December 17 Random Observations of the Grand Lake Bum
Organizers of the Christmas Lights Boat Parade sure look smart for postponing the parade for a week. Once again, the Grand Lake weather was far better than the pessimistic forecast from the TV meteorologists. The night could not have been more beautiful – and the boats were equally spectacular. Congratulations to winners Jimmy and Stephanie Young aboard the Big Bobber. I’m pretty sure they start decorating their boat every year sometime around Labor Day. Jim and Karen Cottom were second-place winners and David and Cindy Eiman placed third. David, by the way, has been in every single one of the Christmas boat parades over the years. If you missed the parade, there will be a televised rebroadcast Sunday – KTUL in Tulsa at 1:00 and KSBI in Oklahoma City at 4:30. Commentary will be provided by Rusty Fleming and Brandon Sharp.
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After the silly ban of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” by a couple of radio stations, my pal Kenny Smith has been doing research on other songs that may be too inappropriate for politically correct radio. He’s nervous about “Walking in a Winter Wonderland.” Remember those lyrics? “She said ‘are you married,’ I said ‘no ma’am…but you can do the job when you’re in town.’” Hmm. I wonder what that’s all about.
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We don’t want to lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas, of course. They apparently are celebrating big at televangelist Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church. Associate Pastor John Gray, who also has his own megachurch in Greenwood, South Carolina, celebrated a lot. He bought his wife a nice gift – a $200,000 Lamborghini Urus. I’m sure it’s not money from fleecing the flock, though. He said he had the money because of “savings and wise investments.” He fended off criticism by saying “it wasn’t a pastor who bought the $200,000 car. It was a husband.” Oh! Okay. That’s different.
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In Spring Hill, Florida, Dominick Breedlove is now a walking, talking example of how NOT to get a job. He interviewed at Kohl’s. The interview apparently went okay, but he was not hired. In fact, he was jailed instead…for shoplifting a couple of pair of Nike’s on his way out of the store after his interview. You can’t fix stupid.
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DINING AND DRINKING ON GRAND UPDATE: The kitchen is closed at Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill for another week or so for remodeling. Cheers.
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BEST FACEBOOK POST OF THE WEEK: I hate it when I turn my car on in the morning and the music starts blasting…and I’m like “whoooooa big fella, I’m not the same person I was last night.”
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FUN FACT OF THE WEEK: Triscuit crackers are the perfect snack for anyone who has had the desire to eat wicker furniture. Rice cakes, by the way, make better coasters than snacks.
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RANDY KREHBIEL’S RANDOM FACTOID OF THE WEEK: Louis IX of France (1214-1270) was canonized in 1297 and is the person for whom St. Louis, Missouri, and many other places are named.
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BEST SIGN SEEN THIS WEEK (seen on a golf course): WARNING! Squirrels will attack exposed nuts. Please use restrooms at Pro Shop or 2ndand 6th Tees.
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TWEET OF THE WEEK: Trump supports the arts! He is willing to spend $15 to $70 billion to fund building a blank canvas for graffiti artists.
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FEEL-OLD MOMENTS OF THE WEEK: What’s the deal with those stars of the great television series M*A*S*H* that I watch every night? Well, they’ve changed. Alan Alda (Hawkeye Pierce) is 82, Mike Farrell (B.J. Hunnicut) is 79, Jamie Farr (Max Klinger) is 83, Loretta Swit (Hot Lips Houlihan) is 80, and little Gary Burghoff (Radar O’Reilly) is now 74 years old.
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POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH: Wait ‘til they find out Frosty has no pants and smokes a pipe in front of children.
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BEST OBSERVATION OF THE WEEK: They told Beethoven he could not be a musician because he was deaf, but he didn’t listen to them.
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BEST (FAKE) NEWS HEADLINE OF THE WEEK: Trump Accuses Spell Check of Being Rigged
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DINING AND DRINKING ON GRAND UPDATE: The Shebang is closed Christmas Day (one of only two days they are closed in the entire year.) Blind Swine on Monkey Island will be open Christmas night.
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GRAND LAKE BUM SHOUT-OUTS: Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Casey Davis, Dick Lowry, Jana Worley, Ravis Hartley, Travis Hartley, Casey Musgrove, Laurie Kelly, Tiffany Green, Justine Grace, Scott Roberts, Bob Cullison, Rick Huskey, Will Rosebure, Sam Rader, Pat Jurgensmeyer, Ed Maples, and Brian Lambert.
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UNANSWERED QUESTION OF THE WEEK: I wonder what my parents did to fight boredom before the internet. I asked my 17 brothers and sisters, and they didn’t know either.
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BEST EVENTS OF THE WEEK: Friday is the “Winter Solstice Party” on the Shebang patio beginning at 5:00. Saturday is the all-day “Christmas Movie Marathon” at Shangri-La Resort Hotel. Movies from noon until 10:00 p.m. in the Holderman ballroom. No admission charge, concessions available. Christmas night is the annual “Losers Party” at Top of the Towers at Vista Tower on Monkey Island. Everyone welcome – just bring any leftovers you never want to see again.
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GRAND LAKE WEEKEND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: There’s plenty of great entertainment coming up around the lake over the holiday weekend. On Monkey Island, Friday night is the official “Winter Solstice Party” on the patio at The Shebang. Friday night is Karaoke Night at Monkey Island Pub. At the Blind Swine, there’s live entertainment every Friday and Saturday night (including Erin Fitzgibbon Friday), and KJ Fliphosts karaoke Sunday and Tuesday. At Littlefield Corner, there’s always live entertainment Saturday nights at the Road Hog Saloon.
In Miami, there’s a great concert Saturday at the Coleman Theater. The GrammyAward-winning Riders in the Sky present a special “Christmas the Cowboy Way” concert at 7:00.
On South Grand Lake, Friday night is Karaoke Night at Michelle’s Bar & Grill at Grand Lodge in Ketchum – and there’s always live entertainment at Michelle’s on Saturday night.
Area casinos have big entertainment plans, too. Friday night Cherokee Casino-Grove will feature music by FM Live. Saturday night NighTTrainwill entertain. At Bordertown Casino’s Lost Creek Saloon, you are the star at Thursday night karaoke. Members Only entertains at Bordertown Friday night, followed by The George Brothers Saturday. Grand Lake Casino’s Venue 655 features music by Paralandra Friday night. At River Bend Casino’s Club 60 West Bar, DeWayne Bowman & the Swingin’ West Band will perform Friday night followed by Nathan Bryce and Loaded Dice Saturday night, both in Club 60 West Bar. Indigo Sky Casino offers three nights of musical entertainment this week. Travis Kidd performs both Thursday and Friday nights in the Echo Bar, followed by Stonehorse Saturday night.
The best spots to catch all your favorite sports action, including NFL games, college football bowl games and college & NBA basketball games are Doc’s at Shangri-La Resort, the Standing Room Only Bar at The Shebang, Monkey Island Pub, Blind Swine, Road Hog Saloon, 1909 in Grove, and Pickles at the Lake in Langley.
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BUM MUST-SEE TV: Bird Box is available on NETFLIX Friday. Sunday afternoon at 1:00, KTUL-Channel 8 will broadcast the Grand Lake Christmas Lights Boat Parade replay. OKC residents can see the parade re-broadcast at 4:30 Sunday on KSBI-TV. Sunday night at 8:00, ABC presents The Year: 2018. The 41st Annual Kennedy Center Honors airs Wednesday night, December 26 at 7:00 on CBS.
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BUM MUST-SEE MOVIES: Welcome to Marwen, Aquaman, Second Act, Bumblebee and Vice
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Santa Clause has the right idea. Visit people only once a year.” – Victor Borge
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SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, December 29 – OU vs. Alabama in the Orange Bowl. Monday afternoon, December 31 – OSU vs. Missouri in the Liberty Bowl. Monday, December 31 – New Year’s Eve Parties almost everywhere you look on Grand Lake. Friday-Sunday, January 11-13 – OKC Boat Show at the State Fairgrounds in OKC. Monday-Sunday, January 28-February 3 – Tulsa Boat, Sport & Travel Show at River Spirit Expo, Tulsa State Fairgrounds.
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College football Bowl Games are starting to get better this week, starting with Marshal vs. South Florida Thursday night at 7:00 on ESPN. Saturday’s line-up includes Houston vs. Army at 2:30 on ESPN. The day after Christmas, there are three pretty good games – Boston College vs. Boise State, Minnesota vs. Georgia Tech, and California vs. TCU.
It’s a really good week for the NFL. If you have the NFL Network, there are two televised games Saturday – Washington at Tennessee at 3:30 and Baltimore at the L.A. Chargers at 7:00. Sunday noon games include Tampa Bay at Dallas (Fox) and Cincinnati at Cleveland (CBS). The 3:30 game on CBS sends Pittsburgh to New Orleans. Sunday night’s game has Kansas City at Seattle (7:00 on NBC); and Christmas Eve Monday Night Football features Denver at Oakland (7:00 on ESPN).
There’s great NBA action this week, too. The Thursday night double-header on TNT features the Lakers at Houston and Dallas at Phoenix. The OKC Thunder have back-to-back games Saturday at Utah at 8:00 and Sunday at home hosting Minnesota at 7:00, both on Fox Sports Oklahoma before a big Christmas Day game at Houston at 2:00 on ABC. Christmas Day, of course, is the ultimate day of the year for NBA fans with a total of five televised games.
College basketball action is good this week, too. Texas Tech is at Duke Thursday night at 7:00 on ESPN2. Saturday games include Wake Forest at Tennessee (11:00 on ESPN2), Wichita State at VCU (3:00 on ESPN2) and Kansas at Arizona State (8:00 on ESPN2).
PGA Players are off for the holidays. They’ll be back on the course in Hawaii the first two weeks of January for the Sentry Tournament of Champions and the Sony Open.
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The weekend weather looks pretty darn nice – especially for December. Friday’s high will be about 60 with sunshine, cooling to the mid-50s Saturday and mid-40s Sunday. By Christmas Day, we’ll be seeing high temperatures of about 45 with lows around freezing. It’s a great holiday weekend – a really long one! So, party on, and remember…wherever you decide to party, be sure to buy a drink for the guy next to you. It could be me. Merry Christmas!
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.
1909 in Downtown Grove
Ailey’s Café in Langley
American Grill in Grove
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
Bobbers Café in Langley
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
Coffee Shelter in Ketchum
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
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
Gabby’s Place in downtown Grove
Goodfella’s Pizza (Cleora and Grove)
Grand Lake Casino, north of Grove on Highway 10 (smoking)
Grand Lodge in Ketchum (smoking)
Hatfield’s Saloon in Grove
Henrie’s Grill in Grove
High Winds Casino east of Miami (smoking)
Indigo Sky Casino west of Seneca, Mo. (smoking)
Juan Montez Restaurant & Cantina at Red Arrow Marina
Karrie's Kaboose in Langley (smoking)
La Casita de Martin in downtown Grove
Lakeside Bar & Grill in Grove at Sail Boat Bridge
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.)
Morrows Bar & Grill in Raper Hollow
Mulligan’s at Patricia Island Golf Club in Grove
Nu Taste Restaurant in Grove
Okie Smokies Barbecue in Grove on Hwy 59 South
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)
Smokin’ Spur BBQ & Trading Post at Old Towne Plaza, Cleora
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 Office on Monkey Island (smoking)
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
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