating in Heather's wedding.
Let's hope we all survive the weekend!
by Debbi | Apr 25, 2010 | Bachelorette Parties, Events
Long-time Friday afternoon/early evening bartender Heather is getting married next weekend. Her bachelorette party ruckus was last weekend, and I think it's taken all of the party-goers this whole week to recover.
A small group of ladies that included the bridal party met for an early dinner and a quick tour by limo of some of Heather's memorable Lawrence locations- Louise's West, her college sorority house, Lawrence High School, and Jayhawk Boulevard.
The party heated up when the group arrived back at The Sandbar (of course!) and met up with a larger group of women who were ready to give Heather a fun night celebrating the end of the single life. Peach bought the gals a round of drinks, we started our scavenger hunt game (find a bald man! find someone wearing blue toenail polish! find a Clydesdale!), and then we were off.
First stop: the dueling pianos down the street at the Barrel House. Heather and her mom danced on stage while the crowd cheered them on. After several drinks there, the group moved on to the newest Mass Street hotspot, Tonic. Next up was Henry's Upstairs, and finally back to the Sandbar.
It was a fun night of feather boas, tiaras, high heels, and girlfriends.
Heather's fiance, Ken, had his bachelor party the same night. The boys played poker at Ken's house in Shawnee, and word on the street is that someone stole a Girls Gone Wild video.
If you see Heather or Ken this week, be sure to congratulate them and wish them well on their upcoming marriage!
by Debbi | Apr 22, 2010 | Events, Ottawa
Like volleyball? The Sandbar in Ottawa has two great sand volleyball courts behind the bar, and we're having a co-ed sand volleyball tournament this weekend!
After the volleyball games, stick around for live music with Frankie Diamond starting at 8 pm! Great food, great drinks, great friends- and great music!
by Debbi | Apr 20, 2010 | Cool Stuff, Downtown, Events
What a great night!
Last night was the Adult Swim Block Party in downtown Lawrence, and we were impressed with the crowd that came out on a Monday night! One of the members of the Adult Swim crew told us that their staff estimated attendance of around 4,000. That's amazing, way to go Lawrence!
All day long, downtown Lawrencians watched as giant inflatable characters took over the block of 8th Street between Massachusetts & New Hampshire. The party started around 6 pm with games and prizes and live music to follow.
(Picture below posted on Twitter by Jeff, otherwise known as @webology, friend of the Sandbar)
We were pleased to provide hospitality for The Whigs before their set. They hung out upstairs for awhile, and our fake beach served as their dressing room. They even took a picture of it and posted it on their Twitter account.
A steady stream of customers came through the bar and partied on the patio- it wasn't nearly as crowded as a St. Patrick's Day or our anniversary party last summer, but it was a fantastic crowd for a usually slow Monday night.
I was lame and didn't take any pictures last night, but here's one I found on Twitter that was posted by @johnkary, taken from the patio of the Sandbar:
The music was over at 10 p.m., the stage was dismantled, and the street cleaned up. These people are professionals- we laughed about how the teardown compared to ours last year after our anniversary party. (Ours took forever. We dawdled and talked and laughed.)
We would love to see this become an annual event. In fact, it would be awesome if downtown Lawrence had a block party every month…
Were you there last night? What was your favorite moment? Email us your pictures or add them to our Facebook fan page!
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Adult Swim on Twitter
Adult Swim on Facebook
The Whigs on Twitter
The Whigs on Facebook
by Debbi | Apr 18, 2010 | Cool Stuff, Downtown, Events, On the Patio
We love a good block party, especially when we don't have to do the work.
Tomorrow night (Monday, April 19), Adult Swim presents a free block party at 8th and New Hampshire. The block in front of the Sandbar will be closed most of the day for setup, and the party starts at 6 p.m. It includes carnival games, prizes, free t-shirts, and other surprises.
The event is geared towards the college-age crowd, but it's free and open to anyone.
And there's music! Live performances by Motion Potion and The Whigs are sure to entertain the crowd.
No alcohol is allowed in the street, but there are several bars on the block with patios, including us. We aren't extending our patio area to be any larger, but there's plenty of room for a few folks on our patio, and we'll definitely have the windows open.
The event is open to all ages, but you must be 21 to enter the Sandbar.
RSVP on the event's Facebook page, and we'll see you tomorrow night!
(Previous post about this event can be found here.)
by Debbi | Apr 11, 2010 | Events, Good Things
Yesterday's Walk MS in Lawrence was a huge success!
The Sandbar team's 17 members had a great time. Most of us met at the bar at 8:30 am- and for several of us it was a VERY early morning. Carpools were arranged and orange special edition Sandbar/Walk MS shirts were handed out. Then, it was off to registration at Sunflower Elementary.
The volunteers who staffed the event did a great job. There was breakfast food and water available to everyone, and the registration lines moved quickly. All walkers who raised at least $100 got a free Walk MS t-shirt, too.
As the walkers lined up at the starting point, buzz was building about a very special guest who had been spotted- Secretary of Health & Human Services and former Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius was present! She cut the ribbon at the starting line, and she also walked with the group.
Two walking routes were available- 3 miles and 6 miles. Guess which one we picked. It was funny, though, because team member Courtney's mom and aunt thought we all picked the long route, so they turned a different way, thinking they were taking the short route. Turns out, we were on the short route- and they created their own even shorter route. I think she was disappointed when she found out she didn't actually walk 3 miles.
Our whole team finished, and Michelle and Bettina even did a celebratory run to the finish line for their medals.
After the walk, we all headed back to the Sandbar for sandwiches, fruit, and cake graciously provided by team captain Courtney. And let me tell you, we were a lively bunch….everyone was tired. Or maybe hungover. But we're not judging.
Thanks to everyone who donated funds or walked for the cause- your efforts are truly appreciated!
