So, now that St. Patrick's Day is almost a month in the past, and we've waited nearly two weeks to post on our blog…TWO WEEKS! This has never happened before.
Here's more from this year's St. Patrick's Day…Patrick, Peach's brother, loves to shoot video. He brought out his camera (inside a crazy contraption that holds it steady) on St. Pat's and recorded our float.
Here are some videos:
This is a great video of our float. You can't hear the music until the boat gets closer to the camera, but it certainly shows off the boat in all its glory.
This one features the girls on the main deck dancing to the Drunken Sailor song. We loved their dance!
Many thanks to Patrick for filming our float and posting the videos!
We got a late start on this year's St. Patrick's Day parade float, but we promise it will be bigger and better than ever!
Every year, we have lots of helpers. Builders, painters and even cleaner-uppers. Here's a picture from our friend Curtis after last Sunday's work day:
His two little boys help with the float every year. They're great at picking up all the loose screws and other things that the rest of us can't bend down far enough to find. Their reward for all their hard work is a place of honor on the float during the parade.
Be sure to look for the littlest members of our crew this year! The parade is Saturday, Mar. 17, at 1 p.m. in downtown Lawrence.
Last weekend was the first-ever Halfway to St. Patrick's Day street festival, brought to you by the Lawrence St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee.
If you're not familiar with Lawrence's St. Patrick's Day Parade, you might not know that the big parade on March 17 is only one event that surrounds this holiday. The committee starts meeting every year in the fall to plan a whole bunch of different events that raise funds for children's charities.
Currently, the committee is accepting applications for the 2012 beneficiaries. If you know of a non-profit agency in the Lawrence or Douglas County area that works with young people, please encourage them to apply! Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Oct. 3. More information, including the application, is available here.
Now, back to the party last weekend.
We were happy to help out with the street festival by securing the necessary permits from the city as well as providing the drinks. We set up a bar outside, our block was closed to traffic and a stage was set up at 8th and New Hampshire. Three bands performed: Radio Flyers, Ashley Davis and Imminent Domain. The committee requested a $5 donation for a wristband in order to drink outside.
Unfortunately, the weather wasn't very cooperative. Saturday was gray and rainy and cool, and it certainly kept some people away. For those of us who sweated buckets during our own block party last month, though, the cool weather was a welcome relief!
Lots of loyal Sandbar friends and St. Patrick's Day fans came out for the party, and bagpipers from Kansas City even stopped by to entertain us. We also loved the bands; we'll keep them on our list for potential bands for our next birthday block party.
Tomorrow, we'll tell you about a surprise guest who made an appearance at the party!
Everybody knows St. Patrick's Day is our favorite holiday. Did you know this Saturday is the halfway point to the next extravaganza?
The Lawrence St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee is kicking off the 25th annual parade season with a Halfway to St. Patrick's celebration on Sept. 17 from 5 p.m. to midnight. The street in front of the Sandbar will be the site of a street festival that features Irish music from Flannigan's Right Hook and Ashley Davis. The rock band Eminent Domain will close out the party.
EDIT: Flannigan's Right Hook has canceled their appearance. They'll be replaced by the Radio Flyers, followed by Ashley Davis and Eminent Domain. There will also be some members of the KC pipe and drum corps performing on the bagpipes.
The suggested donation is $5 per person. Alcohol will be available for sale outside; if you want to drink, you must be 21 and purchase a wristband. All money from donations and wristband sales will go towards the St. Patrick's Day committee's fundraising efforts. Since 1988, the parade and its activities have raised more than $645,000 for charities that benefit local youth. Area organizations can apply to be this year's beneficiary until Oct. 3. Visit www.lawrencestpatricksdayparade.com for more information.
Come out and see us on Saturday! The bar will be open as usual at 1 p.m. and our staff will be serving drinks outside in the evening starting around 5.
Every year, our St. Patrick's Day Parade float gets bigger, better and more complicated.
Here's how our planning starts:
This was Peach's vision for this year's volcano float. Yes, we originally talked about having a flash mob as part of our extravaganza, but that idea was nixed out of concern for safety and logistics. Plus, we already had a lot to plan, and wrangling a flash mob added extra work.
