by Debbi | Dec 9, 2009 | Cool Stuff, Events, People
No, not our high budget hurricane film every few years. This time, we're going to be in an actual movie!
A filmmaker contacted us last month and wanted to use our bar for a scene in his movie. Naturally, we said yes. We don't turn down anything fun. And, even better, he needed some extras!
I'm not giving any details here because I don't want to spoil his announcements. And I have no idea when the movie will be finished. But, we had a blast spending a chilly November afternoon at the Sandbar, wearing bathing suits and tropical attire, and learning how tedious movie-making really is.
Maybe we'll get to have a red carpet premiere party someday!
by Debbi | Dec 1, 2009 | Christmas, Events, Newsworthy, People
Got plans for Saturday morning? Join us downtown this Saturday, December 5, at the Lawrence Old Fashioned Christmas Parade!
This is the 16th year of the annual event, and The Sandbar is proud to be a sponsor. Our Friday bartender Phil serves as the parade chair, and owner Peach's good friend and neighbor, Elaine VanDeventer, is the parade's executive director.
The parade starts at 11 a.m. in downtown Lawrence and features nearly 100 entrants, all of which are horse-drawn.
Want to get even more involved? There are plenty of additional opportunities available: donate funds large or small, volunteer your time, or even participate in the parade!
This is a great event to take the whole family to- how many towns can claim an entire parade of horse-drawn carriages? If you take any pictures, email them to us or upload them to the Parade's Facebook page.
Don't forget to stop by The Sandbar after the parade for a refreshing drink!
Read about the Parade in the Lawrence Journal-World
Become a fan of the Lawrence Old Fashioned Christmas Parade on Facebook
RSVP to the event
by Debbi | Oct 31, 2009 | Events, Halloween, Ottawa, Pub Crawl
Last night was our inaugural Rocky Horror Picture Show party bus extravaganza, and judging by the amount of fun that was had, it might become an annual event!
The party started at The Sandbar in Lawrence, where about 30 of us gathered to wait for the bus. A majority of us were dressed in costume from the movie- lots of Brads and Janets and french maids.
We posed for a group picture before boarding the bus:
And then we were off! We traveled down the country roads to Baldwin City and made several more stops to pick people up. We even drove right by Tony and Robin's house near Baldwin- after they had made a crazy effort to meet the bus in Lawrence on time. Next time we'll pick you up on your corner!
The bus continued on to Ottawa, bouncing over potholes along the way and inspiring more than one person to beg the driver to stop alongside the road so they could have some "relief." The begging didn't work.
We finally made it to the Sandbar in Ottawa, and our crew partied with the folks in Ottawa for about half an hour. Of course there was bar dancing:
If you can't tell from the picture, Dave is sort of doubled over. The ceilings in Ottawa are much shorter than the ones we're used to and he barely fits up there!
Everyone loaded back up on the bus and we headed downtown to the Crystal Plaza movie theater. The Sandbar rented out the place for a private showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, complete with props like water guns, party hats, and newspapers.
I've never seen the movie in it's entirety, but I was relieved to find that more than a few other attendees were newbies too. One of the funniest stories from the night was about the person who kept asking everyone to be quiet, because she was trying to watch the movie!
Half of the crowd ran to the front of the theater and danced to the Time Warp song during the movie:
Kudos to Movie Dave and Scotty Mac, who kept the crowd entertained during the entire show with their constant commentary. They've apparently seen the movie more than once. And we can't figure out why Movie Dave won't dress up for Halloween or any other holiday, but yet he's willing to go out in public dressed like Brad…
After the movie everyone loaded back up on the bus and we retraced our route home, dropping folks off at random corners in the country. The ride home was a little more subdued- perhaps because the coolers were pretty empty.
The bus got back to the Sandbar in Lawrence before closing time, so we had a few minutes to catch up on the happenings of the evening with those who had to stay behind. Lots of people in the bar were excited to pose with some of our characters.
All in all, it was a fun event filled with Sandbar staff and regulars, along with some new faces we hope to see again!
More pictures from the event are available on our Facebook page or Flickr photostream. We also created a Whrrl story during the event, but because the iPhone has such a poor camera, the pictures aren't very good quality.
by Debbi | Oct 26, 2009 | Events, Halloween, Ottawa, Pub Crawl
And our second-favorite holiday of the year! (The first being St. Patrick's Day, if you've somehow missed this information.)
For some of us Halloween has already started, given that there were parties this weekend and costumes were spotted in the Sandbar on Saturday night.
We encourage you to stop by the Sandbar anytime this week wearing your favorite disguise! We also have several events planned that you might want to put on your calendar.
Rocky Horror Halloween
This Friday, load up on our party bus and travel to Ottawa for a special Sandbar screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Meet us at The Sandbar at 7 pm; the movie starts at 10 pm. We haven't decided what time the bus will leave Lawrence yet, but as soon as I know, I'll post it here.
For $25 per person, you get a designated driver to and from Lawrence; fun and refreshments on the party bus; movie tickets; and a goody bag for the movie. That's a bargain when you consider the fun we'll provide. Oh, and costumes are encouraged, whether they're costumes from RHPS or whatever you want to wear.
Halloween in Lawrence
On Saturday night come back to The Sandbar for our annual Halloween extravaganza, complete with the costume contest that we always forget to actually have. We'll try to remember this year. Prizes for the winners, as voted on by the crowd.
There will be a cover charge. Give the doorguy your best trick, though, and maybe he'll waive it. Don't be a jerk or he might double it.
Halloween in Ottawa
If you're in Ottawa on Saturday night, come out to our second Sandbar location. The Cash Cage is back! Starting at 8 pm, everyone in a costume is eligible to jump in the Cash Cage and try to win! We'll have $200 up for grabs, but you have to be in costume to participate!
We'll have pictures from all the events to share next week- feel free to send us yours, too!
by Debbi | Oct 22, 2009 | Events, Good Things, People
Every year for the past I don't know how many years, the Lawrence Memorial Hospital Endowment Association has hosted the "Stepping Out Against Breast Cancer" Dance in October, usually just before Halloween. This is a night of entertainment and fun that also raises money for the Douglas County area. Proceeds benefit mammograms for the uninsured/under-insured, wigs and prosthetics for those who can't afford them, and education and awareness material.
You might be wondering what this has to do with The Sandbar. I'm going to tell you.
Long time bartender Coleen has volunteered for the decorations committee for the dance for a number of years now. She puts in time coming up with ideas and creating decorations, as well as actually going to the site and decorating the day before and the day of, and helping clean up on Sunday.
Another tie that we have to the LMHEA is our fearless leader Peach, who is on the Board of Directors. And, our friend Heather (not the bartender, but a Bahama-Mama loving customer) is employed by LMHEA and helped put this whole thing together.
The point of all this?
This year's event will be held on Saturday, October 24, at 8 p.m., at Crown Toyota in Lawrence. You should go. It will be fun.
Get out your best costume, grab a date or a bunch of friends, and head out for a night of dancing while helping to raise money for a good cause.
For more information about ticket prices or volunteer opportunities, contact LMH at 785-505-3315.
Edited: Oh no! I knew I'd leave someone out of this post, and sure enough, I did. Forgot to mention another Bahama-Mama loving customer, Becki, who is also employed at LMH and serves on the Dance committee. Of course the one I've known the longest is the one I forgot to include…sorry Becki!
by Debbi | Oct 12, 2009 | Bar Band, Events
Homecoming weekend at The Sandbar was tons of fun for all of us! Lots of old and new friends paid us a visit, and there are so many stories. We'll pick some of our favorites to share this week.
Friday night brought in a Sandbar favorite during football season: the Bar Band. The performers showed up right before 10 pm and definitely didn't disappoint! We had a full house waiting to sing, dance, and clap along, and a whole bunch of people had to watch from their spot in line. It's truly a neat experience, and if you've never been in our tiny bar while a marching band plays the KU fight song- well, you need to add that to your list.
We had a special group of people in Friday night that I want to mention. Last summer, The Sandbar hosted a "tweetup," which is basically an off-line gathering of Twitter users and a way for them to meet in real life. It was a great success, and many of our Twitter followers come in on a regular basis. A spontaneous tweetup occurred on Friday night- it was suggested online during the day, and the group made it's way to The Sandbar in time to catch the band.
A couple of the girls from the group had never been mermaids before- and you know as soon as we hear someone say that, they become the next volunteer! The hurricane blew through the bar shortly after the Bar Band left, and Dave led everyone through the dance routines. A crazy boy even jumped up on the bar in the middle of all the girls and showed off his dance moves. That *never* happens at The Sandbar.
After we all got down from the bar, I discovered that our friend Susan had never been on the bar before. This might not be surprising to you, but Susan has been coming to The Sandbar for at least a decade, I think! Proves there's a first time for everything.
More stories to come this week from Homecoming weekend, so check back!
