by Debbi | Sep 13, 2010 | People
We get a lot of requests. People want drinks, toilet paper in the ladies' room, songs to be skipped on the jukebox and their friends to be let in when there's a line.
Sometimes, though, we get funny or unusual requests. Like this one:
This particular request- for purse hooks under the bar- is funny, because we've actually talked about this before. At the time, though, we decided against it for fear that ladies would hang their purses and forget them. But, perhaps not. Maybe we'll put in the hooks and give it a try.
One other thing- polite and friendly requests like this one stand a much larger chance of getting our attention!
by Debbi | Sep 8, 2010 | Off the Wall, People
We got a new pile of wood signs a few weeks ago, and we've received loads of them over the past several years, but up until a little over a year ago, we had no idea who was leaving them.
The Lawrence Journal-World ran a story about Larry Colley, the artist. But we've still never managed to catch him leaving the gifts at the door. Until now. Sort of anyway.
Dave and I took our crazy dog to the annual Pooch Plunge at the local swimming pool on Tuesday. Dave wore a Sandbar shirt since that's what he wears 95% of the time. While Lucy was romping in the pool and scaring little kids, an older gentleman approached Dave and introduced himself.
Yep, Mr. Colley was at the Pooch Plunge! He noticed Dave's shirt and decided to let us know who he was. We even took a picture:
Thanks Mr. Colley for all the fun little gifts! We're working on finding space on our wall to start hanging more of them up- like a wall of fame.
by Debbi | Aug 29, 2010 | Bachelorette Parties, People, Stories
Yesterday, former Sandbartender John married the love of his life Natalie. After a beautiful wedding and fun reception at the Oread, the mostly younger half of the wedding guests moved on to the Sandbar.
Some of the group gathered upstairs on the beach for a few pictures:
And then the party moved back downstairs. John and Natalie danced in the window to the back room while everyone cheered. Their friend Pump convinced the bartenders to pause the music for a few minutes so he could say a few profound words about the newlyweds. Jake, groomsman and another former bartender, was up on the bench in front of them, and Dave quickly joined.
(For those of you who might be familiar with Jake & John, or with the items that deck our walls, you might notice that in the photo above, above the girl in the purple dress' head, there's part of a framed picture. The guy in the middle in the blue shirt is Dave, and Jake and John were on either side of him. Very fitting that they chose this spot to dance last night, huh?)
And then, it was time for Natalie's first ever hurricane.
Yes, she and John dated through most of college, and he tended bar here for at least a year, yet somehow Natalie always dodged the mermaid costume and never actually experienced the indoor attraction. For her hurricane initiation, John donned the mer-man costume and read the poem with her.
You might be surprised that a bride would come to the Sandbar on her wedding night; but you might be more surprised to learn that there were TWO brides in the bar last night. Another bride- who was still dressed in her full length gown- showed up with a small entourage. Congratulations to that couple as well!
We also got to see another former Sandbartender, Drew. He was out on the town with friends celebrating his bachelor party and they stopped by the bar.
'Tis the wedding season, it seems!
by Debbi | Aug 25, 2010 | People
Lots of bartenders and doorpeople have made their way through the Sandbar in our storied 21-year history. Some have stayed in touch and others have dropped out of sight. Still others are still working here and will probably never leave.
We've been graced by the presence of several far-flung folks this past week, and we were thrilled to welcome them back, if only for a short time.
Drew, AKA "Steel Wolf," showed up recently. His friend Brian tipped us off to his appearance first on Twitter, and fortunately Dave was working when they showed up at the bar. We haven't seen Drew for a long time- he's been in Asia for several years now teaching English and traveling. He's back in the States now for grad school and engaged to be married.
Rumor has it that Jake was in the other night. Dave missed him, but he'll be back later this week for his buddy John's wedding. Back when Jake and John worked here, we rarely saw one without the other. Jake and John took off for Australia shortly after they graduated, and at the end of their tour John came home while Jake continued his travels. He's been in China the past few years teaching English.
(What is it with the Sandbar that leads people to teach English in Asian countries?!?)
And John. We haven't spotted him yet, but it's only a matter of time. John lives in Houston now, and he's getting married this weekend in Lawrence to the lovely Natalie, who he dated through most of college. Natalie somehow got through college without ever experiencing the wonders of the indoor hurricane- and you know what that means. Special wedding hurricane, just for her.
by Debbi | Jul 25, 2010 | Events, People
"You have a baby! In a bar?!?"
Love that movie. Today, it was reality at the Sandbar. We hosted what we think is our first-ever baby shower.
Long-time regular customers and float dancers Brandon and Sherri (who I think may have also met at our establishment, but I'm not positive) are expecting their first bundle of joy in September. Sherri's friends wanted to have a fun shower for her, and the Sandbar seemed a logical place.
We aren't open on Sunday afternoons anyway, so it was the perfect time for a bunch of ladies to gather and play games, open gifts, eat snacks and drink Bahama Mama's. Heather even made a virgin "Bahama Mommy" for the mommy-to-be.
The back corner of the bar might have looked a little unusual, with all the pastel gift bags and stuffed animals decorating the space:
Of course, the proud parents put a commemorative dollar bill on the wall, high above the ladies' room so no one can tear it down.
We wondered what passers-by might think if they looked in the window and saw ladies pinning baby clothes to a makeshift clothesline. Or the random customer who might think we're open and wander into a pink extravaganza. We even had a stroller and a five month old baby present for the festivities.
The shower was such a hit that we're thinking maybe Sunday afternoons could be useful after all. Bridal and baby showers might be a fun thing for us to host, and for girls who love the Sandbar and want a fun, casual place to hold an event, it's perfect. If you're interested, let us know.
Congratulations to Brandon and Sherri and baby girl!
by Debbi | Jun 9, 2010 | People
This picture mysteriously showed up at the Sandbar one day last week.
Doesn't it look like a 70's version of Joe?!? But that's definitely not his gorgeous fiancee' Teresa.
Maybe Joe is really a lot older than we think…or maybe he secretly dresses up in cowboy attire when he's not at work.
Any guesses as to who's in the first picture?
UPDATE: It's Phil in the first picture. We aren't sure who dropped off the picture, but it appears to be from a collegiate event from Phil's days at Kansas State University.
