Random Observations of the Grand Lake Bum March 4
Grand Lakers enjoyed almost perfect weather for the 2024 edition of “Welcome Back Weekend.” It was a little windy for the Poker Run Saturday, but it was great to see so many boaters out on the water taking advantage of such a beautiful weekend. Personally, I got trapped in the Emersumnice Brewery “Tap Takeover” at The Anchor Saturday afternoon. I had such good time all afternoon that I don’t remember what I did Saturday night.
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Welcome Back Weekend only needed one more little item – another hour of daylight at the end of each day. And now…the biggest day of the year for Grand Lake’s fun schedule is almost here. Daylight Saving Time arrives in the middle of the night Saturday night. Just set your clocks forward one hour before you go to bed Saturday night and it’ll be like Christmas. When you wake up Sunday morning, it’ll be Daylight Saving Time. We finally get to take the extra hour of daylight and put it at the end of the day where it’s actually useful. Woo-hoo!!!
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Right after the arrival of Daylight Saving Time comes Spring Break Week, which already looks like a huge week-long celebration at Grand! The Big Meat Run kicks off Spring Break Week, complete with a return of music to the legendary Mountain Mama’s location in Tia Juana on the 16th. The Spring Break week at Shangri-La is crazy busy, including a four-day Kids Camp, “Killer Keyz” dueling piano adult show, karaoke & live music at Docs, a family fun festival & hot-air balloon glow Wednesday, March 20, and an awesome Food & Wine Festival with more live entertainment March 23; and the Bassmaster Classic will dominate the waters of the lake that same week! Offseason? Nope. We don’t have such a thing at Grand Lake!
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In case you haven’t been paying attention, it’s Presidential Primary Election week in Oklahoma. You might not have known because all the Presidential campaigns know how Oklahoma is going to vote so, outside of national network commercials, no campaigns ever spend a dime advertising in Oklahoma. We still spend the money having Presidential Primary Elections in Oklahoma…but I’m not sure why.
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Speaking of politics, U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell announced he is resigning at Minority Leader of the U.S. Senate in November. End of an error.
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Last Thursday I was a lot busier than I have been in a long time. When I realized it was Leap Day, I dashed out to do all the sketchy things I really didn’t want to be reminded of on social media all the time. By doing those things on February 29, they’ll only pop back up as Facebook memories every four years!
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GRAND LAKE BUM SHOUT-OUTS: Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Marla Lopeman, Tara Barnow Smith, Lisa Cookson, Tammy Pameticky, Mike Schwers, Debia Feldman, Russell Perry, John Parsons, Stephanie Winslow-Moore, Tiffany Holbrook, Jenny Lee, Beverly Jones, Becky Brock, Ralph Richardson, Dan Dillingham, Carol Milanowski, Ken MacLeod, Tim Langley, Roberta Arnold, Robin Rush, Myles Davidson, and longtime Grand Laker & former Oklahoma First Lady Donna Nigh.
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BEST GRAND LAKE EVENTS THIS WEEK. Thursday night is Trivia Night at BOOM in Grove. It’s also Thursday Karaoke Night at Doc’s at Shangri-La. The Grove Home & Garden Show at the former Whoops location in Grove and the Grand Lake Boat and Sport Show at the Craig County Fairgrounds in Vinita both run Friday-Sunday this weekend. Har-Ber Village Museum opens for the season Saturday at 9:00 a.m.; and Saturday is the COW Week fundraising COWnival at the Grove Community Center (11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.). Saturday evening is “Saturday Night Game Show” competition hosted by Jason Morgan at The Anchor at Shangri-La beginning at 6:00. Sunday afternoon is Readers’ Theater at Grove Playmakers (2:00 p.m.). Sunday is also the COW Week Golf Tournament at The Coves (12:00 p.m.); and Monday is the COW Week Basketball Tournament at Grove High School Gym (5:00 p.m.). Next Tuesday kicks off the spring season of Tuesday Trivia with Jason Morgan at The Anchor (7:00 p.m.). Next Wednesday evening is a great COW Week Talent Show at the Grove PAC (6:00 p.m.).
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RANDY KREHBIEL’S RANDOM FACTOID OF THE WEEK: Actor Samuel L. Jackson had been in 29 movies before his "breakout performance" in Pulp Fiction.
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FUN FACT OF THE WEEK: ESPN has just released their rankings of “The Best College Quarterbacks of the 2,000’s.” Six OU quarterbacks are in their Top 50. Baker Mayfield was selected as the #1 College Quarterback. Other OU quarterbacks included Kyler Murray (7), Sam Bradford (15), Jalen Hurts (27), Jason White (36), and Landry Jones (43).
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ODD FACT OF THE WEEK: Country music superstar Lainey Wilson was rejected from “American Idol” seven times.
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BEST FACEBOOK POST OF THE WEEK: You shouldn’t be able to call your church “First Baptist” without there being some kind of a playoff.
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BEST SIGN SEEN THIS WEEK: Slow! Children texting.
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BEST TWEET OF THE WEEK: Wanna hear something weird? In six years, the 80s will be 50 years ago.
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PUN OF THE WEEK: I bought my daughter a handbag from Iraq. She said, “Thanks for the Baghdad.”
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UNANSWERED QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Are we breaking the law if we drive past those highway signs that say “Do Not Pass”?
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OBSERVATION OF THE WEEK: Golf, baseball, and softball are odd sports, aren’t they? The goal in each is to swing as few times as possible. So…you want to always play less?
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I was in psychology class yesterday…and we couldn’t stop laughing about how stupid Pavlov’s dogs were. Then the bell rang, and we all had lunch.” – Angéle Fabbro
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FEEL-OLD MOMENTS OF THE WEEK: Did you ever watch the great sitcom “Coach” starring Craig T. Nelson? That TV show made its debut 35 years ago. Do you think of Ron Howard the incredible movie director – or Ronnie Howard who played little Opie on “The Andy Griffith Show”? Either way, he turned 70 years old last week.
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BEST WEEKEND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: On Monkey Island, Jason Morgan kicks off the weekend with Thursday Night Karaoke at Doc’s Bar & Grill. Friday night, Mark Gibson entertains live at Doc’s. Erin Fitzgibbon is live at Blind Swine Friday night. There is live music at Big Shots this weekend, too. Trenton Tanner performs Friday night and Magen Faulconer will be at Big Shots Saturday.
On South Grand, Friday night is Karaoke Night at The Copper Penny in Ketchum. Jumpsuit Love entertains Saturday night at the Drunken Rooster in Cleora. It’s a big weekend at Mooney’s, too, with Absher, Martin & White performing Friday night and the Michelle Warren Duo entertaining Saturday night.
In Grove, Jeff Tatum & Palomino Moon Band will perform at Legacy Event Center Friday night. There are three upcoming nights of live music at Cherokee Casino featuring Porter Crossing Friday night, followed by Runnin’ on Empty Saturday night. Brent Giddens will be at Cherokee Casino next Wednesday night.
Brett N’ Terri start the weekend Thursday night at Indigo Sky Casino followed by Uncrowned Kings Friday and Thomas Martinez Saturday. Broken Aces will perform in Backwoods Lounge at Buffalo Run Casino Saturday night.
Morgan Squared will be on stage at Riverbend Casino’s Club 60 West Saturday night followed by late night karaoke with DJ Kay.
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DINING & DRINKING UPDATE: VIP Pizza at Hammerhead Marina is now open. The Restaurant at Lake Hudson Inn is now open for lunch and dinner (bar will be open later). Mosa Hibachi & Sushi and Legacy Eatery are now open in Grove.
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BUM MUST-SEE TV: President Biden’s State of the Union address airs live Thursday night at 8:00 on almost every major network. Jimmy Kimmel Hosts the 96th Annual Academy Awards live Sunday night at 6:00 followed immediately by a new episode of Abbott Elementary. The Voice airs Monday & Tuesday nights at 7:00 on NBC; and Jon Stewart hosts The Daily Show Monday night at 10:00 on Comedy Central. The game show Password debuts next Tuesday evening at 9:00 on NBC.
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BUM MUST-SEE MOVIES: Imaginary, Cabrini, and Kung Fu Panda 4 all open in movie theaters Friday.
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SAVE THE DATE: Thursday-Saturday, March 14-16 – Big Meat Run at the South Grand Lake Recreation Area in Disney. Thursday, March 14 – South Grand Chamber Business After Hours at FirsTitle in Langley (5:00-6:30). Friday, March 15 – The Quarterdeck Café at Tera Miranda Harbor reopens for the season. Saturday, March 16 – St. Patty’s Day Party at Ugly’s Grill & Bar at Thunder Bay Marina (6:00 p.m.). Saturday, March 16 – Big Meat Run Music at Mountain Mama’s in Tia Juana. (6:00 p.m.). Tuesday, March 19 – “Killer Keyz Dueling Pianos” show at the Roosevelt Ballroom at Shangri-La Resort. Wednesday, March 20 – Hot Air Ballon Glow & Festival at Shangri-La Resort (6:00 p.m.). Friday-Sunday, March 22-24 – Bassmaster Classic Tournament. Saturday, March 23 – Easter Festival and Egg Hunt at Marina Del Ray Resort benefiting Ketchum FFA. Saturday, March 23 – Food & Wine Festival on The Anchor Lawn at Shangri-La (6:00 p.m.). Saturday, March 23 – Bingo Fundraiser at American Legion Post 178 in Grove benefiting America’s Boating Club Grand Lake (6:00 p.m.). Thursday, March 28 – Mardi Gras in March at the GRDA Ecosystems Center in Langley sponsored by the South Grand Lake Foundation, benefiting Ketchum Backpack Program (6:00 p.m.). Friday & Saturday, March 28-29 – Grove Merchants Spring Open House. Saturday, March 30 – Langley Easter Egg Hunt at Langley City Park (11:00-1:00). Saturday, March 30 – Rooster Easter Party & Egg Hunt at the Drunken Rooster. Sunday, March 31 – Easter Brunch at both Doc’s and The Summit at Shangri-La (11:00-3:00). Sunday, March 31 – Easter Egg Hunt at The Anchor at Shangri-La at 2:00.
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Sports fans have a busy week or two – especially basketball fans. In the NBA, the OKC Thunder are back in Oklahoma after a grueling road trip out west. They host Miami Friday night, Memphis Sunday, and Indiana next Tuesday.
The regular season is wrapping up for college basketball. OU wraps up the season hosting Texas at 1:00 Saturday, and OSU is at BYU at 8:00 Saturday night for their regular season finale. The Big XII Tournament starts next Tuesday and runs through Saturday.
The girls are ahead of that schedule. They have already wrapped up their regular season play and the Big XII Women’s Tournament starts Thursday with games through Tuesday (except Sunday). The semi-finals are Monday at 1:30 and 4:00, with the Championship game scheduled for next Tuesday at 8:00.
The awesome OU and OSU Softball teams are in action this weekend. OU continues to show off their new field hosting Iowa State Friday at 6:00, Saturday at 2:00 and Sunday at 1:00. They host Tarleton State for a double-header next Tuesday at 4:30 and 6:30. The OSU girls are at Baylor for three games – Friday at 6:30, Saturday at 2:00, and Sunday at 1:00 before returning home to host Central Arkansas next Wednesday at 6:00.
PGA players have a couple of options this week. The Puerto Rico Open will have live coverage exclusively on the Golf Channel Thursday & Friday at 9:00 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 1:30. The big kids will be in Orlando for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Coverage begins Thursday & Friday at 1:00 and Saturday & Sunday at 11:30 a.m. on the Golf Channel. NBC picks up the final two rounds at 1:30 Saturday & Sunday.
NASCAR drivers are in Phoenix this weekend for the Shriners Children’s 500. Coverage is on Fox Sunday afternoon at 2:30.
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Weather for the weekend ahead is not quite as wonderful as the weekend gone by, but it’ll still be pretty darn nice for a late winter weekend. After a chance of rain Friday, we’ll have sunshine for the most part with high temperatures in the mid-to-upper 50s and lows around freezing! It’s more great party weather. 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 (closed for the season)
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
Lighthouse Supper Club in Ketchum
Los Garcias in Langley
Lupe's Mexican Restaurant in Grove
Matt’s Place in Grove
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
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 (closed for the season)
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 (closed for the season)
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 (closed for the season)
VIP Pizza at Hammerhead Marina (smoking on deck)
Wolf Creek Diner in Grove