December 14 Random Observations Of The Grand Lake Bum
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Congratulations and thank you to all the volunteers who stepped forward to make sure last Saturday night’s Grove Christmas Parade happened despite the COVID-19 quarantine problems among the Grove Chamber staff. Nicely done! It’s hard to believe that Christmas is NEXT WEEK! Christmas is coming up way too fast for me. On the other hand, that means 2020 is coming to a close – and it can’t get out of here fast enough!
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Last week was one of those weeks that encourage boat owners not to winterize – followed immediately by a weekend to make them wish they had. People with outboard motors certainly looked smart. I think they were all on the water during that three-day spree of sunshine and temperatures in the 70s. Nothing lasts forever, though. Friday, the bottom fell out and the only boats on the water were work barges, service boats and a few fishermen. By Sunday, we were watching the snow. Oklahoma weather! The upcoming calendar looks better. We’ll be back up in the 50s this weekend with a good forecast through Christmas. Keep those boat keys handy.
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It was disappointing that OU and Tulsa didn’t get to play their last regular season games last week, but at least we get to watch them both in Conference Championship games this weekend. And believe it or not, it’s Coronavirus Bowl Season. So far, ten bowl games have been canceled, two others have been moved to different cities, and 33 scheduled games are still standing. TV ratings should be better for this year’s bowl games, because most of them are allowing few fans in the stadiums – or none at all. On top of that, bowl officials are looking at teams with short travel distances due to the virus – and they have eliminated the requirement that teams have to win over half their games. I guess that means a lot of teams that normally don’t get bowl bids will get to play this year – but it ought to also make for some really terrible games that nobody cares about. So, what’s new? It’s 2020, right?
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While we’re talking about sports, when is the last time an NFL team was so bad they got punished by the TV networks? Introducing, your Dallas Cowboys. They’re so bad they got pulled from a scheduled Sunday night prime time game this week, and got moved to a noon kick-off slot. To add historic insult to injury, they were replaced in the Sunday night prime time slot by the Cleveland Browns!
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The Presidential election is still happening, too. It seems like Joe Biden has won the election 50 times since November 3, including twice in the U.S. Supreme Court – but we’re still rolling along with the election process. The Electors actually cast their votes in the Electoral College today. Those official votes are signed, sealed, and they have to be delivered to the President of the U.S. Senate by December 23rd. Under the U.S. Constitution, the President of the Senate is the Vice-President of the United States. That means all the official votes will go to…Mike Pence. That’s gonna be awkward.
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DINING AND DRINKING UPDATE: Doc’s Bar & Grill has added another special night of dining – Friday nights – with all-you-can-eat ribs for $25 and $3 Corona Premier & Michelob Ultra along with $2 rum cocktails “your way.” Grand Lake Public House is now open for lunch at 11:00 in addition to dinner service. Sunday Brunch is offered to the public at Doc’s Bar & Grill (9:00-2:00) and Mulligans at Patricia Island (10:00-2:00). The Café at Har-Ber Village is open year-round (8:00-4:00). This is the last weekend of the season for Quarterdeck Café at Tera Miranda (Fri 4:00-8:00, Sat & Sun 11:00-8:00 – no breakfast service). The Grill at Indian Hills closes for the holidays at 3:00 Sunday afternoon and will not reopen until January 2. Mooney’s Bar & Grill will be closed until January 1 for painting and maintenance. Christmas Eve, Grand Lake Public House will be open until 7:00 and the Summit Restaurant will be open until 8:00. Both restaurants will be closed Christmas Day.
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BEST EVENTS OF THE WEEK: Saturday is the Afton Christmas Parade (6:00) and the annual Christmas Costume Contest at Monkey Island Pub. Saturday afternoon at 5:00 is Sing with Santa kids’ karaoke at Blind Swine. For sports fans, Saturday is conference championship game day for both the Big 12 (OU) and the American Athletic Conference (Tulsa). Santa’s Ozark Mountain Village is open at Har-Ber Village, the Winter Wonderland Christmas Light Display is open nightly at Pine Lodge Resort, the Twin Bridges Park of Lights is now open near Wyandotte, and The Casitas at Grand Lake also has a great light display.
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BEST WEEKEND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: Jason Morgan hosts karaoke at Prime Rib & Karaoke Thursday at Doc’s Bar & Grill at Shangri-La. Laron Simpson performs live at Doc’s Friday night. KJ Flip leads the karaoke fun at Blind Swine Thursday night from 8-11. Erin Fitzgibbon performs Friday night for Live Swine. Saturday evening at 5:00, bring the kids to “Sing with Santa” at the Swine prior to a live performance by The Faulconers at 8:00. Erin Fitzgibbon will be back Tuesday. Terry Jordan performs at the Summit Restaurant at Shangri-La Friday and Saturday nights. Monkey Island Pub features Karaoke with Tim Saturday night.
Indigo Sky Casino this week presents Travis Kidd Thursday and Friday nights in the Echo Bar, followed by The Sidecars Saturday. Mayday by Midnight will perform both Friday and Saturday nights at Downstream Casino’s Legends Sports Bar. At Cherokee Casino Grove’s 1897 Bar, The Uncrowned Kings will entertain Friday night, followed by the Rod Robertson Band Saturday.
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RANDY KREHBIEL’S RANDOM FACTOID OF THE WEEK: Midwest City, Okla., is named for Midwest Air Depot -- the original designation of what is today Tinker Air Force Base.
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FUN FACT OF THE WEEK: Sunglasses were originally designed for Chinese judges to hide their facial expressions in court.
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BEST FACEBOOK POST OF THE WEEK: So…you’ve been eating hot dogs and McChickens all your life, but won’t take the vaccine because you “don’t know what’s in it?”
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BEST SIGN SEEN THIS WEEK: You only need two tools in life – WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn’t move, but should…use WD-40. If it moves, but shouldn’t…use Duct Tape. (thanks to Bob Graper for sharing this one)
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TWEET OF THE WEEK: Y’all think 2020 is bad. Just wait until it turns 21 and starts drinking. (thanks to my pal Jim Anderson for this one)
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BEST PUN OF THE WEEK: Amal and Juan are identical twins. Their mom only carries one picture because if you’ve seen Juan, you’ve seen Amal.
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OBSERVATION OF THE WEEK: I’m trying to do my part for the economy. With bars only allowed to operate at 50% capacity, it seems like the only responsible thing for customers to do is drink twice as much.
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FEEL-OLD MOMENTS OF THE WEEK: Country music legend Charley Pride died Saturday from Covid-19 complications. He was 86. Johnny Crawford, the little boy who played Lucas McCain’s son Mark in “The Rifleman,” turned 74 last week. It has been 40 years since Beatle John Lennon was murdered.
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GRAND LAKE BUM SHOUT-OUTS: Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Kyle Spurlock, Tina Holcomb-Blackman, Katie Hutson, Jim Cottom, Donald Murphy, Casey Davis, Richard Lowry, Rodney Richardson, Jana Worley, Travis Hartley, Jeff Boschee, Casey Musgrove, Tiffany Cogle, Laurie Kelly, Rich Jefferies, Scott Roberts, Denise Whitson, Shannon Watkins, Kelli Wilcox, Rick Huskey, and Bob Cullison! Congratulations, too, to Marge Chowning and Victoria King – Silver Legacy Award Winners for their longtime dedication to Grove Playmakers and their involvement in so many productions.
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UNANSWERED QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Why are they called “stands” when they’re made for sitting?
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BUM MUST-SEE TV: If you missed the live version, The Grand Lake Christmas Light Boat Parade will televised this weekend. The telecast will be at 10:30 a.m. on KTUL in Tulsa and at 5:00 p.m. on KSNF, Pittsburg/Joplin. An Oklahoma City station has now been added, too – KWTV Digital (Channel 52) – with telecasts at 10:00 a.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Other great TV this week includes the Global Citizen Prize Awards Saturday night at 7:00 on NBC. Sunday night on CBS Garth & Trisha Live airs at 7:30 followed by the 22nd Annual A Home for Christmas at 8:30.
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BUM MUST-SEE MOVIES: Fatale is released to theaters this week. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is available this weekend on NETFLIX. Coming 2 America is available on Prime Video, and Godmothered is on Disney+.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “If you can start arguing over something, and get enough publicity, and keep the argument going, you can divide our nation overnight as to whether spinach or broccoli is the most nutritious. We can get hot and bothered over nothing and cool off faster than any nation in the world.” — Will Rogers
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SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, December 24 – Christmas Eve Karaoke with KJ Flip at Blind Swine. Thursday, December 31 – Puerto Rican New Year’s Celebration at Big Shot’s Rhythm & Booze (8:00-11:00 p.m.). Thursday, December 31 – New Year’s Eve Roaring 20s party at Monkey Island Pub. Thursday, December 31 – New Year’s Eve celebrations at Blind Swine, Road Hog Saloon, Pickles on the Lake. Thursday, December 31 – Members Wine Dinner at The Summit at Shangri-La. New Year’s Eve Prime Rib Dinner/party at Mulligan’s at Patricia Island. Thursday, January 14 – Grove Chamber Connection Membership Luncheon at Grove Community Center (11:30).
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SPORTS WATCH: It’s a big weekend for Sooner fans and Golden Hurricane fans. OU takes on Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship game Saturday at 11:00 a.m. on ABC; and Tulsa will face Cincinnati for the American Athletic Conference title Saturday night at 7:00, also on ABC. Other big Saturday college games include Clemson vs. Notre Dame (3:00 on ABC) and Alabama vs. Florida (7:00 on CBS).
The NFL season heads into week #15 with The Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders getting the weekend started Thursday night at 7:00 on Fox. There are two rare Saturday games this week, as well – Buffalo at Denver at 3:30 and Carolina at Green Bay at 7:00, both exclusively on NFL Network. Sunday games include San Francisco at Dallas (noon on CBS), Kansas City at New Orleans (3:30 on CBS), and Cleveland at the NY Giants (7:00 on NBC). Monday Night Football features Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (7:00 on ESPN).
It’s time to crank up NBA action, too. The OKC Thunder takes on the Chicago Bulls Friday night at 7:00 in their last pre-season game. The regular season opener is Wednesday, December 23 at 7:00 against the Rockets in Houston. Both games are on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
PGA players are on holiday break. The next PGA Tour event is the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii January 7.
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The weather for the weekend ahead sure looks better than what we had for the weekend behind us. There’s a chance of a few showers Saturday morning but, other than that, we’ll have sunshine and high temperatures around 50 and lows around 30. The Christmas party season is officially underway…so remember, wherever you party, be sure to buy a drink for the guy next to you. It could 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.
Ailey’s Café in Langley
Artichoke Restaurant & Bar in Langley
Balcony Bar at The Shebang (Smoking – open Friday & Saturday nights)
Big Shots on Monkey Island (Open Friday & Saturday nights)
Blind Swine on Monkey Island
Blue Bluff Café at Blue Bluff Harbor
Buffalo Bar at Shangri-La on Monkey Island
Buffalo Run Casino in Miami (smoking)
Café at Har-Ber Village
Café Yum in Grove
Cesar’s Place in Vinita
Cesar’s Place in Langley
Checkered Past in Grove
Chickanella’s in Grove
Chicken Coop West of Langley
Clanton’s Café in Vinita
Copper Penny Bar in Ketchum
Coppers Tea & Coffee House in Grove
Cosby’s Catfish on Highway 28 in Eucha (East of Disney)
Doc’s Bar & Grill at Shangri-La Resort Hotel
Docks Bar at Harbors View Marina
Domino’s in Grove
Downstream Casino in Quapaw (smoking)
Drake’s on the Lake at Blue Bluff Harbor
Drake’s Restaurant in Grove
Eddy’s Lakeside Bar at Shangri-La Marina (smoking)
Gabby’s Place in downtown Grove
Goodfella’s Pizza (Cleora and Grove)
Grand Lake Casino, north of Grove on Highway 10 (smoking)
Grand Lake Public House in Grove
Hatfield’s Saloon in Grove
Henrie’s Grill 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
La Casita de Martin in downtown Grove
Lighthouse Supper Club in Ketchum
Los Garcias in Langley
Lupe's Mexican Restaurant in Grove
Marina’s Place at Littlefield Corner
Matt’s Place in Grove
Monkey Island Pub (Smoking)
Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill in Disney (smoking, etc.)
Monkey Island Trail Rides
Monkey Island Winery
Mulligan’s at Patricia Island Golf Club in Grove
Nu Taste Restaurant in Grove
Pappy’s Bar on Hwy 10 east of Grove
Pickles at the Lake in Langley
Pit Stop Café in Grove
Quarterdeck Cafe at Tera Miranda Harbor (smoking on the deck)
Raggedy’s in Grove
Rancho Viejo in Grove
Riggs & Company in Langley
River Bend Casino in Wyandotte (smoking)
Road Hog Saloon at the entrance to Monkey Island (smoking...but not at lunch)
Rusty Anchor (next to the cliffs at Dripping Springs)
Sharky’s at Hammerhead Marina (smoking)
Stuffn’s Restaurant in Ketchum (Smoking on patio)
Summit Restaurant at Shangri-La on Monkey Island
The Grill at Indian Hills Resort & Marina in Bernice
The Landings Market and Grill on Monkey Island (smoking on the patio)
The Parrot at Honey Creek Landing in Grove (Smoking on the patio)
The Pouhouse at The Regatta in Grove
The Stables Casino in Miami (smoking)
The Shebang on Monkey Island (smoking on patio and Balcony Bar)
Ugly’s Grill & Bar, Thunder Bay Marina (smoking)
VIP Pizza at Hammerhead Marina (smoking on deck)
Water Side Bar & Grill in Grove
Waterway Café, Harbors View Marina (smoking on breakwater dining deck)
Wolf Creek Diner in Grove