by Debbi | Nov 10, 2011 | Cool Stuff, People, Trinkets and Toys
Our friend and customer Andrew is a sports reporter for local Channel 6, and he likes to use his Sandbar toys as props for entertainment on the air.
This time, we got a heads up via Twitter, so we were able to grab our camera in time and snap a picture of the TV screen:
Our fun rainbow shades made their appearance on Useless Fieldhouse Trivia.
According to Andrew, he also rocked a mustache on a later broadcast. We haven't had a chance to watch that episode yet, but if it's on our DVR we'll take a picture.
We love that Lawrence and Channel 6 are fun enough to do things like this!
by Debbi | Oct 23, 2011 | People
Sometimes, our staff members like to pose for funny pictures.
Bartender Blair, boxing with regular customer Britt. Not really sure what they were trying to do here, but it made for an amusing picture.
by Debbi | Sep 22, 2011 | Downtown, Events, People
Last weekend's Halfway to St. Patrick's Day street festival had an unexpected guest: former Sandbartender Josh!
Josh worked at the bar back in the 90's. He was also Dave's roommate for a couple years. And, Josh is the one who initially set up the Sandbar's website and webcam, long before many businesses in town were using the internet for anything. We may have had one of the first webcams in town, according to this 2002 LJworld.com article.
Josh was a groomsman in Dave's wedding, and now he's living in Wisconsin. We haven't seen him much since he moved away, but he was back in Kansas for a wedding and stopped by to say hi on Saturday.
Remember Josh? Got any good stories? Share them in the comments!
by Debbi | Sep 3, 2011 | Our Ghost, People
The Sandbar family got some bad news a few days ago.
One of our former employees, Dean, passed away this week. Even though we haven't seen him in several years, Dean remained near and dear to our hearts.
Dean started working here on Sept. 2, 2000. We don't always remember the exact date someone starts working, but this one was significant: it was the day manager Dave got married. Most of the staff was attending the wedding, and Dave needed someone to work.
Dean had become a regular at the bar, drinking Miller Lite and wearing loud Hawaiian shirts. And, he was from Florida. We couldn't have picked a better hire for a tropical beach bar! So, Dean's first shift was on a Saturday night, which was probably a normal Saturday until the wedding party descended after midnight and then left the new guy to figure out how to close the bar.
Dean was a trooper, though, and he figured it out. He was going to school at KU, working on graduate degrees in the music department. He loved the Florida Gators and made sure everyone knew it. Dean was a loyal employee and always willing to work, and everyone loved him.
Dean was one of the first people to experience the Sandbar ghost. Our first documented evidence of the ghost is from the night after St. Patrick's Day, 2003, and Dean was there to witness it.
He eventually finished his degrees and left Lawrence for Indiana. He was back in town in November, 2007, and Dave was thrilled to see him.
Then, he came back a few months later in March, 2008, and several of us were able to enjoy an evening of sushi and drinking with him. We'll always remember the fun we had that night.
The picture below was taken when Dean was here in November, 2007.
We'll miss you, Dean, and raise our Miller Lites in your honor.
We're hoping to plan a memorial at the Sandbar sometime soon, so Dean's friends and former customers can come together and share memories. You can also leave your memories of him in the comments.
Visit the Facebook memorial page for Dean to see lots of pictures and read many great memories that people have of Dean.
by Debbi | Aug 3, 2011 | People, Random Holidays, Trinkets and Toys
More Shark Week fun!
We asked our most dedicated fans (that means those of you who signed up for our email list) to send us pictures of their Sandbar sharks. We love seeing all the creative places our friends keep their toys!
Here's a couple of the pictures we've received:
Former bartender John is now married and living in Houston, and he also happens to still have a Sandbar shark in his possession. He snapped a picture of his shark perched on the edge of their guest bathroom toilet. What a surprise for their overnight guests!
Sandbar fan and 2011 KU graduate Kristina found a unique and practical use for her Sandbar shark: keeper of the paper clips on the desk at her office.
You can send us your pictures- email them to us (sandbar@thesandbar.com), tweet them to us (@thesandbar) or upload them to our Facebook page.
by Debbi | Jul 18, 2011 | People, Stories
Last weekend, a couple of lovely ladies had some problems with the bathroom.
They went to the bathroom together, as we all know girls are prone to do. Next thing Dave knew, another girl came up to the bar to let him know that some girls were stuck in the bathroom.
He got the key- fortunately we have a key (that he could find) that unlocks the door from the outside- and went to unlock the door. Honestly, he thought the lock must have been messed up somehow if they couldn't get it open, so he was afraid the key wouldn't work.
It worked.
The girls were free of the bathroom. Dave realized then that they were trying to unlock the wrong lock.
See, every once in awhile the lock on the door breaks, and he has to install a new one. Sometimes it's at normal door handle level, and other times the lock is up high.
However, every time the lock is moved (and it hasn't been moved for quite some time), Dave is careful to write on the door and clearly mark where the new lock is:
Not really sure what lock they were trying to unlock. Maybe they just needed a bartender to come to their rescue?
