by Debbi | Jun 22, 2010 | Birthday Party
Another end of an era: doorboy Andrew finally turned 21 yesterday.
He's worked the door at the Sandbar since he turned 18 and moved to Lawrence for college. Now that he's finally of legal drinking age, he can also tend bar.
Andrew, son of Sandbar founder/owner Peach, was born the same year as the bar. They've both grown and changed and matured through the years, while our customers have come and gone. If you've been around the Sandbar at all in the last 20 years, you've probably met Andrew at some point; he basically grew up here.
His first official bartending shift is tonight from 5-9 p.m. He's working with Tegan and she'll show him the ropes. But Andrew's a smart kid, so no doubt he'll be slinging drinks like a pro in no time.
Stop by tonight and say hi. On special: $1.50 almost anything. There's no cover until 8 p.m. After 8, it's $3 to get in.
Oh, and the picture? That's from St. Patrick's Day, 1997. Wasn't he cute?
by Debbi | May 25, 2010 | Birthday Party, Events, Graduation, Off the Wall, People, Trinkets and Toys
Sundays aren't usually a busy day at the Sandbar- they're laid back and slow, a good day for idle chatter with the bartender or even watching TV with the jukebox turned a little lower than normal. Last Sunday was an exception.
Some of our Margarita Monday (and some other nights of the week) regulars are experiencing some life changes: Briana graduated, Amerika is moving to New York City, and Phil had a birthday (but he's not going anywhere that we know of). So, what better way to celebrate than to open a few hours early for Sunday Funday!
Of course there was a shotski for six, featuring the Fail Whale shots:
We ate Choco Tacos and cookies; drank Bahama Mamas and beer and Beachtini's (some drank more than others, ahem); and socialized. Oddly, there was no hurricane or mermaid, but there was a ceremonial signing of a dollar bill that was later stapled prominently on the wall.
The party might have carried on into the night if it wasn't for a certain popular TV show that was ending its run on Sunday night. It was a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon, especially one that was nice enough to enjoy the patio.
It's always a sign of a good time when you have a pile of tropical drink toys at the end of the party. Thanks to everyone who came in on Sunday, come back soon!
Photos courtesy of Phil Martinez and his fancy camera.
by Debbi | Dec 20, 2009 | Bar Band, Birthday Party, Events, People
Our Man on the Street and former bartender Pat turns 40 on Christmas Eve, so we threw him a party last night. Instead of the usual fracas at The Sandbar, though, we took it down the street to The Barrel House, a dueling piano bar that opened earlier this year.
If you haven't visited our neighboring bar yet, you should. It's great for groups and parties, and the piano players are great fun.
Our party was in the Blue Moon Lounge, one of the VIP balcony rooms that overlook the main bar area. We had our own private bartender and lots of space for friends and family.
Pat got called up on stage, where the piano player made fun of him for awhile, forced him to sit atop the piano, and made him chug a beer or two. They sang Happy Birthday, too.
Another highlight of the night was a special performance by the Bar Band, and they played Happy Birthday to Pat also.
The birthday boy has been planning a trip to Key West to celebrate his birthday for months now, and he leaves this week. We all hope he had fun last night! If you see Pat, be sure to wish him a happy birthday.
by Debbi | Dec 5, 2009 | Birthday Party, People, Pub Crawl
The last few days have been a flurry of activity and hurricane snow at The Sandbar!
Thursday was bartender Hayley's 23rd birthday. Hayley is one of our newest employees but she's actually been here for about a year and a half.
A random group of friends and assorted Sandbar staff helped her celebrate. Of course there was a birthday hurricane involved:
And then on Friday night, it was Bettina's turn to be the birthday girl. She was determined to wear the mermaid costume this year after another birthday girl beat her to it last year.
Heather even stuck around after her shift was over and danced on the bar.
That wasn't all, though- for a Friday night that was relatively light on customers, there was still a lot of activity.
Our friend Ashley was back in town for a visit this weekend. She moved to Baltimore almost a year ago, but she's been back to visit a few times. Dave made this Tennessee native's night when he played "Rocky Top" on the jukebox near the end of the night.
A group of sorority girls on a senior pub crawl stopped by for a visit before they made their way down Mass Street.
And, my day-job friend Lacey brought in a few friends to celebrate her last few days in Lawrence. She's hitting the road for Fort Worth and TCU next week to start a new job. Everyone needs a hurricane to send them off in style.
And that was just Thursday and Friday. Who knows what will happen tonight when Ashley hits the bar again!
More pictures on our Flickr photostream and our Facebook page.
by Debbi | Nov 12, 2009 | Birthday Party, Halloween, People
One of our very good longtime friends turns 40 today!
Curtis and Dave are buddies from their college days, and there's a whole group of those guys who turned 40 this year. Today it's Curtis' turn to celebrate the big birthday.
One of our memorable moments of Curtis at The Sandbar is from Halloween in the mid-90's. For Halloween in 1995, Curtis and Todd (another long time friend who turned 40 this year) dressed as Hans and Franz from the Saturday Night Live sketch.
They were so funny, and so popular, in this costume that we invited them to return in 1996- but this time as bartenders. Todd and Curtis spent some or all of the evening behind the bar slinging drinks for the masses, dancing on the bar, and generally behaving as "girlie men" all night.
They certainly did pump the crowd up!
Today, Curtis has a wife and two adorable boys, and enjoys a job serving his fellow Jayhawks. All of us at The Sandbar wish him a super happy birthday, and if you see him anytime soon, buy him a drink!
(Photos provided by Curtis)
by Debbi | Oct 7, 2009 | Birthday Party, People
Yesterday was Danny's birthday, and Dannymania was out in full force.
What's Dannymania, you ask? I'll tell you. I believe it began in the prime of his $ellout! career. Danny, the sax man, had a contingent of female fans who
had their own glittery Dannymania shirts and wore them to the concerts.
Wonder where all those fans and their shirts are now…
Danny created his own "Dannymania" shirt years ago A good friend of Danny's created his "Dannymania" shirt and gave it to him as a birthday gift in 2004 , and he's worn it on his birthday for the last five years. He claims he will wear it on his birthday every year, until it wears out (or someone steals it and gives it a timely death).
We think his self-promoting shirt has a very 70's movie star vibe with his rockin' moustache, a remnant of his recent MS150 bike ride.
If you missed Danny's birthday last night, be sure to wish him a happy one next time you see him. He might even let you join his fan club if you're lucky.
On another note, once upon a time I requested my very own glittery-lettered Dannymania shirt. I never got one.
