by Debbi | Apr 17, 2009 | People
Yes, today's title is almost a duplicate of the last one. Lots of Sandbar friends are back in town this week!
Ashley is visiting for the weekend from Baltimore, where she moved at the end of January for a new job. She's here to move the rest of her stuff out of the house and have a garage sale to get rid of the stuff she doesn't want to haul across the country.
Of course, that means she will also be at The Sandbar. Her official homecoming party is tonight, but she will likely be there tomorrow night as well if you can't make it tonight.
And if you're in the market for new adidas apparel, check out her garage sale tomorrow morning at 1860 Villo Woods Court. But please, don't show up before 8 a.m.
by Debbi | Apr 15, 2009 | People
Travis was a very-regular regular back in the mid-90's. (Gosh, has it really been that long?!?) Every Tuesday, most weekends, and usually some other nights in between, back in the days of the comfy chairs and dollar-anything Tuesdays.
I really wanted to include a picture so you would be able to recognize Travis while he's in town this week for "business." Unfortunately I haven't seen him since before the age of the digital camera and online picture storage. All of my pictures of Travis- and there are some good ones, I'm sure- are buried in a box somewhere, along with obsolete negatives and birthday cards from the parents.
However, I managed to find a good one. He will probably de-friend me on Facebook after he finds out that I lifted this picture from his "profile pictures" album, but I figured if he was willing to post it on Facebook, then it's fair game.
So this is Travis. He lives in Seattle now and The Sandbar misses him. He'll be around this week, reminiscing up and down Mass Street and probably wondering what happened to West Lawrence. If you see him out and about, say hi.
by Debbi | Apr 13, 2009 | Birthday Party, Events, People
We are finally fully recovered from the big event of Dave turning 40.
His actual birthday was yesterday, but as you know the big party was on Friday. And it was a good one! We celebrated at The Bottleneck, a live music venue just up the street from The Sandbar. As much as we would have loved to party at The Sandbar….that occupancy limit of 49 was a problem.
If you're looking for a fun party place, by the way, The Bottleneck is awesome. Even though there was a live show planned for the evening, the staff was fine with us bringing in food and decorations. Of course, we also brought in about 75 people who wouldn't ordinarily have been there for a bluegrass concert and who like to drink and who know how to tip the bartenders. And who stayed until 2 a.m.
Peach brought in snacks from the Sandbar Sub Shop in Ottawa- mini sandwiches, Patty's Killer Dip, and cheese and crackers. If you haven't been there yet, you should go.
We pretty much hung out in the front area of the bar, with the pool tables and dartboard. Lots of friends came and went the whole night and everyone had a great time. Dave's parents and sister even traveled from McPherson- it's not every day that your son turns 40. They brought along a photo album full of all of Dave's most embarrassing childhood pictures- the wrecked cars, the white tuxedos, the mullet/perm hairstyle.
One of the funniest gifts of the night was courtesy of Brett, the official Papa John's pizza delivery guy of The Sandbar. He and his coworkers created some shaped breadsticks that spelled out "Happy 40th Dave" and Brett delivered them in a pizza box. Very creative idea.
Dave had originally planned to work his regular shift on Saturday night at the bar, but decided to take his whole birthday weekend off. Good thing, too, as he wasn't feeling too hot on Saturday.
Pictures from the night are posted to our Flickr photostream. Join our Flickr group and upload your own Sandbar pictures!
by Debbi | Apr 9, 2009 | Events, People
Regular Friday afternoon/evening customers are probably familiar with our long time Friday bartender Phil. Like many of our staff, Phil also has a “day job.” He serves as the Executive Director of the Kansas Licensed Beverage Association, which is a hospitality industry organization that serves businesses who hold licenses to sell alcohol. He spends a lot of time in Topeka schmoozing with the politicians and lobbying them on issues related to these businesses.
The KLBA (website is under construction) also presents training programs for employees of these establishments. They use the Techniques of Alcohol Management, or TAM, program which was developed by various groups including members of the licensed beverage industry, law enforcement, and substance abuse organizations. The training helps staff learn how to identify underage people, signs of over-consumption, and learn about alcohol-related laws.
Phil is occasionally called upon by area groups to speak about these efforts, and tonight is one of those times. He will be appearing on a panel discussion at KU about alcohol fatalities. The event is organized by the Drug Policy Forum of Kansas as part of National Alcohol Awareness Month. A documentary about a 19 year old college student who died from alcohol poisoning will also be shown.
The event will be held tonight in the Hawk’s Nest at the Kansas Union, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. If you are interested in this issue you are welcome to attend.
by Debbi | Apr 5, 2009 | Birthday Party, Events, People
If you haven't heard the news yet, our fearless leader Dave will celebrate a pretty big birthday next weekend.
He will officially be "over the hill" next Sunday when he celebrates the big 4-0.
As much as we'd love to have a big birthday celebration at The Sandbar…it's simply not big enough! But don't worry, there will still be a party.
We're moving the party a little to the north this time. This is an open invitation to all of Dave's friends, fans, family, and whoever else wants to join us at The Bottleneck next Friday night, April 10. The Bottleneck is located at 737 New Hampshire, about a half block from The Sandbar.
The Bottleneck is still open for business that night and they are hosting four bands: DeWayn Brothers, Moreland & Arbuckle, Deadman Flats, and Old Country Death Band. Ticket prices are not listed on the website, but staff thinks the tickets will cost around $8. The shows will start at 9 p.m., but we will be there around 7 p.m. Join us for pool, foosball, darts, and snacks.
If you're on Facebook, you can RSVP to the event and see who else is coming. Feel free to bring friends! Let's pack the Bottleneck and enjoy some great music and Dave's birthday!
by Debbi | Apr 2, 2009 | People, Random Holidays
Dave walked into the bar yesterday- April Fool's Day- while Joe was on opening duty.
Joe told Dave he had a phone message: Sea World had called. Dave, naturally was skeptical of this, but Joe insisted that yes, indeed, someone from Sea World had called with a question about The Sandbar's fish tank.
Dave thought it was more likely that someone else had called with a question, and Joe had misunderstood the caller's name. Perhaps it was someone from Pet World, where we buy equipment and fish for our tanks.
To be fair, Dave was pretty tired yesterday. He had an early morning meeting for Downtown Lawrence, Inc., which he serves as a board member, and he had worked late the night before, so he only had a few hours' sleep.
However, Joe then told Dave that the caller's name was Mr. Shamu.
And would you believe, Dave actually called the number Joe gave him, which was really Sea World's phone number, and asked for Mr. Shamu?
Props to the Joe Factor for pulling off a successful April Fool's Day prank on his boss. Will he still have a job tomorrow?
Share your best jokes and pranks from April Fool's Day in the comments.
