March 26 Random Observations of the Grand Lake Bum

I thought the old saying was about March – but maybe it was about Spring Break. At least it’s a certainty that Grand Lake’s Spring Break came in like a lion and went out like a lamb. Last weekend – especially Saturday - was absolutely awesome. It was a great start to a wonderful season to see all the boaters, golfers – and of course the THOUSANDS of people either participating in or watching the great Big Meat Run on the rocks at Disney. Congratulations to John and Edie Sumner on another great Grand Lake event!

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Hey, Florida did something right! Governor Rick Scott signed legislation into law last week making Daylight Saving Time permanent year-round in the Sunshine State if Congress allows it. They like their daylight where it belongs – at the end of the day, year-round. Hopefully Oklahoma will follow suit. Tourism could always use a boost!

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Speaking of Florida, the strangest stuff happens there. For example, I’ll bet you’ve never heard of an injury claim like the one filed by Neldin Molina of Denver against Hamburger Mary’s restaurant in Tampa. Apparently a drag queen show began while she was at the restaurant and she claims drag queen Amanda D’Hod approached her, grabbed her head, and rubbed it back and forth against D’Hod’s fake boobs. Ms. Molina claims she has headaches as a result of the boob encounter – and she’s suing Hamburger Mary’s for $1.5 million. Hmmm. I’m guessing that now Hamburger Mary’s is having headaches, too! Perhaps they could counter-sue.

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If it wasn’t a typo, I’ve had the wrong job my entire life. Republican leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives circulated a paper last week which included a definition of people making $450,000 per year or less as “low-to-middle income.”  I always said I wanted to be a middle class guy. Now I REALLY do!

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I’ve heard that a lot more people are trying to eat healthy these days, but apparently the granola is not flying off the shelves – at least not in Littleton, Colorado where the Carelse family picked up a box of Quaker 100 Percent Natural Granola with oats, honey & raisins at Wal-Mart. Like the rest of us cereal eaters, they began reading the box while downing their granola. That’s when they saw the “best by” date on the box. It was February 22.  Uh, that’s February 22, 1997! At least we know granola will last a while!

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Coulrophobiacs (people who are afraid of clowns) have one less trauma in their daily lives. Famed Bozo the Clown died last week. He was 89. I didn’t go to the funeral, so I don’t know if his hair was gray – or still orange. Frank Avruch was his name in real life – the first guy to portray the nationally syndicated clown character.

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Grand Lakers won’t be watching the high performance boats race this July in the GLOC Performance Boat Races. Brock Sutherland, who purchased the assets of GLOC in December, said the races lost their major sponsor which included a marina venue. That means the Seneca-Cayuga tribe backed out. They own what they called “Lakeside” (the former Royal Bay Marina facilities. Seneca-Cayugas are in a big legal battle over the property right now; and Sutherland says he couldn’t find any other suitable place on Grand Lake – but he vows the event will return in 2019. He must know something about settling lawsuits that I don’t. Any-who…let’s hope he’s right.

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GRAND LAKE DINING & DRINKING BY WATER UPDATE: Morrow’s Bar & Grill opened last weekend. They’re currently open for dinner Friday nights and for lunch and dinner on Saturdays & Sundays.

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BEST FACEBOOK POST THIS WEEK: Respect old people. They graduated high school without Google or Wikipedia.

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BEST SIGN SEEN THIS WEEK (at a new Mexican restaurant in Norway): Mexican food so authentic Donald Trump would build a wall around it!

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TWEET OF THE WEEK:  The only thing flat-earthers have to fear…is sphere itself.

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FUNNIEST (FAKE) HEADLINE OF THE WEEK: Putin Just Won Another Election – This One Was in Russia

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OBSERVATION OF THE WEEK: That’s “SIR Ringo” to you. Former Beatle Ringo Starr was knighted last week for his service to music. The honor came 21 years after “Sir Paul” McCartney received the same honor.

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FEEL-OLD MOMENT OF THE WEEK: The 5^th movie in the Indiana Jones series will be released in the Summer of 2019 starring Harrison Ford, of course. When the movie premieres, that will be 76-year-old Harrison Ford!

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RANDY KREHBIEL’S RANDOM FACTOID OF THE WEEK:  “Psycho” was the first mainstream American film to depict a flushing toilet.

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GRAND LAKE BUM SHOUT-OUTS: One of our own has risen to national prominence! Congratulations to Monkey Islander Duane Koehler, D.O., on his installation last week as 2018-2019 President of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians. What an honor! Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Mandy Cousins, Tonya Blair, Chelsey Weatherford, Andy Stewart, Kathi Sikorski, Chaz Isaacson, Mike Farley, Brian Isaac, Cliff Cook, Becky Sconyers, Linda Wall, Erin Gayer, Grant Forkner, Steve Wetwiska, Diana Stephens, Wayne Smith, Kacey Threet, and Sam Walker!

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UNANSWERED QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Why aren’t evangelicals worried when marriage is redefined as: Between a man, his third wife, a Playboy Playmate and three porn stars?

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BEST EVENTS OF THE WEEK: Monday evening, March 26, Monkey Island Democrats will meet at The Landings Grill at Grand Lake Regional Airport at 6:00. Delaware County Democrats will meet Tuesday evening, March 27 at the NEO Building in Grove. If you’re in the giving mood, stop by and donate at the Shangri-La Resort Blood Drive Friday from 11:00-4:00 p.m. in the Holderman Ballroom at the resort hotel. Sunday, of course, is Easter. Enjoy a great brunch and an egg hunt or two (be careful, though…it’s also April Fool’s Day!)

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GRAND LAKE WEEKEND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: There’s plenty of great entertainment around the lake this weekend. At The Shebang on Monkey Island, the talented Randy Lunsford entertains weekends. Across the street at Big Shots, dance the night away every Saturday night. Just down highway 125, Friday night is karaoke night at Monkey Island Pub; and a little further down the highway at Littlefield Corner, the Road Hog Saloon has great live entertainment every Saturday night.

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. Cherokee Casino Grove features the music of RocKFiscH Friday night and Whiskey Poet Society Saturday. At Bordertown Casino’s Lost Creek Saloon, you are the star at Thursday night karaoke. Lickitty Split will be on stage at Bordertown Friday night; and Honkytonk Renovators provide the entertainment Saturday. At River Bend Casino’s Club 60 West Bar, Earl and Them will perform Friday night. At Grand Lake Casino’s Venue 655,  The Brandon Butler Band will provide the Friday night music. Indigo Sky Casino offers three nights of musical entertainment beginning with nighTTrainThursday and Mayday by Midnight Friday night in the Echo Bar. Saturday night, music comes from Material Girl.

The best spots to catch all your favorite sports action, including the NCAA Tournament games, NBA Basketball, PGA Golf, and NASCAR are Doc’s Bar & Grill at Shangri-La Resort Hotel, 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: Scandal moves to a new time this week, 9:00 Thursday night on ABC. Jesus Christ Superstar Live is Sunday night at 7:00 NBC.  The Premiere of The Crossing is Monday night at 9:00 on ABC; and the comedy Make America Great-A-Thon: A President Show Special is Tuesday night at 10:00 on Comedy Central.

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BUM MUST-SEE MOVIES: Tyler Perry’s Acrimony, The Last Movie Star and All I Wish

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact.” – George Eliot

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SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, April 7 – GEFFE Gala at Grove Civic Center. Saturday, April 14 – Free Boating Safety Course at GRDA Ecosystems Center in Langley (8:00-5:00). Saturday, April 14 – South Grand Lake Area Chamber of Commerce “Bootleggers Ball” at Cherokee Yacht Club. Saturday, April 28 – Burning of the Socks at Harbors View Marina. Thursday-Sunday, May 4-6 – In-Water Boat Show at Shangri-La Marina

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On the college basketball courts, we’re down to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament. The Final Four games will be Saturday at 5:00 and 7:45. The National Championship Game will be Monday night at 8:00, all on TBS. Final Four games for the NCAA Women’s Tournament are Friday at 6:00 and 8:00 on ESPN2, with the Championship Game Sunday at 5:00 on ESPN.

As the NBA season starts pointing toward the approaching playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a tough path this week. They start with back-to-back gamesThursday & Friday, playing the Spurs in Houston Thursday night (7:00 on TNT), then returning home to host the Nuggets Friday (7:00 on FSOK). Sunday, they’re back on the road in New Orleans (5:00 on NBA-TV and FSOK) before returning home Tuesday night to host the Golden State Warriors (7:00 on TNT).  

PGA players are in Houston, Texas this week for the final tune-up before The Masters. Coverage of the Houston Open begins on the Golf Channel 3:00 Thursday &Friday and 1:00 a.m. Saturday & Sunday. NBC picks up the final two days of coverage, beginning at 2:00 p.m. Saturday & Sunday.

NASCAR drivers are taking Easter weekend off. They’ll be back April 8 at Texas Motor Speedway.

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Easter Weekend weather at Grand Lake looks like it came out of a Chamber of Commerce Guide. We’ll enjoy sunshine and highs in the 60s – up to 70 on Easter Sunday, with lows in the mid 40s! There’s a lot of stuff happening around the lake this holiday weekend, so let’s get the fun started. But…wherever you decide to 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.

1909 in Downtown Grove

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 (smoking upstairs—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

Frosty & Edna’s (west of the dam in Langley)

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

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

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