May 1 Random Observations Of The Grand Lake Bum

Here comes the weekend everybody has been waiting for – especially golf enthusiasts. Shangri-La Resort is opening yet another multi-million-dollar facility. The Battlefield, an 18-hole part 3 course opens Friday. That brings the Shangri-La golf facility to 45 total holes, two club houses, two cart facilities, two turn houses, and two Pro Shops. And that’s just golf. Grand Lake is fortunate indeed to have our continued economic growth led by the awesome investment at Shangri-La Resort.

*****

I guess there are some things I’m just not meant to understand. The shake-my-head moment from last week was when Governor Kevin Stitt vetoed the legislation which continues the longstanding tradition of contracting with the Oklahoma Educational Television Authority in order to keep operations going at the only over-the-air television station in Oklahoma that covers the entire state. He said (I’m not kidding) “Some of the stuff they’re showing just openly sexualizes our kids.” He singled out actual news coverage of Pride Month and (again, I’m not kidding) “Clifford the Big Red Dog” and “Work it out Wombats” – both cartoon shows. Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail and the legislature will draw a line here with a veto override before we lose one of the state’s most valuable resources (not to mention “Antiques Road Show!).

*****

You may have thought England already had a new King, but technically King Charles III will enjoy his coronation ceremonies Saturday. You’ll have to get up early or stay up really late to catch the TV coverage starting at 4:00 a.m. Saturday. He’ll ride in fancy carriages, everybody will bow and scrape, there will be lots of funny hats and everyone in England will be on hand to express their love and admiration for the new King. American Presidents can only wish they had such response at their inaugurations.

*****

Speaking of American Presidents, the big push is on in both political parties complaining that both Joe Biden and Donald Trump are too old to run for President because Biden would be 86 and Trump would be 82 by the time they finished another term in office. That has put a big focus on Vice-President Kamala Harris and whomever Trump would select as a running mate if he is the Republican nominee. “What do we get if they aren’t able to fulfill an entire term?” The best response I’ve heard is from Peter Sagal, host of NPR’S “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” program. “It’s just weird,” he said. “It’s like selling an airplane by touting the quality of the parachutes.”

*****

GRAND LAKE BUM SHOUT-OUTS: Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Josh Goff, Michael Garner, Brent Beyers, Dean Strimple, Paula Sanford, Senator Micheal Bergstrom, Kristi Wallace, Anita Cole, Pam Borin, Jimmie Tramel, Tony Coatney, Cherie Long, and Donna Belt.

*****

BEST GRAND LAKE EVENTS THIS WEEK. We’re kicking off the month of May at Grand Lake with a crazy weekend of fun options. Thursday is the season’s First Thursday night Shrimp Boil & Karaoke of the season on Doc’s Patio at Shangri-La (6:00). Friday, The Battlefield Par 3 Course officially opens at Shangri-La Golf Club. Friday is also Food Truck Friday at Grove Community Center and the season opening night at Sharky’s at Hammerhead Marina. There are Cinco de Mayo celebrations at Doc’s and Blind Swine on Duck Creek Friday. Saturday is a Golf Cart Poker Run on Monkey Island benefiting the Monkey Island Trail (1:00 p.m. starting at Tera Miranda Shores – then Quarterdeck, MarineMax, St. Andrews, Shebang, and The Anchor) and the annual Burning of the Socks at Safe Harbor Harbors View Marina (4:00 p.m.). It’s Kentucky Derby weekend so, of course, there is a Derby Party at Hookers at Cherokee Yacht Club and a Kentucky Derby Party and Dilly Downs races at Big Shots. Saturday is also the Nichols Marine/Shangri-La Marina Customer Appreciation Luau (5:00 p.m.) including an in-water boat show. Next Tuesday is Grove Chamber of Commerce Trivia Night at BOOM.

*****

RANDY KREHBIEL’S RANDOM FACTOID OF THE WEEK: The Cambodian capital Phnom Penh’s original formal name was Krong Chaktomuk Mongkol Sakal Kampuchea Thipadei Serei Theakreak Bavar Intabat Borei Roat Reach Seima Moha Nokor, or “The place of four rivers that gives the happiness and success of Khmer Kingdom, the highest leader as well as impregnable city of the God Indra of the great kingdom.”

*****

FUN FACT OF THE WEEK: Former OU quarterback Jalen Hurts was only the highest paid NFL player in history for a week. His five-year $255 million contract was topped last week when the Baltimore Ravens signed Lamar Jackson to a five-year $260 million deal.

*****

ODD FACT OF THE WEEK: When it aired in the ‘60s, The Flintstones was the first TV show, animated or otherwise, to show a couple in bed together.

*****

BEST FACEBOOK POST OF THE WEEK: The older I get, the more I understand why roosters just scream to start their day.  

*****

BEST SIGN SEEN THIS WEEK: Please, when using the stairs, stay to the right when going up, stay to the left when going down. This will keep people from running into each other.

*****

BEST TWEET OF THE WEEK: I was watching baseball as I drank a bottle of tequila, but I stopped at the bottom of the fifth.

                                                      *****

BEST PUN OF THE WEEK: Scientists got together to study the effects of alcohol on a person’s walk. The results were staggering.

*****

UNANSWERED QUESTION OF THE WEEK: If your car could travel at the speed of light, would your headlights work? (Steven Wright)

*****

OBSERVATION OF THE WEEK: Professional wrestling is an odd thing, isn’t it? Guys with no pants fight over a belt.

*****

FEEL-OLD MOMENTS OF THE WEEK: Iconic singer, actress, activist, and diva Barbra Streisand celebrated a birthday last week. She is 81. Legendary singer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte died last week. He was 96. Longtime “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno turned 73 over the weekend – and the legend himself, Willie Nelson, turned 90.

*****

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Rednecks, hippies, misfits – we’re all the same. Gay or straight? So what? It doesn’t matter to me. We have to be concerned about other people, regardless. I don’t like seeing anybody treated unfairly. It sticks in my craw. I hold on to the values from my childhood.” – Willie Nelson

*****

BEST WEEKEND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: On Monkey Island, the weekend fun kicks off at Doc’s Thursday night with Jason Morgan leading the karaoke fun. Kevin Price performs at Doc’s Bar & Grill for Cinco de Mayo fun Friday night. DJ Mo provides the dance music Friday & Saturday nights at Big Shots. DJ Kennedy brings Rockstar Karaoke to Monkey Island Pub Saturday night. If you’re a slip renter at Shangri-La Marina or a customer of Nichols Marine, you can also enjoy Three Dollar Rocket at their customer appreciation luau Saturday at 5:00 at Eddy’s.

On South Grand Lake, The Yacht Club will perform Saturday afternoon at 4:00 for the Burning of the Socks fun at Safe Harbor Harbors View Marina. It’s opening weekend for Sharky’s at Hammerhead Marina. Vanessa Oxford and Daniel Chesser kick off the summer entertainment line-up Friday night followed by Reverse Reaction Saturday. Highway 69er Jason Wood will provide the musical entertainment Saturday night at the Drunken Rooster. Rockwell will entertain at Blind Swine on Duck Creek as part of the Cinco de Mayo Celebration Friday night. The Steve Hamby Duo will provide the music at Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill Saturday night.

In Grove, there is karaoke fun Thursday night at Grand Lake Casino’s Venue 655, followed by live music Friday night by Runnin’ on Empty, and more karaoke Saturday. Johnny Dale Roberts entertains Friday night at Cherokee Casino Grove, followed by Runnin’ on Empty Saturday night.

Brett N’ Terri entertain Thursday night at Indigo Sky Casino, followed by Travis Kidd Friday and The Downbeat Saturday.

*****

GRAND LAKE DINING & DRINKING UDATE: Sharky’s Bar at Hammerhead Marina opens for the season this weekend. Doc’s Bar & Grill has a special Cinco de Mayo menu with drink specials Friday. Saturday is the celebration of their first year of operations at Bella Donna’s in Grove – BOGO and live music from 5:00 p.m. The Summit at Shangri-La is now open for lunch seven days a week – and the Pool Bar is open (weather permitting) for members and guests at Shangri-La Resort. Blind Swine on Duck Creek is now open Thursday-Sunday at Harbors View Marina. Mooney’s is now open at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays – only closed on Mondays. The Quarterdeck Café at Tera Miranda is open for the season (Thursday-Sunday); and Ugly’s Grill & Bar at Thunder Bay Marina is open weekends.

*****

BUM MUST-SEE TV: The 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards are Sunday night at 7:00 on MTV. Jeopardy! Masters debuts Monday night at 7:00 on ABC; and Judge Steve Harvey premieres Tuesday night at 8:00, also on ABC. The new series Bupkis will be available Thursday on Peacock.

****

BUM MUST-SEE MOVIES: Guardian of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Love Again open in movie theaters this week, joining Are You There, God? It’s me, Margaret.

*****

SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, May 11 – Grove Chamber of Commerce Membership Luncheon with featured speaker Jill McAbee (DCCSAN) at the Grove Community Center (noon). Friday, May 12 – Grove Chamber of Commerce Spring Golf Tournament at Quail Ridge Golf Course. Friday-Sunday, May 12-14 – Colonial American Frontiersman Days at Har-Ber Village. Saturday, May 13 – Cowskin Fire Department Car Show at Elk River Baptist Church (8:30-3:30). Friday, May 19 – Eddy’s Lakeside Bar opens at Shangri-La Marina (4:00 p.m.). Saturday, May 20 – Sounds of Summer Festival & Car Show at Marina Del Rey Resort (1:00-6:00). Saturday, June 3 – Camp Bandage at Grand Lake RV Park. Saturday, June 3 – NAPA Nights at South Grand Lake Regional Airport. Friday, June 9 – Shangri-La Sunset Cruise from Shangri-La Marina (7:00 p.m.). Friday, June 9 – Barkaritaville fundraiser at Honey Creek Barbecue in Grove. Thursday-Sunday, June 15-18 – Toes in the Grand Festival at Wolf Creek Park in Grove. Thursday-Saturday, June 22-24 – 6^th Annual Grand Jam Music Fest at Grand Meridian RV Resort. Friday, June 30 – Glow Golf Challenge at The Battlefield at Shangri-La (9:00 p.m.). Sunday, July 2 – Monkey Island Fireworks. Monday, July 3 – Grand Lake Fireworks at Disney. Tuesday, July 4 – Duck Creek Fireworks.

*****

It’s one of the biggest weekends of the year for horse racing fans. The Kentucky Derby is Saturday. Coverage begins about noon, but actual post time for the Derby is 5:57 – all on NBC.

NBA Playoffs and NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs roll into round 2 this week. We’re going to be doing this for a while. Finals for both sports won’t be until early June. In the meantime, enjoy the playoffs.

PGA Golfers are in Charlotte, North Carolina this weekend for the Wells Fargo Championship. Coverage begins at 1:00 Thursday & Friday noon Saturday & Sunday on The Golf Channel. CBS picks up the final two rounds at 2:00 Saturday & Sunday.

It’s college softball Bedlam Weekend in Oklahoma. OU is at Stillwater for three games – Friday at 6:00 (ESPN2), Saturday at 4:00 (ESPN), and Sunday at 2:00 (ESPN+).

Major League Baseball has some good televised match-ups this week. Baltimore is at Atlanta Saturday at 6:00. The L.A. Dodgers are in San Diego Sunday at 6:00; and the Red Sox are in Atlanta Tuesday at 6:00.

For pro football fans, there are no XFL games this week as the final two teams rest up for the XFL Championship May 13. The USFL is in action, though, with Houston at Philadelphia at noon Saturday, followed by Memphis at Michigan at 6:30. Sunday games feature New Orleans at New Jersey at 2:00 and Birmingham at Pittsburgh at 5:30.

NASCAR drivers are in Kansas City this week for the Advent Health 400. Coverage begins Sunday afternoon at 2:00 on FS1.

*****

The weekend weather looks very nice. If we get any showers at all, it looks like they’ll be Friday morning and/or Sunday night. Otherwise, we’ll have sunshine with highs near 80 and lows around 60. PERFECT. There is a lot of stuff happening at Grand Lake this weekend, so get out and have some fun! Always remember, though, wherever you decide to party, be sure to buy a drink for the guy next to you. It could be me!

GRAND LAKE BUM

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  Grand Lake Living and www.360grandlake.com, the cost is only $50 a week and the list of readers is growing.  E-mail grandlakebum@gmail.com to sign up. The Grand Lake Bum column is also published in The Grand Laker newspaper.

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

Artichoke Restaurant & Bar in Langley

Back Porch Ice Cream in Grove

Bailey’s Bistro at Layk Schoolhouse on Monkey Island

Balcony Bar at The Shebang (Smoking – open Friday & Saturday nights)

Bella Donna’s at Honey Creek Landing Marina

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

BOOM in Grove (at The Regatta)

Buffalo Bar at Shangri-La on Monkey Island

Buffalo Run Casino in Miami (smoking)

Café at Har-Ber Village

Café Yum in Grove

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 in Grove

Chicken Coop West of Langley

Clanton’s Café in Vinita

Copper Penny Bar in Ketchum

Copper’s Tea and Coffee House in Grove

Cosby’s Catfish on Highway 28 in Eucha (East of Disney)

Cove Club in Langley

Danny’s Dockside Pizza at Honey Creek Landing

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 Restaurant in Grove

Drunken Rooster Bar & Grill

E&H Liquor Store at Littlefield Corner, Monkey Island

Eddy’s Lakeside Bar at Shangri-La Marina (smoking)

Fire Pit at Wildwood Cove Resort in Drowning Creek

Flower Bar in Grove

Galley at The Anchor, Shangri-La Resort

Goodfella’s Pizza (Cleora and 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

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

Matt’s Place in Grove

Monkey Island Pub (Smoking)

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

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 (smoking on the deck)

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 (smoking)

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 (smoking)

VIP Pizza at Hammerhead Marina (smoking on deck)

Water Side Bar & Grill in Grove

Wolf Creek Diner in Grove