December 23 Random Observations Of The Grand Lake Bum
Winter has finally arrived – officially. Last Saturday was the first day of Winter. There are a couple of observations about that day that create a bit of a silver lining, though. First off, the first day of winter at Grand Lake was sunny, calm, and 51 degrees. The days following were even warmer! Also, the first day of winter means the daylight calendar has tipped, and each day after has a little more daylight. Now all we need is the arrival of March 8 – Daylight Saving Time returns!
*****
By the way, if you’re absolutely certain you got the perfect gift for that special someone in your life, chance are good that you’re wrong. Experts predict $90 billion worth of Christmas gifts will be returned. Attention retailers…don’t count your cash, yet!
*****
All of the Christmas parties are behind us. They were just preparation for all the big New Year’s Eve parties on the horizon. I’m happy to see a great Grand Lake New Year’s tradition is alive and well this year – the great Don White performing at Mooney’s. There’s fun everywhere you look on Grand Lake - boating, bands, booze, and bowl games. The best week of the non-summer season has arrived. It doesn’t get any better than an entire week of great entertainment with the focus on absolutely nothing but eating, drinking, and fun, fun, fun. Enjoy the send-off of 2019 – and let’s roll on into another Grand year!
*****
The kick-off of another New Year means a lot of people will be working on resolutions, making promises they know they won’t be able to keep. I’m right there with you. I wasn’t going to have any serious New Year’s Resolutions this year, but I saw a statistic that said the average American has sex 89 times a year. I’m finally feeling motivated about a resolution!
*****
Looking for something to sign? A petition was filed with the Secretary of State last week calling for a vote on legalizing recreational marijuana use in Oklahoma. It calls for a 15% tax on it. They’ll need about 178,000 signatures to get it on the ballot.
*****
GRAND LAKE DINING & DRINKING UPDATE: Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill in Disney is offering $1.50 cans of Bud Light through December 30. The Artichoke Restaurant in Langley has added some holiday hours of operation – open at 5:00 p.m. December 29 & 30 (yes, they realize that’s a Sunday and Monday). Congratulations, by the way, to Jim & Diana Sellers who own The Artichoke. Their restaurant was named by Open Table as one of the Most Popular 100 Restaurants in the nation! Congratulations to Larry and Joyce Duke, as well – the big New Year’s Eve Party at Big Shots Rhythm & Booze will be held next week for the 20th consecutive year!!
*****
RANDY KREHBIEL’S RANDOM FACTOID OF THE WEEK: As both a starting halfback and placekicker, Paul Hornung scored 176 points in a 12-game season in 1960, an NFL record that stood for more than 45 years and long after the season expanded to 16 games.
*****
BEST FACEBOOK POST OF THE WEEK: The leading cause for injury in old men is them thinking they are still young men.
*****
BEST SIGN SEEN THIS WEEK (seen outside the office of a urologist): URINE Good Hands!
*****
TWEET OF THE WEEK: Please let children believe in Santa. You believe in essential oils, and no one is ruining it for you.
*****
OBSERVATION OF THE WEEK: The year 2000 was twenty years ago, which is weird because 1980 was also twenty years ago.
*****
BEST PUN OF THE WEEK: If a short psychic broke out of jail, you’d have a small medium at large.
*****
FEEL-OLD MOMENT OF THE WEEK: He may not feel old and, if past is prologue, he may NEVER feel old; but this might make YOU feel old. Legendary Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards turned 76 years old last week.
*****
GRAND LAKE BUM SHOUT-OUTS: Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Jeff Silvers, David Hinkle, Nancy Wyatt, Linda Ballard, Chandra Farmer, Barbara Staten, Barbara Smith, Mike McCurdy, Chuck Harris, Debbie Dooley, Robert Vandommelen, Drew Lolato, and Judy Harris.
*****
UNANSWERED QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Why does everyone force introverts to be talkative and leave their comfort zone, but no one forces the extroverts to shut up, even for a minute, to make the zone more comfortable?
*****
BEST EVENTS OF THE WEEK: Friday evening is a Texas Bowl Watch Party at Doc’s Bar & Grill at 6:00 p.m. (OSU vs. Texas A&M). Saturday afternoon is a Peach Bowl Watch Party at Doc’s Bar & Grill at 2:00 (OU vs. LSU) and a Peach Bowl Potluck Dinner at Grand Meridian RV Resort at 2:30. Tuesday night is a New Year’s Eve Prime Rib Dinner at Doc’s Bar & Grill followed by a midnight champagne toast and an all-night New Year’s Breakfast Buffet from 1:00 a.m. until 6:30 a.m.. There are big New Year’s Eve parties Tuesday at Big Shots Rhythm & Booze, Monkey Island Pub, and Blind Swine – all on Monkey Island, as well as Cherokee Yacht Club and Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill.
*****
GRAND LAKE WEEKEND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: There’s great entertainment around the lake again this weekend. Terry Jordan performs Saturday & Sunday nights at Shangri-La’s Summit Restaurant, as well as New Year’s Eve for the Shangri-La Members’ NYE Wine Dinner. Big Shots Rhythm & Booze features a fabulous New Year’s Eve party with great DJ music and a champagne toast at midnight Tuesday. At the Blind Swine, Erin Fitzgibbon will be on stage Friday night and DJ Kennedy is back for New Year’s Eve music Tuesday. Monkey Island Pub features great dance music Friday & Saturday nights – a fabulous Roaring 20s New Year’s Eve Party Tuesday. At Littlefield Corner, there’s great live music every weekend at the Road Hog Saloon, as well as a great New Year’s Eve Party.
On South Grand Lake, Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill in Disney will spotlight the talent of Don White on New Year’s Eve.
Area casinos have big entertainment plans, too. Cherokee Casino Grove features the music of 90lb. Wrench Friday night and Revelation: A Tribute to Journey Saturday and dual New Year’s Eve performances by Walkin’ the Line and Double Vision Tuesday night. Grand Lake Casino’s Venue 655 features Pony Up Friday night and karaoke fun Saturday night, and a special New Year’s Eve performance by Paralandra Tuesday. At River Bend Casino, Lickitty Split performs Friday night in the Club 60 West Bar; and Dr. Funk and the Soul Vaccinations will entertain on New Year’s Eve. At Buffalo Run Casino’s Trailer Park Bar & Grill there is live DJ action every Friday & Saturday night at 10:00; and there’s a big New Year’s Eve Glow Party at Buffalo Run’s Peoria Showplace Tuesday night. Downstream Casino’s Legends Sports Bar spotlights Karat Kountry Friday night and Time Machine Saturday night; and Lover’s Leap Lounge features Harley Hamm Jimmy Jamm both Friday & Saturday nights. New Year’s Eve entertainment at Downstream begins with DJ entertainment early and Replay beginning at 9:30 at Legends. Ragsdale & Croy entertain New Year’s Eve in Lover’s Leap Lounge. At Indigo Sky Casino’s Echo Lounge Tim Noel will entertain Thursday night, and Diversity will be on stage Friday nights followed by Dirty Saints Saturday. Indigo Sky continues the entertainment line-up with three more consecutive nights of entertainment including Rocked-N-Loaded Sunday night, Party Line Monday night, and New Year’s Eve entertainment by Mayday by Midnight.
The best spots to catch all your favorite sports action including college football bowl games (especially OSU-Texas A&M Friday and OU-LSU Saturday), NFL football, and NBA action are Doc’s Bar & Grill at Shangri-La Resort, the Standing Room Only Bar at The Shebang, Blind Swine, Road Hog Saloon, 1909 in Grove, Pickles at the Lake in Langley, and Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill in Disney.
*****
BUM MUST-SEE TV: Take your choice of live productions to ring in the new year. New Year’s Eve specials include Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve with Ryan Seacrest starting at 7:00 Tuesday night on ABC. New Year’s Eve with Steve Harvey airs Tuesday night at 7:00 on Fox; and NBC’s Live New Year’s Eve Special starts at 9:00 New Year’s Eve.
*****
BUM MUST-SEE MOVIES: Little Women, Spies in Disguise, A Hidden Life, and Ice Princess Lily. It’s a great movie week, for sure!
*****
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “The final Democratic Presidential debate was held last week. It was broadcast on PBS this time, so it was not surprisingly dull. It was expectedly dull.” – Peter Sagal
*****
SAVE THE DATE: Friday-Sunday, January 10-12 – OKC Boat & RV Show at the Bennett Center, State Fairgrounds. Tuesday, January 14: Blazin’ Hot Tacos & Tequila Tuesday at Doc’s Bar & Grill at Shangri-La ($10 admission benefits the Grove Fire Department). Saturday, January 25 – Whiskey Kitchen Blues Bash & BBQ at Shangri-La Resort. Monday-Sunday, January 27-February 2 – Tulsa Boat, Sport & Travel Show at Tulsa State Fairgrounds. Sunday, February 2 – Super Bowl Watch Party at Doc’s Bar & Grill at Shangri-La. Friday, February 7 – Business After Hours Reception at Shangri-La Resort (5:00-7:00). Saturday, February 8 – Polar Plunge at Shangri-La Resort’s outdoor pool ($10 entry benefits the Grove Public Library).
*****
SPORTS WATCH! College football bowl games are getting serious this week. Friday night, Oklahoma State takes on Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl at 5:30 (ESPN0. Saturday, OU takes on LSU in the national championship semi-final in the Peach Bowl at 3:00 (ESPN) followed by the other semi-final game pitting Clemson against Ohio State at 7:00 (ESPN). Additional Saturday bowl games feature Memphis vs. Penn State at 11:00 (ESPN) and Notre Dame at Iowa State, also at 11:00 (ABC). Florida takes on Virginia Monday night (7:00 on ESPN), followed by a big line-up on New Year’s Eve: Florida State vs. Arizona State at 1:00 (CBS), Navy vs. Kansas State at 2:45 (ESPN), and Utah vs. Texas at 6:30 (ESPN). New Year’s Day games feature Minnesota vs. Auburn at noon (ESPN), and Michigan vs. Alabama, also at noon (ABC), Oregon vs. Wisconsin at 4:00 (ESPN), and Georgia vs. Baylor at 7:45 (ESPN).
The NBA schedule has the OKC Thunder hosting Memphis Thursday night at 7:00 before heading to Charlotte Friday night at 6:00, then on to Toronto Sunday night at 5:00. All games are on Fox Sports Oklahoma.
NFL action is getting serious, for sure. All games are on Sunday this week. Televised games include the L.A. Chargers at Kansas City (CBS) and Washington at Dallas (Fox), both at noon Sunday. At 3:30, Arizona is at L.A. to face the Rams (Fox) Denver hosts Oakland (CBS).
*****
What incredible weather we have for the holidays at Grand Lake. Christmas week with sunshine and temperatures in the low 60s will be followed by a few scattered showers over the weekend with highs in the mid-50s and lows in the mid-40s. We’ll shave about ten degrees off of those the highs and lows to ring in the new year. Nice! Be safe and enjoy the rest of your holiday celebrations with friends and family. There’s a party everywhere you look at Grand Lake! Remember, though… wherever you decide to party, be sure to buy a drink for the guy next to you. It could be me. Happy New Year!!
GRAND LAKE BUM
Want more information on advertisers you see in the Grand Lake Bum? No problem. Just click on their ad and you will be connected to their web site. If you would like to join the growing list of sponsors of The Grand Lake Bum e-blast and the Bum’s page on both grandlakenewsonline.com and www.360grandlake.com, as well as Grand Times on Grand Lake, the cost is only $50 a week and the list of readers is growing. E-mail or contact grandlakebum@gmail.com to sign up. The Grand Lake Bum column is also published in The Grand Laker.
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.
1909 in Downtown Grove
Ailey’s Café in Langley
Aquabar & Grill at The Landings Marina on Monkey Island (smoking on the deck)
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 Run Casino in Miami (smoking)
Café Italia on Monkey Island
Café Yum in Grove
Carlos Montez in Langley (smoking in bar)
Ceasar’s Place in Vinita and at Littlefield Corner
Checkered Past in Grove
Chickanella’s in Grove
Chicken Coop West of Langley
Clanton’s Café in Vinita
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
Monkey Island Pub (Smoking)
Monkey’s Uncle at Littlefield Corner (Breakfast & lunch)
Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill in Disney (smoking, etc.)
Morrow’s Bar & Grill at Morrow’s Landing
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)
Scooters in Langley (smoking)
Sharky’s at Hammerhead Marina (smoking)
Sticky Fingers Barbecue in Ketchum
Stuffn’s Restaurant in Ketchum (Smoking on patio)
The Grill at Indian Hills Resort & Marina in Bernice
The Landings Marina (smoking on the deck)
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 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