by Debbi | Feb 18, 2010 | Bar Band, Events, St. Patrick's Day
That's a lot of stuff for one title- and it's also a summary of our upcoming Friday (February 19) night at The Sandbar.
Here's a breakdown of what's happening:
Tacos
For many years we've had free wings after work on Friday, ordered from our neighbors up the street at Jefferson's. While we love the wings and adore our friends at the restaurant, we wanted to mix it up a little and try something new.
So, we're having a free taco bar starting at 5 and ending when the tacos run out. Stop by and enjoy one, and let us know what you think!
Beads
The St. Patrick's Day Parade (our favorite event of the year!) committee folks will be pub-crawling around Lawrence on Friday night between 6:30-9:30. They'll have armloads of beads, t-shirts, caps, and other commemorative parade stuff for sale. Buy something or make a donation- it's for the kids!
And don't forget the annual parade this year. It's on Wednesday, March 17, at 1 p.m. Get downtown early to get a good spot, and make sure to watch for the Sandbar's float!
Bands
Everybody's favorite Lawrence pre-game-night tradition, the Bar Band will arrive around 9:45 and play your favorite KU tunes. It gets pretty crowded while they're here, so make sure to get here early if you want to see them.
Even if you can't get in the door, the doorguy usually keeps the door open during this extravaganza. Everyone in line (and down the block) can hear the band playing.
Toast
And finally, the toast. Friday, February 19, is also known as "St. Practice Day." It's the day of the annual Great Guinness Toast, which takes place at 10 p.m. The Toast started in 1993 in Pittsburgh, and breaks its own participation record each year.
I'm not sure how we're going to pull off all of this, since 10 p.m. is a popular time that night. What do you think of the Bar Band dressed up as mermaids and playing during the indoor hurricane, while the crowd around them is toasting with Guinness?
by Debbi | Feb 7, 2010 | Cool Stuff, Events, Good Things, Pub Crawl
I've discovered that there are many other Sandbar's all over the country, and it's fun to see the events and specials they have. This one, in particular, caught my eye: a Snuggie pub crawl!
This pub crawl started at The Sandbar in Scottsdale. This Sandbar is talked about a lot online and especially on Twitter. Apparently it's popular with the Iowa Hawkeye fans in Phoenix. Anyway, the crawl was a charity event supporting the Phoenix Fraternal Order of Police.
It sounded like a pretty good deal- tickets were $15-$20, and each ticket included a Snuggie! It also included a starting & ending drink at the Sandbar and one raffle ticket, but who cares about that when it includes a Snuggie!
They even had prizes for the best Snuggie, sexiest Snuggie, and probably others that weren't listed in the event page on Yelp. Most likely the prize winners brought their own personally created Snuggies instead of wearing the ones that came free with the ticket.
Just this weekend, I discovered that a Snuggie party will take place in Kansas City– this one is an Oscars Watch Party planned by a group of young professionals and will also help raise money for charity.
Who thinks this sounds like fun? If we planned one, would you be there? More importantly, would you wear a Snuggie?
I daydreamed about Sandbar logo-d Snuggies before Christmas, but after finding out the price, and more importantly how many we would have to order, it just won't work out anytime soon. Unless I buy an embroidery machine and do it myself. Unfortunately I don't think screenprinting on fleece will work very well…but we could try it.
by Debbi | Feb 2, 2010 | Events, Valentines Day
Even though February just began, Valentine's Day will be here before you know it. Do you have plans with your sweetie?
The Lodge of Baldwin City (also owned by Peach & Ted) is hosting a special Valentine's Day dance, and you're all invited!
- February 13, 7 pm
- $25 per person
- Hors d'oeuvres included
Live music provided by Mark Valentine & The Ticklers- the headline band from the Sandbar's 20th birthday party last summer.
This is a singles and couples dance, so if you aren't bringing your love, come and find one!
Interested in spending the night? Add a motel room or suite to your evening of fun!
- $99 includes motel room, hors d'oeuvres, and dance for two
- $149 includes motel suite, hors d'oeuvres, and dance for two
Call now for reservations! You can reach The Lodge at 785-594-3900. You must be 21 or older to attend.
The Lodge is located at 502 Ames in Baldwin City, KS. They also have a lovely new website created last fall by LangfordSevier of Lawrence. Thanks Jacinta & Jesse!
by Debbi | Jan 29, 2010 | Events, KU Basketball, Ottawa, Random Holidays, Specials
Our great state turns 149 years young today! Kansas became a state on this day way back in 1861. (And the coolest university in the country was created four years later, to borrow a line from KU Info.)
One of our Twitter followers wondered aloud if we would have any drinks in honor of Kansas Day. To be honest, this had not yet occurred to us, but we love any reason to celebrate- so yes, we will!
All day today, you can enjoy a Sunflower Shandy for $3.50. It's Boulevard Wheat and lemonade. And yes, we realize that Boulevard is actually made in the state that sits directly east of Kansas, but pretend it's made somewhere else for today. Focus instead on the fact that Kansas usually leads the nation in wheat production.
And looking ahead…
Is it ironic that the big in-state rivalry basketball game is the day after Kansas' birthday?
I know we aren't really a sports bar and don't have huge, fill-the-whole-wall sized TV's, but if you're looking for a place to watch the game tomorrow, stop by our Lawrence or Ottawa location. Both places will have free chili dogs during the game!
by Debbi | Jan 22, 2010 | Events, Good Things
Many of us who work and play at The Sandbar personally know someone who
is affected by Multiple Sclerosis. We have friends and relatives who are diagnosed with
MS, and many friends and relatives who know someone with MS.
The symptoms of MS are different for everyone. You may not be able to walk, you may suddenly have impaired vision, or your memory may fail for no reason. There are 400,000 people living with MS in the United States, and no cure is available- yet.
We've mentioned MS before- bartender Danny has raised lots of funds for MS by riding in the MS150 bike ride for the past three years.
Walk MS is an annual fundraising event sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The funds support research for a cure, as well as provide programs to address the needs of people living with MS.
The Sandbar has formed a team for this year's Walk MS in Lawrence. The walk is Saturday, April 10, at 9 a.m. And of course it's going to be a blast- we're The Sandbar after all!
Peach has very generously offered for The Sandbar to match every dollar raised, up to $500. Every walker will receive a FREE Sandbar t-shirt. And after the walk, everyone's invited back to The Sandbar for a team party with snacks and drink specials.
So, what are you waiting for? Join our team!
If you aren't interested in walking with us, you can still donate to the cause. Go to our team page and pick one of the team members; you can donate on their personal page. All donations to team members count toward the team goal of $3000.
And, if you don't want to walk and you aren't able to donate- help us out by at least spreading the word and cheering us on at the event!
by Debbi | Jan 19, 2010 | Events, Newsworthy, People, Pub Crawl
Longtime Sandbar regular and once-upon-a-time bartender Scotty Mac was in the news yesterday, along with his lovely wife Jen. Read the LJW article, Trivial Matters: Live Games at Lawrence Bars, Restaurants Gain Momentum.
Scott created a quiz show game at Kaspar's Bar & Grill way back in 1999 with Peach's brother, Tom, who later bought the place and renamed it Conroy's Pub. (The article refers to him as "the godfather of Lawrence's trivia scene- I sense a new nickname.)
These days, Scott and Jen host Brainville Trivia at both Johnny's locations in Lawrence. On the second and fourth Wednesday of every month, they're at the original Johnny's, north of the river. Game starts at 7 p.m.
On the first and third Tuesday of the month, they host Brainville at Johnny's West, the new location out at 6th and Wakarusa. Game time is 8 p.m.
There's no limit on team size at either game, and they are free! Winners receive $25 cash.
If you love trivia and want to try out a live action game instead of Buzztime that we have available all the time, check out Brainville with Scotty & Jen! You might see some Sandbar folks in the crowd, too.
Congrats to Scott & Jen on a great article and publicity!
You can also become a fan of Brainville Trivia on Facebook.
