by Debbi | Dec 12, 2010 | Christmas, Downtown, Events, Good Things
SantaCon Lawrence was yesterday in downtown Lawrence, and it was fun!
The Sandbar was excited to be one of the six participating bars for this event. The Santa party started off here at 1:30 p.m. with around 30 Santas, elves and Mrs. Claus characters. Many of the participants were Sandbar staff and friends, but one couple even drove in from Kansas City to participate in the fun.
A reporter and photographer from the Lawrence Journal-World stopped by, and they interviewed some of the Santas and took lots of pictures. In fact, they stayed with us for over an hour and even traveled to the second bar- Louise's Downtown- with us! Read the article here, and there are a couple of pictures and even a video featuring dancing Santas.
After about an hour at the Sandbar, the Santa parade went to Louise's, followed by the Replay Lounge- where Santa and Mrs. Claus danced on stage!- the Bottleneck, Red Lyon and finally ending up at the Barrel House. Santa made a few detours along the way, wandering through Sunflower Bike Shop (at their request), the Bourgeouis Pig and Free State. The group dwindled along the way, but the die-hard crew of 5-6 Santas ended up back at the Sandbar around 8:30 p.m.
All of the bars were very accommodating to the group of Santas, and the people on Mass Street really seemed to love it! Several Santas actually had bags full of trinkets and toys, and they handed them out to kids on the street. They also popped into some of the downtown businesses to spread a few "ho ho ho's."
SantaCon wasn't all just for fun, though- in the spirit of the season, Santas were encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to donate to Just Food, a local food pantry here in town. We filled one giant box at the Sandbar, and there were a few more bags of food that didn't fit in the box. Way to go Santas!
You know how much we love costumes at the Sandbar, so we are definitely looking forward to doing this again next year! Our upcoming staff holiday party will also be a Santa costume party, and we've heard that some cities have started having "BunnyCon" and "PirateCon" events to tide them over until Christmas every year…
Check out our pictures on Flickr or Facebook here. If you were at SantaCon, we'd love to see your pictures! Email them to us at sandbar@thesandbar.com, upload them to our Facebook page or tag them on Flickr!
by Debbi | Dec 9, 2010 | Off the Wall
For years we've been collecting dozens of small wooden plaques with funny pictures and phrases on them, thanks to Lawrence resident Larry Colley. And for a long time, we've wondered what to do with them- hang them someplace special, give them to our favorite customers, use them as prizes- while they gathered dust upstairs in the office.
Dave finally found some bare wall space (imagine!), so we decided to make a "wall of fame" for the plaques so everyone can enjoy them. And, as a double bonus, it gives the ladies something to look at while waiting in line for the restroom.
Here's a quick picture of the first phase of the wall. Please forgive the crappy picture, all I had was my phone. I need to start carrying a real camera with me.
Now that we have a place to hang the plaques, we're anxiously awaiting for another set from Mr. Colley! Or for the cleaning fairies (or the Sandbar ghost) to clean the upstairs office, where dozens of these things could likely be hiding.
by Debbi | Dec 8, 2010 | Newsworthy
The University Daily Kansan recently had a "Top of the Hill" contest where students voted on their favorite bars, restaurants, shopping and other places around town. We were very excited to find out that we won third place in the "best overall bar" category!
According to the paper, we got 10% of the total vote in the overall bar category. First and second place went to more obviously student-oriented bars The Hawk and Quinton's.
I would link to the article, but the best I can find is a link to the PDF version of the Top of the Hill edition. Download if you want.
An interesting tidbit about our relationship with the Kansan- our ad sales rep this semester is Andrew's high school buddy Matt, who accompanied us on the awesome Orange Bowl trip (and not-so-awesome return trip) nearly three years ago.
by Debbi | Dec 7, 2010 | Stories
Update: Edited for easier viewing of the photo, thanks to a better link from @shedluv, husband of @loudporsche. Thank you!
Our Twitter friend Kristin, aka @loudporsche, sent us a link to a fun picture today.
In DJ Gallo's NFL Hangover Photo Gallery from week 13, on espn.com, there's a picture of some, shall we say, older football fans partaking in shots from a Green Bay shotski!
I can't put the image here, both because I don't want to be sued and also because I couldn't just right-click and save the photo (presumably enabled so people wouldn't do exactly that), but you can see it here.
The caption in the original photo gallery was "Metamucil shots!" However, the caption on this link indicates they are in fact drinking schnapps.
Thanks Kristin and Matt!
by Debbi | Dec 6, 2010 | Christmas, Cool Stuff
Last year we started a new tradition here on the Sandbar blog: helping you find fun, Sandbar- and beach-themed gifts for the holidays.
Here's our second annual version of "12 Days of Sandbar Christmas Gifts." We hope you like our suggestions!
Day 1: Shark Attack Bath Toy
Everyone loves our tropical drink toys, and we often hear about how you take them home to your kids for bathtub toys. Or play with them yourself. Well, here's an actual bath toy- but it might be a little scary for the kids.
Day 2: Instant Beach Ball
Bored or stuck in an awkward situation? Make it fun (or even more awkward) with this instant beach ball. It comes deflated in a decorated 3-inch can, but judging from the size of purses these days, it shouldn't be a problem for most of you to carry around.
Day 3: Snuggie Beach Towel with Sleeves
You knew it was coming- a beach version of the Snuggie. Take this to the pool or the beach and cover up while leaving your arms free to hold a book or a drink. We only wish it were more tropical-looking, with palm trees or flip flops on it.
Day 4: Puffer Fish Ornament
Everyone loves Homer the puffer fish. Now you can hang an ode to him on your Christmas tree- though this puffer fish looks more like a she, with her rhinestone bling for eyes and hot pink color.
Day 5: Funny Flamingo Slippers
Your kids love our inflatable pink flamingo koozies- now they can have their own funny, fluffy flamingo slippers. And this is a flamingo you can't claim as your own, because they only come in kid sizes. A great way to share some tropical love with the kids.
Day 6: Beach Ball Desk Game
Here's a snow-globe like desk game with a tropical flair. When you need a break from work, shake the globe to try to get the beach ball into the hammock.
Day 7: Palm Tree Shaped Electric Fan
Because everyone needs a metal sculpture of a palm tree with a working fan inside it. It's a beautiful and innovative piece of home decor, after all!
Day 8: Muscle Beach or Bikini One-Piece Bodysuit
These pieces of apparel rightfully come from a place called "What on Earth." Just in case you NEEDED a one-piece romper that snaps and also turns your fleshy body into a toned six-pack.
Day 9: December Diamonds Mario Merman Ornament
Everyone knows we love mermaids, and there's plenty of mermaid paraphernalia on the internet. But how about mermen? Not as much. We particularly love this ornament, especially because the guys seem to like dressing up as a mermaid at least as much as the gals do.
Day 10: Surfboard Picture Frame
This surfboard picture frame reminds us of our popular shotski, with its multiple photo openings lining the surfboard. Hang it on your wall and remember all the fun times. Even better, put pictures of people doing the shotski in it.
Day 11: Flamingo Key Chain
Here's an inexpensive stocking stuffer for the pink flamingo lovers- a pink flamingo keychain made from glass beads. Too expensive to give you with our tropical drink, though.
Day 12: Aloha Gorilla Costume
For our final offering, we present the Aloha Gorilla costume. Instead of Santa, why not dress up as a giant grass skirt and coconut bra-wearing gorilla, complete with a lei? The only thing stranger would be the Holiday Armadillo.
We hope you've enjoyed checking out our 12 Days of Sandbar Gifts as much as we enjoyed scouring the internet for them. Happy gift-giving!
