The Grand Lake Bum 05-13-2024
Get ready, Grand Lakers. This is the last weekend before the Memorial Day holiday weekend. That means you need to make sure your boat is clean and running properly and your house is tidied up before all your friends and relatives show up to celebrate the fact that they have someone in their social circle who has a boat and a place at the lake that they can use for free!
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Speaking of such things, is there any single amenity that brings out the worst in people more than the opening of a swimming pool? Last week, the Drunken Rooster joined the group of resorts, yacht clubs, RV parks who take a beating because they have the audacity to charge for the use of one of the most expensive amenities to build. The most common question on social media of the week was, “Is there a charge for using the pool.” Seriously? I can’t believe there are so many people who expect others to spend outrageous amounts of money to provide recreational options – and think those people should allow them to use it at no charge! I’m surprised people haven’t started asking bars and restaurants if there is a charge for food and beverages.
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I hope all the Grand Lake mothers enjoyed a fabulous Mother’s Day Sunday. It’s the one day of the year that all the mothers had a chance to enjoy an absolutely fantastic meal that they didn’t have to cook themselves! Thanks to all the other mothers who worked so hard at all the area restaurants so all the other mothers could have a great day! Since I’m not a mother, my highlight of the past weekend was Mother’s Day Eve which I spent at the spectacular South Grand Lake Chamber Bootleggers Ball. It was another fabulous evening of fun enjoying a great dinner, a great party, and a huge fundraising success for more great Grand Lake causes.
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If you like ocean cruises, but you hate packing and jamming all your clothes in those tiny spaces, maybe this is for you. Bare Necessities Tour & Travel is taking over the Norwegian Pearl cruise ship for an 11-day “Big Nude Boat” Caribbean cruise next February. Clothing not required. No, really. Even at the onboard buffet. If you have that kind of self-confidence, book your tickets now for this unusual trip to bare-adise.
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So, who is the most fortunate coach in the NBA? You might think Mark Daigneault, the Oklahoma City Thunder coach who was named NBA Coach of the Year; but you would be wrong. The luckiest NBA coach is Frank Vogel. Last June he signed a five-year contract with the Phoenix Suns for $31 million. Eleven months later, he got fired. That leaves him four years to relax and enjoy the remaining $25 million the Suns will have to pay him for…nothing. I’ll say it again, the best job in professional sports is “fired coach.”
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GRAND LAKE BUM SHOUT-OUTS: Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Grand Lakers Nancy Adkisson, Maxine Duncan, Byron Long, Jodi Gallagher, Gary Cameron, Greg Mantia, Gaylyn Haynes, Vicki Stockwell, Kim Klaus, Gayle Larimore, Paula Silzer, Randy Hess, Debbie Hess, Jordon Nichols, Marilyn Conner, Ellen Fleming, Kevin Blumenthal, Kolin Williams, James Torchia, and Cassie Hillegass.
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BEST GRAND LAKE EVENTS THIS WEEK: Thursday night is the weekly Shrimp Boil & Karaoke on Doc’s Patio at Shangri-La (5:00 p.m.). Friday & Saturday, The Anchor at Shangri-La kicks off summer Lawn-a-thon family fun with inflatable games on the Anchor Lawn (1:00 p.m.). The Shangri-La golf crew offers PXG Fitting Day Friday 12:00-3:30 and Saturday 11:00-2:30 at the club house. Saturday morning, start your day with your choice – Yoga or Zumba, or both! At 8:00 a.m. Laken Zimmerman offers Yoga on the lawn at Doc’s Patio at Shangri-La. At 10:30 a.m., join Katy for the Zumba Fitness Dance Party at Big Shots. Saturday morning is also “Farmers Market” in downtown Grove (8:00 a.m.). Saturday is the Sounds of Summer Car Show & Festival at Marina Del Rey Resort (1:00-6:00 p.m.). Saturday night is a Murder Mystery Dinner, “Death of a Gangster,” in the Roosevelt Ballroom at Shangri-La Resort (6:00 p.m.) and the O’Banion Band’s Summertime Kickoff at the Monkey Island Barn (6:00 p.m.). Sunday is the South Grand Lake Chamber Pickleball Mixer at Shangri-La Racquet Club. Sunday afternoon is also a Co-Ed Chipping Clinic at The Battlefield at Shangri-La (3:00 p.m.).
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RANDY KREHBIEL’S RANDOM FACTOID OF THE WEEK: The Dallas Cowboys employ 750 people, almost half of whom are women.
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FUN FACT OF THE WEEK: A truck loaded with thousands of copies of Roget's Thesaurus crashed losing its entire load. Witnesses were stunned, startled, aghast, taken aback, stupefied, confused, shocked, rattled, paralyzed, dazed, bewildered, mixed up, surprised, awed, dumbfounded, nonplussed, flabbergasted, astounded, amazed, confounded, astonished, overwhelmed, horrified, numbed, speechless, and perplexed.
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ODD FACT OF THE WEEK: Jimi Hendrix, Queen, the Beach Boys, Diana Ross, The Who, Journey, Bob Marley, Janis Joplin, The Doors, the Grateful Dead, and Buddy Holly all share one common bond. They never won a Grammy.
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BEST FACEBOOK POST OF THE WEEK: The secret of enjoying a good wine: 1) Open the bottle to allow it to breathe. 2) If it does not look like it’s breathing, give it mouth-to-mouth.
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BEST SIGN SEEN THIS WEEK: CAUTION: Water on road during rain.
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BEST TWEET OF THE WEEK: When I get bored, I call Best Western Hotels and when they say, “Best Western,” I say “High Noon with Gary Cooper” and hang up.
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PUN OF THE WEEK: I lost my device that helped me find mushrooms. I no longer have a morel compass.
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UNANSWERED QUESTION OF THE WEEK: When you go for a psychic reading, why does the psychic have to ask your name?
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OBSERVATION OF THE WEEK: Did you ever think about this? Half the people you know are below average. Do the math.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “You don’t become cooler with age, but you do care progressively less about being cool, which is the only true way of being cool. This is called the Geezer’s Paradox..” – Widdershins Smith
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FEEL-OLD MOMENTS OF THE WEEK: Alex Van Halen, drummer for Van Halen, is 71 years old. The “Say, Hey” MLB superstar, Willie Mays, turned 93 last week; and the “Piano Man” himself, Billy Joel, is now 75 years old.
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BEST WEEKEND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: There is an incredible line-up of great live entertainment around the lake this weekend. On Monkey Island, Jason Morgan kicks off the weekend with Thursday Night Karaoke at the Shrimp Boil on the patio at Doc’s Bar & Grill. Friday night, Kevin Price entertains live at Doc’s. There is karaoke fun on The Balcony Bar at The Shebang Friday & Saturday nights. Saturday night, RetroRockerz headline the opening weekend musical fun at Eddy’s Lakeside Bar (8:00-11:00). Sons of Turner will perform Friday night and The Calvin Loron Band will be live Saturday night at Blind Swine Monkey Island. Kyle Dillingham will be on stage Saturday night at Big Shots Rhythm & Booze. The O’Banion Band will entertain at their Summertime Kickoff at the O’Banion Barn (6:00 p.m.).
On South Grand, Rockwell performs at Blind Swine on Duck Creek Friday night followed by Gusto Dave Saturday. Magen Faulconer will be on stage Friday night at Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill in Disney followed by a special Sunday afternoon performance (4:00 p.m.) by Don White. Ryan and Shawn will headline Saturday night fun at Sharky’s Bar at Hammerhead Marina. RocKFiscH entertains Saturday night at the Drunken Rooster in Cleora.
In Grove, there are two nights of live music this week at Cherokee Casino featuring The Downbeat Friday night and 90 LB. Wrench Saturday. RocKFiscH entertains Friday night at Grand Lake Casino’s Venue 655.
Travis Kidd starts the weekend Thursday night at Indigo Sky Casino followed by Derryl Perry Friday and Encore Saturday. The Randy Ess Band will be on stage at Buffalo Run Casino’s Backwoods Bar Saturday night. In Club 60 West at River Bend Casino, Jeff Tatum and the Palomino Moon Band entertain Saturday night, and there is late night karaoke with DJ Kay beginning at 11:00 Saturday night.
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DINING & DRINKING UPDATE: Eddy’s Lakeside Bar at Shangri-La Marina opens for the season Friday afternoon at 4:00. A new restaurant, One Eyed Monkey, is now open for breakfast and lunch just west of Littlefield Corner (next to Family Dollar). Blind Swine Duck Creek is now open Tuesday-Sunday (11:00 a.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m. Friday-Sunday) featuring all-you-can-eat Crab Boils on Wednesday nights and all-you-can-eat Shrimp Boils Friday nights. Sharky’s Bar at Hammerhead Marina and Ugly’s Grill & Bar at Thunder Bay Marina are now open for the season, as well.
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BUM MUST-SEE TV: The 59th Academy of Country Music Awards Show airs live Thursday night at 7:00 on Prime Video. The season 25 finale of The Voice airs Monday and Tuesday at 7:00 on NBC. Jon Stewart hosts The Daily Show Monday night at 10:00 on The Comedy Channel.
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BUM MUST-SEE MOVIES: Back to Black,, The Strangers: Chapter 1, and If open in movie theaters Friday.
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SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, May 23 – South Grand Chamber monthly Membership Luncheon at GRDA Ecosystems Center in Langley (11:30 a.m.). Friday, May 24 - Grand Opening of the Legacy of Liberty WW II Memorial Park at Shangri-La (10:00 a.m.). Saturday, May 25 – Ketchum Volunteer Fire Department Fish Fry & Auction at the Ketchum Fire Station (5:00-8:00 p.m.). Saturday, May 25 – Cruise Night in Grove (6:00-10:00 p.m.). Saturday, May 25 – “Ugly 70’s Party” at Ugly’s Grill & Bar at Thunder Bay Marina celebrating the 50-year Anniversary for Ugly John’s (5:00 p.m.). Sunday, May 26 – Battlefield 1st Anniversary Scramble at The Battlefield at Shangri-La (1:00 p.m. shotgun). Monday, May 27 – Memorial Day celebration at Veterans Honor Plaza in Langley (10:00 a.m.). Friday, May 31 – Grove Chamber of Commerce Spring Scramble Golf Tournament at Quail Ridge Golf Course (8:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. tee times). Friday, May 31 – Final Friday celebration at Langley City Park with Jana Jae and Cornerstone Bluegrass & Gospel (5:30 p.m.). Saturday, June 1 – Dog-a-Thon – fundraising 1 mile walk with your dog benefiting 2nd Chance Pet Rescue at the YMCA Soccer fields in Grove (7:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.). Saturday, June 1 – Fairy Festival at Lendonwood Gardens in Grove (1:00-5:00 p.m.). Saturday & Sunday, June 1-2 – Cherokee Casino Big Bass Bash. Monday-Wednesday, June 3-5 – Junior Players Academy at Shangri-La Golf Club (8:30 a.m. daily). Friday, June 7 – Barkaritaville Fundraiser benefiting Second Chance Pet Rescue at Honey Creek Barbeque at Hilltop Inn & Suites in Grove (6:30-10:00 p.m.) – music by Brett N’ Terri. Friday & Saturday, June 7-8 – Toes in the Grand Festival at Wolf Creek Park in Grove. Friday & Saturday, June 7-8 – American Heritage Music Festival hosted by Jana Jae at Har-Ber Village (Friday at 9:00 a.m., Saturday at 6:00 p.m.). Saturday, June 8 – Grand Lake YMCA Triathlon (7:00 a.m.). Saturday, June 8 – PING Fitting Day at Shangri-La Golf Club (9:00 a.m.-1:00). Saturday, June 8 – Boats, Bikes & BBQ at MarineMax Grand Lake (4:00-8:00 p.m.). Sunday, June 9 – Thunder on Wolf Creek boat races at Wolf Creek Park in Grove. Monday-Wednesday, June 10-12 – Youth Tennis Camp at The Anchor Racquet Club at Shangri-La (8:30 a.m.). Thursday-Sunday, June 27-28 – Grand Meridian RV Resort’s 7th Annual Grand Jam Music Fest.
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NBA Playoffs continue as they wrap up conference semi-final action. If necessary after Wednesday’s 8:30 game, the Thunder and Mavericks continue their battle Saturday at 7:30. If a game 7 is necessary, it will be next Monday at 7:30. The winner goes to the Western Conference Championship series.
On the PGA Tour, it’s championship week! The PGA Championship will be held at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Coverage on the Golf Channel begins at 1:00 Thursday & Friday and noon Saturday & Sunday. CBS picks up the final two rounds at 2:00 Saturday & Sunday.
It’s time for the NCAA Softball Regionals. Games will be held at 16 sites Thursday-Sunday with both OU and OSU in championship form.
The UFL professional football season features two games Saturday and two more Sunday. Memphis and Michigan face off Saturday at 3:00, followed by Houston and Birmingham at 7:00. Sunday games include St. Louis and D.C. at 11:00 a.m. and San Antonio and Arlington at 3:00.
On the NASCAR circuit, it’s All-Star week. Coverage of the All-Star Open begins at 4:30 Sunday afternoon, followed by the NASCAR All-Star Race at 7:00, both on FS1.
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It’s going to be tough to have better weather this weekend than we had last weekend, but it looks like we’ll be able to do it. We’ll have light winds, sunshine, and high temperatures in the mid-80s with lows in the mid-60s. There’s a lot happening on this pre-holiday weekend, so get out there and have some fun before the huge crowds hit! Remember, though, wherever you decide to party, be sure to buy a drink for the guy next to you. It might be me!
GRAND LAKE BUM
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Looking for places to go, things to do, services to use or property to buy in the Grand Lake area? Here’s a starter kit listing of “open to the public” fun places to spend time at Grand Lake.
Anchor Sports Bar & Activity Park at Shangri-La
Big Shots on Monkey Island (Open Thursday, Friday & Saturday nights)
Blind Swine on Duck Creek at Safe Harbor Harbors View Marina (closed for the season)
Blind Swine on Monkey Island
Blue Bluff Café at Blue Bluff Harbor
BOOM in Grove (at The Regatta)
Buffalo Bar at Shangri-La on Monkey Island
Buffalo Run Casino in Miami (smoking)
Casa Gutierrez in Grove
Cesar’s Place in Vinita
Cesar’s Place in Langley
Changos Locos at Littlefield Corner, Monkey Island
Checkered Past in Grove
Chickanella’s on Monkey Island
Chicken Coop west of Langley
Chubby’s Grill at On Target in Grove
Clanton’s Café in Vinita
Copper Penny Bar in Ketchum
Cosby’s Catfish on Highway 28 in Eucha (East of Disney)
Cove Club in Langley
Doc’s Bar & Grill at Shangri-La Resort Hotel
Domino’s in Grove
Downstream Casino in Quapaw (smoking)
Drake’s Restaurant in Grove
Drunken Rooster Bar & Grill
E&H Liquor Store at Littlefield Corner, Monkey Island
Eddy’s Lakeside Bar at Shangri-La Marina
Fire Pit at Wildwood Cove Resort in Drowning Creek
Galley at The Anchor, Shangri-La Resort
Goodfella’s Pizza (Cleora and Grove)
Grand Getaway Mercantile (north of Grove)
Grand Lake Casino, north of Grove on Highway 10 (smoking)
Grand Lake Coffee Company in Grove
Grand Lake Public House in Grove
Grand Lake RV Resort at the back of Duck Creek
Hero’s Deli in Grove
High Winds Casino east of Miami (smoking)
Honey Creek BBQ in Grove (south of Honey Creek bridge)
Indigo Sky Casino west of Seneca, Mo. (smoking)
Juan Montez Restaurant & Cantina at Red Arrow Marina
Keagan’s Coffee at Littlefield Corner
La Casita de Martin in downtown Grove
Legacy Eatery in Grove
Lighthouse Supper Club in Ketchum
Los Garcias in Langley
Lupe's Mexican Restaurant in Grove
Matt’s Place in Grove
Monkey Bar on Monkey Island
Monkey Island RV Resort
Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill in Disney
Monkey Grind at Shangri-La Resort Hotel
Monkey Island Trail Rides
Monkey Island Winery
Mosa Hibachi and Sushi in Grove
Mulligan’s at Patricia Island Golf Club in Grove
Nu Taste Restaurant in Grove
One-Eyed Monkey at Littlefield Corner, Monkey Island
Pappy’s Bar on Hwy 10 east of Grove
Pickles at the Lake in Langley
Pier 13 Liquor Store in Langley
Pistol Pat’s on Honey Creek in Grove
Pit Stop Café in Grove
Quarterdeck Cafe at Tera Miranda Harbor
R Bar Dance Hall & Saloon in Grove
Raggedy’s in Grove
Rancho Viejo in Grove
Regatta Restaurant & Bar at Sailboat Bridge, Grove
Riggs & Company in Langley
River Bend Casino in Wyandotte (smoking)
Road Hog Saloon at the entrance to Monkey Island
Royal Liquor Store in Grove
Rusty Anchor (next to the cliffs at Dripping Springs)
Sharky’s at Hammerhead Marina
Stuffn’s Restaurant in Ketchum (Smoking on patio)
Sugar Shack at Lee’s Grand Lake Resort
Summit Restaurant at Shangri-La on Monkey Island
The Grill at Indian Hills Resort & Marina in Bernice
The Stables Casino in Miami (smoking)
The Shebang on Monkey Island (smoking on patio and Balcony Bar)
Ugly’s Grill & Bar, Thunder Bay Marina
VIP Pizza at Hammerhead Marina (smoking on deck)
Wolf Creek Diner in Grove
