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.
by Debbi | Sep 22, 2009 | Good Things, People
Bartender Danny is riding in the MS150 for the third time, and he needs your help to meet his fundraising goal.
Here's what he has to say on his personal page:
Hello
friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers! Thank you so much for
taking the time to consider making a donation to this incredibly worthy
cause. I know that money is tight for everybody these days, but
unfortunately Multiple Sclerosis doesn't care what happened to my
mutual fund, your 401k, or what the Dow Jones Industrial Average is
currently sitting at. The fact is, people all over the country have to
live with this disease every day, and it isn't getting any cheaper, nor
are we any closer to a cure, save for the considerable efforts of the
MS Society and generous donors such as yourself.
This will be my
3rd year riding in this event, and while I am proud of my fundraising
accomplishments from the previous two years($600 and $1000
respectively), I know it's just a drop in the bucket compared to what
is really needed. I have upped the ante again for this year and I'm
hoping to raise $1200 for MS research and treatment for Kansas City MS
patients. The more involved I've gotten with this organization, the
more I've wanted to do more, and I'm excited to be a member of the Bike
MS Planning Committee for this year's ride!
You may not be able
to donate a large amount, and that is fine. Any small amount helps,
and I don't say that to sound cliche, but it's really true. Whatever
level you're comfortable donating at will be more than appreciated by
myself, the MS Society, and most importantly, MS patients everywhere
who are hoping for a cure. $50, $25, $10, or $5. It all makes a
difference to somebody.
I can think of three people off the top of my head who are affected by Multiple Sclerosis- and those are just the ones I can think of quickly. Many others are touched by this disease, either through having it or knowing someone who does.
As of the time of this post, Danny has raised $1,055 towards his goal of $1,200. That's 88%. Last year he shaved his head when he met his goal…who knows what he might do this year! If you're interested in contributing, go to his personal fundraising page.
Great job, Danny- all of us at The Sandbar are proud of you!
by Debbi | Sep 21, 2009 | Door Diaries, People, Sandbar Love Stories, Stories
Good grief, people, what happened yesterday? There was a huge interest in the story of the hissy fit about being carded- big spike in visits to the blog- so either it was a super great story, or you were bored yesterday. Here's another story for you about another controversial topic- waiting in line.
We're continually amazed (and amused) at the number of couples who have found love at The Sandbar. Me and Dave, for one. And lots of our friends, and probably tons of people we don't even know about.
I heard a new Sandbar love story recently about a couple we've known for quite a long time- yet somehow I never heard how they met.
This story will also be of interest to those of you who whine about waiting in line- you just never know what might happen out there.
(I'm leaving this couple anonymous for two reasons: first, I didn't ask them if I could publicize their story, and second, I think they'd probably rather not be named.)
So, we're sitting at a table at a bar (not the Sandbar, surprise!) one night, and "Wife" mentions that she and "Husband" have been married five years. I asked how they met, and much to my surprise, she said they met at The Sandbar. In line.
If I remember right, she was there with a bunch of girlfriends (for a bachelorette party?), but the other girlfriends were already inside the bar and she was stuck outside in line behind a bunch of guys. While they waited in line together, they chatted, and when the line finally started moving, the guys let her go in ahead of them.
And it was love at first sight. Well, I don't really know about that, but I thought it was cool that they met in line at the Sandbar, and now they've been married for five years.
See, next time you're waiting in line, try not to think about what you're missing inside. Look at the bright side and see what you might be overlooking outside!
Oh, and "Wife," if I got your story details wrong, correct me in the comments. And if you and your significant other met at The Sandbar, send us your story and we'll feature it here!
by Debbi | Sep 15, 2009 | Newsworthy, People
In case you missed it, and I don't know how you could have, Dave made the paper again. Last Friday, the University Daily Kansan featured a story about him in their new "Wave" game-day section.
Big thanks to the writer Brenna, who is also in her second term as editor of the Kansan. She's a Sandbar fan, but up until this summer, she only knew Dave in his Sandbar persona- and didn't realize he had a previous life as a KU basketball player.
After the blog post this summer about a request for Dave's autograph, she contacted us and asked if she could do a story about Dave for the Kansan. "Of course!" I said. (Dave groaned.)
She interviewed Dave a few weeks ago and asked all kinds of questions about basketball and the bar. Apparently he mentioned that we met at The Sandbar, and upon hearing that, she wanted to interview me too!
I had a great time meeting Brenna over lunch and answering all kinds of questions about the bar and Dave. I even provided a few "vintage" pictures I dug up of Dave from his playing days. Secretly, I think he was thrilled that everyone could see him wearing tight-rolled jeans, showing off his dance moves at Late Night nearly twenty years ago.
We've heard so many compliments about this article. One of my favorites was "if I didn't already know you two, I would after reading this article."
Thanks, Brenna and the Kansan!
by Debbi | Aug 7, 2009 | Bar Band, Birthday Party, Events, People
The stage was in place, the beer garden was ready, and people were arriving rather quickly and much earlier than we anticipated.
One of our great surprises for the fans at our birthday party was our Master of Ceremonies- Captain Jack Sparrow. He's made an appearance at The Sandbar before, a couple of years ago when the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie opened. We loved his character so much that we sort of promised him that our next St. Patrick's Day float would be a pirate ship and he could travel down Massachusetts Street with us…but we all know how that goes. Whatever we decide to do outside of a month beforehand is definitely not going to be our float the following March.
Anyway, we redeemed ourselves with Captain Jack by throwing the party. We promised to build a pirate ship stage and give him a microphone. He even brought another pirate with him this time, and if you were there I know you'll agree that they were the real deal!
They spent lots of time mingling with the crowds, taking pictures with babies and children and, probably more frequently, grown married women swooning over "Johnny Depp."
But the pirates weren't the only special surprise guests we had…
Our fantastic neighbors at Richards Music Company helped us out tremendously with this party. They provided the sound systems, electricity, and even the opening band- Stomper. Some of the guys who work at the store play in the band, and we were excited to give them some exposure. The crowd loved them and we can't wait to see them play again.
The Bar Band was up next, much to the delight of the crowd. We're very proud of the fact that the Bar Band began at The Sandbar, started by one of our very own former staff members over a decade ago. It's a small splinter group of the KU Marching Jayhawks (not officially sponsored by KU, of course). They travel around to various bars the night before home football and some basketball games, usually decked out in Sandbar shirts that we've provided to them. Of course, we still have Bar Band members on staff.
The band members looked pretty sharp in their matching blue shirts- and we were frankly surprised that Tyler was able to round up so many of them to play at the party. They played for about thirty minutes- the KU fight song, the alma mater, and some other popular game day songs.
The Bar Band was so great we were sad when it was over! But there was much more to come at this party…as the crowd just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger.
Tomorrow: More music and dancing and an enormous crowd of people!
by Debbi | Jul 20, 2009 | Good Things, People
Here's a story from our Man on the Street, who has now been given the esteemed title of "featured contributor." I don't know if he wants it or not, but he's got it.
I went to Hy-Vee this morning, and the Salvation Army is collection money for a Christmas in July. They were playing Buffett music, wearing leis, coconut bras, grass skirts, etc.
I said to the bell-ringers, "It looks like you're headed to The Sandbar!"
"We haven't been home yet… we were there last night," one of the girls replied.
I'm pretty sure she was kidding….
Who knows, maybe not! The Sandbar-beach-Buffett theme is a pretty good one if you're trying to attract attention. We did it several years ago at our water station for the Lawrence Half Marathon, and we won a prize for having the most spirit.
