by Debbi | Apr 16, 2007 | Good Things
Yesterday was the much anticipated Lawrence Half Marathon/5k/1 mile Fun Run. Several friends of The Sandbar participated in these events and we’re all very proud of them! Great job Paul, Dave {not manager Dave- he’s a biker, not a runner!}, Mandy, Ashley, bartender Danny, and Shawna and kids!
I managed the water station located at Hobbs Park, which was mile marker 8 of the Half Marathon. I had a great group of volunteers to help including Sandbar folks Coleen, Michelle, Staci, and Thom. The water stations were encouraged to have a theme, decorate, play music, and anything else to encourage the runners. Of course, with a built in theme party at The Sandbar, what other theme would we do?!?
Our water station was decked out in a tropical luau style. The tables had grass skirts and flowers; the water jugs wore coconut bras {and so did some volunteers!}; Michelle brought sea creatures on stakes that we lined the street with; and we had lots of grass skirts and leis. Leis decorated the trees on both sides of the street, and one tree in particular was dressed up with a grass skirt, coconut bra, and straw hat.
Some of the residents of the neighborhood brought leftover campaign signs which we used to create new signs encouraging the runners- funny things like "Tampa 1200 miles" and "Speed limit 145 mph." We got lots of comments on our fun signs. The best comment, however, was from the third runner to pass our water station- as volunteers yelled "water" and "gatorade," he yelled back "beer!"
And of course we had music. Mostly Jimmy Buffett, but some other carefully selected tunes to go along with the theme, played all morning at our station.
I think everyone would agree we all had a great time. Our job was to hand out water, Gatorade, and GU {some kind of energy gel} to the runners. More importantly I hope we helped keep their spirits up as they ran by! The events of the day were a benefit for Health Care Access, a local clinic which provides medical services to uninsured members of the community. Thanks to everyone who volunteered and congratulations to all of our running friends!
by Debbi | Mar 6, 2007 | Events, Good Things, Jukebox
Come see two of your favorite bartenders, Dave and Blair, serve as the Masters of Ceremony for the Battle of the Cover Bands event!
When: Sunday, March 11
Time: Doors open 6 p.m., music begins 6:45 p.m.
Where: Abe and Jake’s
This fun event is a Battle of the Cover Bands- meaning if they play individual tunes, they are disqualified. Their sets will be coordinated so that you don’t hear the same songs over and over. All proceeds from the event are benefitting Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
The event is sponsored by New Belgium Brewing, Jagermeister, Maker’s Mark, Polar Ice Vodka, and Margaritaville Tequila.
The bands who have committed are Meat Magic, Imminent Domain, Vanilla Funk, Meridian, and Hella Ivory (a dueling piano act).
And of course there are drink specials: $3 Fat Tire pints; $2 Jager shots; $2 Margaritaville shots; $2.50 Polar Ice cocktails; and $2.50 Maker’s Marks.
There is a $5 cover charge at the door, and the event is limited those who are 21 or older.
Promo girls will be there promoting all of the sponsor’s brands and of course giving out the normal promotional goodies.
Come check out the great music, fun times, and all the goofy things that Dave and Blair might do!
by Debbi | Feb 26, 2007 | Good Things, Stories
Last night was the annual St. Patrick’s Day pub quiz challenge, held at 23rd Street Brewery. We had two groups of four players each from The Sandbar, and there were lots of other people there who are regular visitors to our establishment.
One of the funniest moments of the evening came about halfway through the first round. A team, not ours, picked the category "KU Hoops History." Questions in this category are usually about record holders or national championship teams. However, the question this team got was different:
According to the 10/15/1990 edition of the Lawrence Journal World, which KU basketball player has the worst rhythm?
As soon as Andy Bob, the announcer, read the date in question, I could feel Dave get excited- these were his years of basketball playing and he would surely know the answer. Just as quickly though he dropped his head and put on a poker face. I nudged him and asked "Is that YOU?" to which he said "yes." At this point several other teams were looking at him.
Of course the team that drew the question was Blair’s, and they correctly answered "David Johanning." Dave stood up, took a bow, and danced a little jig for the crowd.
The article that inspired the trivia question was written after the traditional "Late Night With Roy Williams" event that took place at the beginning of basketball season each year. The players performed skits and dances to entertain the crowd before kicking off the season with a scrimmage.
Kudos to Scotty Mac for digging up the dirt on Dave.
The critics have obviously never seen him do the Car Wash.
by Debbi | Feb 2, 2007 | Good Things
The Sandbar is more than just a bar. It’s a close-knit family; a refuge from the daily grind; a place to meet new people; somewhere to party. Something you may not realize, however, is that The Sandbar is also a very charitable business.
One of our biggest involvements is, of course, the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which is a huge fundraiser for local children’s charities. We always enter a float in the parade, and in most of the years when we’ve won a cash prize, the money has been donated back to the charity. We sponsor a team in the trivia challenge. We also donate items to the St. Patrick’s Day auction, as well as buy things other people have donated.
One of our newer charitable causes is Big Brothers Big Sisters of Douglas County. The organization’s big fundraiser is Bowl For Kids’ Sake, a bowling event that raises thousands of dollars for the agency. The Sandbar has a team signed up to bowl this year, and the team is currently accepting donations. So far, we’ve raised $510 of our goal of $1000. You can help our team reach it’s goal by going to this website and making a donation. Choose one of our team members and you can make a general team donation.
This is a great organization. Jake and John, our Australian travelers, were both involved as Big Brothers when they were still in town. It is the largest provider of one-on-one youth mentoring in the country. Adults are matched with children to serve as mentors, or role models, and be a positive influence on the child.
BBBS is just one of the many groups The Sandbar and it’s friends are proud to support. You can help too- by becoming a volunteer, signing up to bowl, or making a donation. Thanks for your support!
Yesterday was the much anticipated Lawrence Half Marathon/5k/1 mile Fun Run. Several friends of The Sandbar participated in these events and we’re all very proud of them! Great job Paul, Dave {not manager Dave- he’s a biker, not a runner!}, Mandy, Ashley, bartender Danny, and Shawna and kids! 
Our water station was decked out in a tropical luau style. The tables had grass skirts and flowers; the water jugs wore coconut bras {and so did some volunteers!}; Michelle brought sea creatures on stakes that we lined the street with; and we had lots of grass skirts and leis. Leis decorated the trees on both sides of the street, and one tree in particular was dressed up with a grass skirt, coconut bra, and straw hat. 
