by Debbi | Jan 29, 2010 | Events, KU Basketball, Ottawa, Random Holidays, Specials
Our great state turns 149 years young today! Kansas became a state on this day way back in 1861. (And the coolest university in the country was created four years later, to borrow a line from KU Info.)
One of our Twitter followers wondered aloud if we would have any drinks in honor of Kansas Day. To be honest, this had not yet occurred to us, but we love any reason to celebrate- so yes, we will!
All day today, you can enjoy a Sunflower Shandy for $3.50. It's Boulevard Wheat and lemonade. And yes, we realize that Boulevard is actually made in the state that sits directly east of Kansas, but pretend it's made somewhere else for today. Focus instead on the fact that Kansas usually leads the nation in wheat production.
And looking ahead…
Is it ironic that the big in-state rivalry basketball game is the day after Kansas' birthday?
I know we aren't really a sports bar and don't have huge, fill-the-whole-wall sized TV's, but if you're looking for a place to watch the game tomorrow, stop by our Lawrence or Ottawa location. Both places will have free chili dogs during the game!
by Debbi | Oct 12, 2009 | Bar Band, Events
Homecoming weekend at The Sandbar was tons of fun for all of us! Lots of old and new friends paid us a visit, and there are so many stories. We'll pick some of our favorites to share this week.
Friday night brought in a Sandbar favorite during football season: the Bar Band. The performers showed up right before 10 pm and definitely didn't disappoint! We had a full house waiting to sing, dance, and clap along, and a whole bunch of people had to watch from their spot in line. It's truly a neat experience, and if you've never been in our tiny bar while a marching band plays the KU fight song- well, you need to add that to your list.
We had a special group of people in Friday night that I want to mention. Last summer, The Sandbar hosted a "tweetup," which is basically an off-line gathering of Twitter users and a way for them to meet in real life. It was a great success, and many of our Twitter followers come in on a regular basis. A spontaneous tweetup occurred on Friday night- it was suggested online during the day, and the group made it's way to The Sandbar in time to catch the band.
A couple of the girls from the group had never been mermaids before- and you know as soon as we hear someone say that, they become the next volunteer! The hurricane blew through the bar shortly after the Bar Band left, and Dave led everyone through the dance routines. A crazy boy even jumped up on the bar in the middle of all the girls and showed off his dance moves. That *never* happens at The Sandbar.
After we all got down from the bar, I discovered that our friend Susan had never been on the bar before. This might not be surprising to you, but Susan has been coming to The Sandbar for at least a decade, I think! Proves there's a first time for everything.
More stories to come this week from Homecoming weekend, so check back!
by Debbi | Oct 8, 2009 | Events, KU Football
Happy KU Homecoming Week! This year's theme is Peace.Love.Jayhawks.- borrowed and modified for this post's heading. Homecoming weekend likely means a stop at The Sandbar for many returning alumni as well as those of us who live here year-round. And we're all about peace and love here, too.
There have been loads of events taking place on campus all week, but if you can't be here until this weekend, there's still plenty to do according to the KU Homecoming website.
You'll want to wake up bright and early on Saturday morning. The annual Homecoming parade starts at 9 am on Jayhawk Boulevard, and there's a pancake feed on the lawn of Stauffer Flint from 9-11 am. And of course, the tailgating! Whether you go to an officially organized tailgate or put your own together with family and friends, tailgating is one of the most fun parts of game day!
The Jayhawks take on Iowa State on Saturday, and kick-off time is 11:30 am.
We don't love early game times because it makes for a really long day at the bar, especially after people have already been drinking all day, but it's better than a 6 pm game.
We normally open at 1 pm on Saturdays, but we're hoping to open up early this weekend. Not sure what time yet, but check our Twitter feed (also on the right side of this page) for the most recent updates.
As always, our Friday and Saturday drink specials will be $3 well drinks and $2 Dirty Banana shots. Lately, we've also been featuring our Big Wave Dave shots, also known as the Fail Whale for our Twitter followers, for $2 on both days also.
Happy Homecoming and we can't wait to see all our old friends who are back in town this weekend!
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!
