by Debbi | Jun 25, 2008 | People
We have lots of birthdays to celebrate in June.
Today, a dear Sandbar friend from the good ol' days turns the big 40. Hoang and his lovely wife Sheri used to spend many an hour at The Sandbar, hanging out in the back room playing darts with Chad, Danny, Chris, Dave, Brent, and a host of other regulars. Those were the days of the "comfy chairs" in the front of the bar, for you old-timers who might be reading this.
Sadly for us, Hoang and Sheri moved away from Lawrence almost ten years ago. (Has it really been that long?!?) They landed first in Houston for a short year, and then ended up outside of San Francisco, where they've been ever since. They've since added two new members to their family, little Eli and baby Jade.
During their time in Lawrence, they frequented not only the Sandbar, but Louise's Downtown for schooners and foosball, and the Ranch for…I'm not sure what, because they don't two-step.
Hoang and Sheri and family try to make a midwest swing at least once every year, stopping in Wichita, Lawrence, Kansas City, and even Oklahoma sometimes to visit old friends. They were just here to visit a few weeks ago, and again the time went by much too fast.
Happy 40th, Hoang. We miss you.
by Debbi | Jun 22, 2008 | People
And our young doorboy Andrew turns another year older.
Yesterday- June 21- was actually his birthday, but I'm running a day behind on the blog and I didn't get any advance warning of the birthday to prepare anything great to say.
Andrew worked his usual door shift on his birthday. He's such a dedicated employee that he didn't even ask to take the night off so he could celebrate.
His parents- Peach and Ted- and older brother Teddy and his wife Amelia stopped in for drinks and birthday wishes.
In just a few short years Andrew will be able to celebrate his birthday with shots. For now, though, he'll have to settle for Sprite.
by Debbi | Jun 14, 2008 | People, Sandbar Love Stories
I recently discovered another Sandbar love match.
A few weeks ago, I got an email through the website from Shellie at Iowa State, who wanted to order a t-shirt. She explained that she and her boyfriend had met at The Sandbar one year ago, when they were both in Lawrence for a Big 12 conference. They're still together, and they planned to celebrate their anniversary with a trip to Lawrence and The Sandbar.
Tonight was the big night- the one year anniversary of the day they met. I was so excited to get an online order for Sandbar merchandise that instead of just giving them the t-shirt in it's standard ziploc bag, I packaged it in a cute little flip-flop gift bag, complete with leis, beads, sharks, and duck toys. They were thrilled.
A few Shark Attacks, Dirty Bananas, and Pink Flamingos later and I think they were having a good time.
If you and your significant other met at The Sandbar, send me an email. We'd love to hear your story.
by Debbi | Jun 3, 2008 | People
Just another night at The Sandbar with the fabulous Heather…
2/7/02
Scotty has totally saved me tonight. My karma was all off and it
showed. I couldn't find anything, like light bulbs, cut my thumb, and
broke 2 full Miller Lite bottles. ot five minutes later, my karma must
have rubbed off on the customers. How cruel life is. A table of six
bumped their table, broke a glass, and drenched one of them in the
process.
The
hurricane got started without the poem, as I hit the button too
freakin' early and didn't think I could turn it off. The rain part was
quite popular with the Boulevard rep who was in the bar.
Scotty
fed the fishies and all the customers left. We watched "Who Wants to be
a Millionaire" while discussing what we would do with money of that
magnitude. Scotty saved me by changing the Coke, helping mop the
multiple spillages, and finding the light bulbs.
Peace to you my fellow bartenders and door guy and in general Sandbar brethren.
–Heather
by Debbi | May 23, 2008 | Guest Blogs, People, Stories
I have a special treat for you today: a guest blog written by the very witty Chad.
Many a Sandbar regular is familiar with Frank, probably even more of you than actually realize it. Frank comes to The Sandbar to do two things: drink Guinness, and kick butt at video crack (that’s the innocuous looking, soul-sucking box that sits on the end of the bar taunting your quarters with it’s gaping slot.)
If Frank is not playing trivia, it means that he’s content with the outrageously high scores he’s cataloged, and he’s just happy to sit back, watch the poor wretches mindlessly chase his high score, and consume Guinness as if in training for the tippy cup Olympics.
It was only a matter of time before such resolute consistency and determination came to the attention of the academic world and was put under a sociological experiment. The following is a re-enactment of an actual conversation Frank had with the bartender at Henry’s, just up the street from The Sandbar.
Bartender (dropping an olive into a $12 martini):
So, Frank, did you know you were unwittingly a participant in a sociology experiment?
Frank (dutifully downing a Guinness and limbering up his trivia finger):
Most things I participate in are unwitting.
Bartender (gingerly mixing a Cosmo and taking Frank’s keys):
Yeah, my sociology class had a project that required us to go into social settings around town and record our observations. A girl in my class came back and reported that she went into The Sandbar to observe and record. Not unlike the voyages of Star Trek, she was required only to observe and not interfere. Her notes indicated that in half an hour, the bar patron she observed played trivia and consumed three Guinness, while never once speaking to the bartender, simply sliding the empty glass to the edge of the bar. I heard that and I knew it had to be you!
Frank (nodding knowingly):
So, how did her report go?
Bartender (adding a sprig to something):
Well, one of the keys to sociology is being social, and since you didn’t actually interact with anyone, she got a do-over.
We at The Sandbar, however, believe the study to still be ongoing, so be on the lookout for studious looking persons with notebooks playing trivia and ordering Guinness.
by Debbi | May 18, 2008 | People
Oh, Joe. The Factor is graduating from KU this year.
I don’t remember any other year that we’ve had three staff members graduate from college. And none of them have any immediate plans to leave The Sandbar either.
Joe has been at the bar for over a year now. He provides constant entertainment for not only the customers, but the other staff. You can read more about Joe here. Or just come down to the bar sometime when he’s working; it’s much better to experience the Joe Factor in person than on the internet.
Again, I had trouble finding pictures of Joe to share with you that didn’t involve some sort of costume or other weirdness. But, I guess the weirdness is normal.
I didn’t realize until very recently that Joe was also graduating, so I didn’t have a chance to collect his thoughts on it. If you’re reading this, Joe, feel free to chime in in the comments.
Joe, congratulations on your graduation. We all hope you find your calling in life; but until you do, we’ll keep you around at the bar.
Good luck to you in everything you do. And good luck to your girlfriend, too.
