May 24 Random Observations Of The Grand Lake Bum
What a warm-up weekend we had to prepare for this week’s Summer season Memorial Day kickoff. Between the Grove Chamber’s Business After Hours at The Regatta, the Grand Opening of Marina Del Rey Resort, The Monkey Island Mad Dog 2021 Scavenger Hunt, and the members’ Open House at The Anchor, Shangri-La’s OMG new activity park, the holiday warm-up weekend couldn’t have been more fun. I barely had time to sneak in a little Sunday afternoon boat ride. It was all great fun, but The Anchor took my breath away. That’s going to be a game changer for the entire Grand Lake community. The lake fun will officially be a year-round event when The Anchor opens in just a few days. Absolutely AWESOME!
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Contrary to some rumors, the big holiday weekend ahead is not to honor the official adjournment of the Oklahoma legislature – although I can’t really think of a better reason to celebrate!
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We finally knows that makes the world go round – computer chips. There are 25,000 fully built trucks just waiting for chips so they can run. Have you been to Best Buy lately? Those stores look like ghost towns. No computers at all because…no chips. The shortage is getting so bad, pretty soon we won’t even be able to get chips & salsa!
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I was out a little later than usual last Saturday night – and I suddenly remembered the only legitimate reason for panic buying – when the bartender yells, “Last call!”
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Are you trying to think of a name for a new baby? Here’s a starter kit for you. The Social Security Administration has released their list of “most popular baby names for 2020.” In Oklahoma, here are the top choices of the past year. For boys, Liam was the most popular name followed by Oliver, Noah, Lincoln, Elijah, William, Asher, James, Mason & Wyatt. The most popular name of the year for girls was Olivia, followed by Emma, Ava, Amelia, Charlotte, Harper, Isabella, Evelyn, Mia, and Sophia. It seems to me like we’re moving back in time. Reading this list is sort of like watching an old western movie.
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I’m confused. I can’t figure out which is a bigger problem for the ladies – nothing to wear – or not enough room for their clothes.
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DINING AND DRINKING UPDATE: Eddy’s Lakeside Bar at Shangri-La Marina, Sharky’s at Hammerhead Marina, Ugly’s Grill & Bar at Thunder Bay Marina, and the new Blind Swine on Duck Creek (at Harbors View Marina) are all open for the season. The Quarterdeck Café at Tera Miranda is now open full-time (Thursday-Sunday), including breakfast service Saturday & Sunday mornings. Both the Balcony Bar at The Shebang and Big Shots Rhythm & Booze are now open for the season including Sunday night this holiday weekend. The Patio Bar at Road Hog Saloon is now open 2:00-8:00 Thursday-Sunday. Brunch is served to the public both Saturday and Sunday mornings at Doc’s Bar & Grill (9:00-2:00) and Sunday Brunch is available at Mulligans at Patricia Island (10:00-2:00). Cosby’s Catfish has begun summer hours – now open until 10:00 p.m.
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BEST EVENTS OF THE WEEK: Aside from something happening everywhere this weekend because of the holiday, there are a couple of specific things to note – Friday morning is the Grove Chamber Eggs & Issues Breakfast at the Episcopal Church (8:00-9:15 a.m.); and if you need some fresh produce for those weekend cookouts, Saturday is the first Farmers Market of the Year at the Grove Community Center. The all-new “Howie’s Landing Resort” in Wolf Creek hosts Grand Opening festivities this weekend. Monday, Royal Horse Ranch on Monkey Island begins Day Camp operations Monday-Friday from 9:00-5:00.
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BEST WEEKEND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: It’s a holiday weekend, so you can count on lots of live entertainment everywhere you look this weekend. The Thursday Night Shrimp Boil and Karaoke with Jason Morgan kicks off the weekend on the patio at Doc’s Bar & Grill at Shangri-La. Friday night, Caleb Fellenstein provides the live entertainment at Doc’s. 5th Element kicks off the weekend entertainment Friday night at Eddy’s Lakeside Bar, followed by Torn Saturday night and Brett N’ Terri Sunday night. The Balcony Bar at The Shebang provides great karaoke fun with Kerry Kimmons beginning at 8:00 Friday, Saturday & Sunday nights; and just across the street, there are two great shows nightly Friday, Saturday & Sunday at Big Shots Rhythm & Booze – fabulous keyboard entertainment beginning at 8:00 – and awesome dance music late into the night. KJ Flip will lead the karaoke fun Thursday night at Blind Swine. Erin Fitzgibbon entertains early Friday night (6:00) followed by Outlaw Jim & the Whiskey Benders late. Saturday night, The George Brothers entertain at the Swine, and Diversity will be on stage Sunday night. Terry Jordan entertains Friday & Saturday nights at The Summit at Shangri-La. Ben Owens performs live Friday night at Monkey Island Pub and Saturday night is Karaoke with Tim at the pub.
In Grove, there are five nights of holiday entertainment at The Regatta beginning with Ladies of Red Dirt Wednesday night, followed by Robbi Bell Thursday night; and both Spencer Brunson and KJ Flip Friday night. 3 Dollar Rocket provides the tunes Saturday night, and DJ Gragg wraps up the weekend at The Regatta Sunday night.
On South Grand, DJ Binger will provide the Friday night entertainment at Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill in Disney followed by DJ Matt Saturday. Sunday afternoon, Laron Simpson will perform live beginning at 4:00. Lewis Barrett will be at Sharky’s Bar at Hammerhead Marina Friday night, just ahead of a Saturday double-header featuring Clint Ingram from noon-4:00 and JJ Taylor and the Bourbon Highway Band at 7:30. Sunday night, John Hamilton and Prime Tyme Karaoke will provide the musical fun – and the Sharky’s weekend entertainment wraps up Monday afternoon with Robbi Bell performing from 1:00-5:00.
Indigo Sky Casino this week presents Morgan Squared in the Echo Bar Friday night, followed by Rick Hancock and the Bulletproof Band Saturday. Downstream Casino’s Legends Sports Bar features music of Travis Kidd Friday night and Accidental Moguls Saturday night. At Cherokee Casino Grove’s 1897 Bar, Bobby DeGonia will be performing Friday night followed by The Brandon Butler Band Saturday.
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RANDY KREHBIEL’S RANDOM FACTOID OF THE WEEK: Puerto Toro, a village of about 40 on the east coast of Navarino Island in Tierra del Fuego, is the southernmost permanent settlement in the world.
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FUN FACT OF THE WEEK: The first bottle of Coca-Cola in 1894 contained about 3.5 grams of cocaine.
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BEST FACEBOOK POST OF THE WEEK: When a woman says “give me five minutes,” think of it as the last five minutes of the fourth quarter and both teams have all their time outs remaining.
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BEST SIGN SEEN THIS WEEK: How to cook crack and clean a crab. Step one: use commas.
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TWEET OF THE WEEK: I have learned so much from my mistakes, I’m thinking about making some more.
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BEST PUN OF THE WEEK: I was wondering why music was coming from my printer. Apparently the paper was jamming.
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OBSERVATION OF THE WEEK: The older I get, the tighter companies are putting lids on their jars.
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FEEL-OLD MOMENTS OF THE WEEK: Captain Kirk, T.J. Hooker, Denny Crane – all iconic characters portrayed by William Shatner who is now 90 years old. Legendary basketball play-by-play man Marv Albert has announced his retirement at the end of this NBA season, after almost six decades in front of the microphone. He will soon be 80 years old.
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GRAND LAKE BUM SHOUT-OUTS: Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Kelli Dyer, Mark Moore, Carla Howard, Lorri Burns-Bacon, Keith Hawk, Brian Mitchell, Don Durrett, Jim Arnold, Bill Hodge, Lori Magoulas, Arlene Seybolt, Kevin Holmes, Ron Griffin, Brinda Russell, Jim Sellers, Margerete Schenke, and Andrew Doney.
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UNANSWERED QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Why do we only “rest in peace?” Why can’t we live in peace, too.
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BUM MUST-SEE TV: The IHeartRadio Music Awards air Thursday night at 7:00 on Fox. The Kominsky Method final season is available Friday on NETFLIX. Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre airs Sunday night at 7:00 on the History Channel. American Ninja Warrior returns Monday at 7:00 and America’s Got Talent is bck Tuesday night at 7:00, both on NBC.
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BUM MUST-SEE MOVIES: A Quiet Place Part II and Cruella will be released nationwide in theaters this week. Port Authority will be released on a limited basis in movie theaters. Cruella will also be available on Disney + and Port Authority will be available for rent. Blue Miracle is available on NETFLIX.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
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SAVE THE DATE: Friday, June 4 – Summer’s first “Block Party” with Food Trucks in Grove; and featuring J.C. as “Adele.” Saturday, June 5 – Camp Bandage at Grand Lake RV Resort (noon-4:00). Monday-Wednesday, June 7-9 – Youth Tennis Camp at Shangri-La. Wednesday-Thursday, June 9-10 – SLWGA Shangri-La Tee Da Golf Tournament at Shangri-La Golf Club. Thursday-Sunday, June 10-13 – Toes in the Grand Festival at Sniders Campground and Wolf Creek Park. Thursday, June 10 – Tickets go on sale at Tulsa’s BOK Center for Blake Shelton’s September 24 concert. Saturday, June 12 – Daisy Dukes of Hazzard Party at Sharky’s. Saturday, June 12: Bikini Bike Wash at Pickles at the Lake in Langley (1:00-4:99). Saturday, June 12 – Kyle Williams Safe Boating Class at GRDA Ecosystems Building. Friday, June 18 – Grove Rotary Club Lobsterfest at Grove Civic Center. Saturday, June 19 – Rock the Dock Concert at Check-In Bay (noon-5:00). Saturday, June 19 – Kyle Williams Safe Boating Class at GRDA Ecosystems Building. Monday-Wednesday, June 21-23 – Junior Players Academy at Shangri-La. Friday-Saturday, June 25-26 – Grand Jam Music Festival at Grand Meridian RV Park. Monday-Wednesday, June 28-30 – Youth Pickleball Camp at Shangri-La. Saturday, July 3 – Monkey Island Fireworks at Shangri-La. Saturday, July 3 – July 3rd Fireworks Celebration at Wolf Creek Park. Saturday, July 3 – Grand Lake Fireworks at Disney. Sunday, July 4 – Duck Creek Fireworks. Sunday, July 4 – Miami Fireworks at Riverside Park.
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SPORTS WATCH: NBA Playoffs continue this week as the field begins to dwindle heading toward the Conference Championship match-ups.
The PGA Golfers are spending Memorial Weekend at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth. Coverage of the Charles Schwab Challenge begins on the Golf Channel at 3:00 Thursday & Friday and 1:00 Saturday & Sunday. CBS picks up coverage of the final two rounds Saturday & Sunday at 3:00. We’re all proud, of course, that the Senior PGA Championship Tournament is at Southern Hills in Tulsa this weekend, too – but you’ll have to watch updates on sportscasts. There is no scheduled live television coverage.
With red-hot OU and OSU still in the mix, college softball moves to the Super Regional games this weekend as we head to the Women’s College World Series.
NASCAR drivers are in Charlotte for the traditional Memorial Weekend Sunday evening run of the Coca Cola 600. Coverage begins at 5:00 Sunday on Fox.
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As is normally the case for Memorial Weekend, the weather forecasts are dotted with words like “scattered showers” and “isolated thunderstorms,” but the actual chances are rain are in the mid-30 percent range. I wouldn’t let the meteorologists ruin your plans. The weather generally looks good – with light winds, high temperatures around 80 degrees and lows only in the mid-60s. There’s a lot happening this holiday weekend. Enjoy all the fun Grand Lake has to offer. Remember, though, 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 Duck Creek at Safe Harbor Harbors View Marina
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
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
Lester’s Third Street Diner in 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
Pistol Pat’s on Honey Creek in Grove
Pit Stop Café in Grove
Quarterdeck Cafe at Tera Miranda Harbor (smoking on the deck)
Raggedy’s in Grove
Rancho Viejo in Grove
Red’s Buffet & Ice Cream in Disney
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 Pourhouse 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
Wolf Creek Diner in Grove