by Debbi | Feb 20, 2007 | People
If you’ve been in The Sandbar anytime in the last twelve years, you surely know David Johanning. He’s tended bar for twelve years now and managed the place for a lot of this time. He’s definitely helped make the bar what it is today.
Here are some things you might not know about my favorite bartender.
How did you get a job at The Sandbar? I was roommates with the manager before me (Garreth) and worked for Peach at Jox, a sports bar that was in the strip mall at 6th and Kasold.
Other jobs you have had? Jox, The Brass Apple (a restaurant/bar that used to be at 15th and Kasold), the Hawk, and Sidewinders (a country bar that used to be where Last Call is now- can you imagine?)
Favorite job (besides the Sandbar of course!) Working basketball camps.
Favorite drink to drink? Jack and Coke.
Favorite drink to make? Pineapple Upside Down Cake shot.
Any specialty drinks? Arctic Lemonade.
Most embarrassing moment at The Sandbar? When I dressed up as "The Hammer," a pro wrestler, for Halloween. (A story about this, along with the incriminating pictures, can be found in the archives of this blog)
Favorite memory at The Sandbar? Meeting my wife. (OK, Dave didn’t really say this, but it better be his favorite memory!!!)
Favorite jukebox song? Reggae- anything by Toots or Marley.
Song you never want to hear again? Anything from The Little Mermaid soundtrack.
Favorite bar dancing song? The Car Wash!
How many dollars do you have on the wall? At least 20 but I only know where four of them are.
Favorite Sandbar float? The Love Boat.
Longest you’ve ever waited in line? Probably 30 minutes.
Five Fun Facts:
1. I transferred schools five times for basketball- started at Clemson, transferred to Hutch Community College, went to Southern Methodist University for a summer, back to Hutch, then came to KU.
2. My youngest sister is a senior in high school this year.
3. I can fix almost anything, including the rebuilding of nearly all of our house.
4. I was born in the same town as my wife; her aunt and my uncle dated in high school until her grandpa chased my uncle with a shotgun; and I was best friends with my wife’s cousin in high school. We didn’t meet until years after all of this.
5. I have almost 15,000 songs on the computer at home.
The picture above is the cover of Sporting News and shows Dave blocking an attempted shot by Christian Laettner in the national championship game against Duke in 1991. Aren’t those shorts cute?
by Debbi | Feb 19, 2007 | People
Happy Birthday Michelle!!
I won’t reveal her age here, but I will say that she looks at least ten years younger than she is. I know she doesn’t believe me when I say that but it’s true. How many of you out there can still wiggle into your high school prom dress?
Michelle decided a few years ago to change careers because she was tired of commuting to Kansas City for her graphic design job. She made the enormous decision to apply to nursing school. Of course she got in, studied like a madwoman, and hardly ever saw her friends or family for almost two years. She graduated last May with her nursing degree. And we still don’t see her much, because now she works crazy nursing hours!
A big happy birthday to Michelle. And we hope Justin got you a great gift. If he didn’t, you let us know.
by Debbi | Feb 13, 2007 | People, Sandbar Love Stories
Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, in case you don’t have a significant other who’s already reminded you of this very important holiday.
It’s not really a big deal at The Sandbar…one year we had specially printed Bahama Mama glasses that had two fish kissing…but other than that, Valentine’s Day is hardly noticed.
This is, however, the perfect time to talk about just how many couples have met at The Sandbar. And I don’t just mean couples who have met for a few random dates, who could hardly be considered couples- I mean couples who have stayed together for a long time and many of whom are even married now.
If not for The Sandbar, Dave might not be married today. Long ago, when he was a KU basketball player, he was far and away my mother’s favorite player. I was still in high school at the time, and every time my family watched KU games (which was every game), my mom would get sooooo excited every time David Johanning got in the game. She thought he was just about the cutest thing ever.
Fast forward a few years to 1996. The Sandbar had become my favorite college hangout, but I wasn’t there much on nights that he worked. One night, someone happened to mention “There’s David Johanning,” and somehow in my slightly intoxicated little mind, the name rang bells. I remembered my mom obsessing over this guy, and I happened to have my camera, so without hesitation I approached him and asked for a picture for my mom.
Here’s the first picture of Dave and me, and it’s still on my parents’ refrigerator today:
Don’t we look so young? Anyway, at some point after that we began dating, and now here we are 11 years later. Time sure does fly by.
But we’re certainly not the only couple to owe The Sandbar many thanks. Here are some of the other folks who have met at our fair establishment:
Brit and Megan; Heather and Paxton; Maynard and Brooke (well they went to high school together, but they reconnected at The Sandbar); Matt and Ana; Pat and Mandy; and the couple who met when one of the wall decorations fell and happened to hit both of them- they stopped in for a drink on the way to their wedding reception.
I know there’s a million more of you out there that I just can’t think of right now. Did you and your sweetheart meet at The Sandbar? Send us your story, we’d love to hear it.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
by Debbi | Feb 12, 2007 | People
Back in the beginning days of this blog, I talked about how I planned to spotlight an employee every once in awhile- fun facts about the staff that would help people get to know them better. I came up with a list of questions, some funny and some serious, and emailed it to all the employees who I had email addresses for, and sat back and waited. Would you believe that not one of the staff responded? I thought they’d be excited about being a topic on the blog. Maybe they didn’t read the email, or maybe they thought it was spam. I think I’ll just have to corner each of them in person and ask my questions.
I have a new plan- updates on past staff members. How fun is that? There are so many employees that even I don’t know. Dave’s going to make up a list of all the Sandbar employees he can remember who ever worked a single shift, and then we’ll start seeking them out. We’ll find out what they’re doing now, where they live, what they look like, and what they remember of The Sandbar.
It should be a fun trip down memory lane. If you’re reading this and you ever worked at The Sandbar, email us. We’d love to know what you’re up to these days. If you’re reading this and there’s a particular former employee you’d like to know about, email us. No idea who will be first up, so suggestions are welcome.
by Debbi | Jan 29, 2007 | People
All of our employees have lives outside The Sandbar- they’re either in school, or they have other part-time or even full-time jobs. We’ve had teachers, bankers, and other professional types, as well as staff who worked at other bars or restaurants around town. One of the more unique sidelines of one of our employees is Danny’s gig as a member of the local band Sellout!.
If you’ve never seen Sellout! perform, you are truly missing a fun experience. The band usually has 6-8 members performing (including former Sandbar employee Bob on the drums!) and they’re all decked out in costume. Gene Simmons (of KISS), Marilyn Monroe, Tina Turner, the construction worker from the Village People, Jim Morrison. We’ve seen a variety of characters perform with Sellout!. The band plays a great variety of danceable hits from every decade. You won’t stay in your seat very long at this show.
Danny plays the saxophone and sings many of the band’s songs. At the first shows we saw, he dressed as a Blues Brother, with a black suit, tie, and dark sunglasses. After his wildly popular stint as Devo for Halloween, however, he’s brought that character onstage with Sellout!. Which makes sense, since one Danny’s most popular songs is Whip It. Apparently the Devo costume also keeps him cooler during the show than the previous suit.
Sellout! usually performs at the Jazzhaus once a month on both Friday and Saturday nights. They’ve played at the Granada before, and when drummer Bob got married last April, Sellout! performed at the reception. According to their website, they play mostly in Kansas and Missouri, but are available for "fun gigs around the world." They’ll be playing again at the Jazzhaus on February 16 and 17.
If you’re looking for a good time with fun people, great music, and dancing, check out Sellout!.
by Debbi | Jan 27, 2007 | People
So, we recently got a postcard from Australia at The Sandbar, courtesy of our globetrotting boys Jake and John. Apparently they actually wrote the postcard shortly after they arrived Down Under. They just forgot to mail it until recently.
In true Jake-n-John style the front of the postcard featured a topless beach.
Dear Dave & Sandbar family,
Australia is a blast. We are finally settled in an apartment 5 mins from the beach, enjoying our jobs, and actually joined a gym. I had to get this card b/c I saw my first topless sunbather on the beach today. It was awesome. Hope everyone is doing great back home. We check out the blog anytime we get online. Ken, it’s summer here, so we are expecting a new summer of Ken. Blair, we gave a carbomb to a rugby player and he threw up. Papa Bear, we have a shot waiting for you down here when you’re ready.
Love,
Jake & John
It’s a wide, wide world out there. Imagine, some guys go their whole lives without seeing a topless sunbather. I guess there’s always postcards.
Five Fun Facts:
