August 24 Observations from the Grand Lake Bum

Random Observations from the Grand Lake Bum

If there are things you wanted to get done in August, you’d better get busy! The end is near. That also means you need to make sure your boat is fueled, your house is clean, and your refrigerator is full because…like it or not…company’s coming next week to celebrate the final big holiday weekend of the summer!

---

I thought runoff election week would never get here, but it finally arrived and we have one more election cycle behind us. With the runoff elections behind us, we can look forward to the big Labor Day celebration next week. But don’t get too comfy. It’s not only the kick-off of the best boating season of the year, and college football season – it’s also the beginning of the official General Election campaigns. If you want to gather new hateful information about all the candidates, just get in front of your TV or computer screen and watch what their opponents say about them. If past is prologue, we’ll end up on November 3 once again not thinking anyone at all is qualified for elective office…and we may be right!

---

The debate over construction of obnoxious AI Data Centers is heating up all across the country. Nobody wants such a facility anywhere near them…but there is an obvious solution for these ultra-rich data center guys: Mark Zuckerberg owns 2,300 acres of land in Hawaii. Elon Musk owns thousands of acres of land in Texas; and Jeff Bezos owns more than 460,000 acres of land across the United States. There shouldn’t be any dispute. If they need space for their data centers, I think they already own more than enough land to build them on their own property!

---

Put South Carolina Senator Darline Graham on your list of people who have said things they wish they could take back. Senator Graham, who is running for a full term after being appointed to replace her brother, the late Senator Lindsay Graham, made the flub of a lifetime for a candidate for United States Senate. When asked a question about national security in a recent debate, she answered, “National security is not my thing.” Oops. If I were running for one of the 100 top national security positions in the country, I think I would have thought of a little different answer than that.

---

Only in Oklahoma is there this news item: “Secretary of State arrested for public intoxication while standing at a McDonald’s drive-thru window.”

---

Would you like to have a photograph with President Trump? There will probably be another opportunity if you missed the chance to get one in Houston this week. Cost is only $88,600 – but that’s per couple!

---

Grand Lake Bum Shout-Outs

OUTS: Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Grand Lakers Malia Love, Gretchen Casto, Gretchen Zumwalt, Jim Basgall, Robin Ledbetter, Patricia Williams, Randy Smith, Dianna Wescott, Harrison Marshall, Ray Holmes, Patty Davis, Janet Link, Larry Mlnarik, Mackenci Hudiburg, Heather Sensintaffar, Mike Gallagher, David Guest, Angie Milner, Gary Morgan, Tammie Koehler, Chad Randall, and Dennis Patrick.

---

Best Grand Lake Events this Week

There’s no shortage of action around the lake this weekend. Thursday is a Member-Member/Member-Guest Golf Tournament at Shangri-La and the monthly meeting of the Grand Lake Area Creative Alliance at Grove’s St. Andrew's Episcopal Church (noon). Thursday is also the South Grand Lake Chamber of Commerce monthly Members’ luncheon at GRDA Ecosystems Center in Langley (11:30 a.m.) and the Grand Lake Newcomers Club “New Newcomers Luncheon” at Cherokee Casino Grove (11:30 a.m.). The Grove Pro Rodeo is at Crosswired Cowboy Church Arena Thursday-Saturday (6:00 p.m.). Saturday is also the 2 Hip Chicks Market at Wolf Creek Expo (9-5). Saturday night, there’s a Luau Party at Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill (6:00 p.m.) and a Glow-On Party On the Lake Raftout in Gray’s Hollow (Dripping Springs) at 8:30 p.m.

---

Randy Krehbiel’S Random Factoid of the Week

Dina Merrill, an elegant actress who made around 200 stage, screen and television appearances from the 1940s into the 2000s, was born Nedenia Marjorie Hutton. Her father was the stockbroker E.F. Hutton (“When E.F. Hutton talks, people list!”), her mother Marjorie Merriweather Post was the daughter of breakfast cereal magnate C.W. Pos. Her stage name, Dina Merrill, was from Charles E. Merrill of Merrill Lynch. Her first husband, Charles Rumbaugh, Jr., was an heir to the Colgate-Palmolive empire. And actress Glenn Close is a great-great niece.

---

Fun Fact of the Week

A true icon of Miami, Oklahoma – Waylan’s Ku Ku Burger – has officially been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

---

Odd Fact of the Week

Before 1924, the U.S. basically had open borders with very few restrictions. When people say, “my great grandparents came here legally,” they really mean, “they bought a ticket and showed up.”

---

Best Facebook Post of the Week

I’ve never been held hostage, but I have been stuck at work on a perfectly good lake day – and that feels like the same thing.

---

Word Fun this Week

Why are they called apartments when they’re all stuck together?

---

Best Sign Seen this Week

My three favorite things are eating my family and not using commas.

---

Best Bluesky Post of the Week

When you’re dead, you don’t know you’re dead. The pain is felt by others. The same thing happens when you’re stupid.

---

Pun of the Week

Cowboy walks into a German car dealership and says, “Audi!”

---

Unanswered Question of the Week

Why do insurance companies call it a “deductible cost” when it is clearly an “add-on cost”?

---

Observation of the Week

If you call or text me before 9:00 a.m., I’m calling you back at midnight.

---

Quote of the Week

“We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.” – Benjamin Franklin

---

Feel-Old Moments of the Week

OLD MOMENTS OF THE WEEK: “Home Alone” star Macaulay Culkin turns 46 years old this week. Canadian country music sensation Shania Twain turns 61; and longtime romantic movie lead actor Richard Gere turns 77.

---

Best Weekend Live Entertainment

On Monkey Island Dallas Stump provides the Thursday night music at Big Shots. Kevin Price will be on stage at Doc’s Bar & Grill Friday night (6:00-9:00), and The Travis Kidd Band entertains Saturday night at Eddy’s Lakeside Bar. Lil’ Red & The Sidepiece will be on stage at Whitecap Saturday night. There’s karaoke with Sundown Entertainment at The Monkey Bar Wednesday night and Friday night followed by live music from The Billy Reed Duo Saturday night. Terry Jordan will be at the keyboard both Friday & Saturday nights at The Summit at Shangri-La; and Lil’ Red & Sidepiece will be at Whitecap next Wednesday.

On South Grand Lake, James Muns kicks off midweek fun Wednesday night at Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill in Disney. Sarah Hughes and Isayah Warford are featured Thursday night at Mooney’s, followed by Jake Brake Friday night, and Magen Faulconer & Dillon Leggett Saturday night, and a special Sunday afternoon performance by the Fitzgibbon Band (4:00 p.m.). Ethan McCord opens for the James Munns Band Friday night at Sharky’s at Hammerhead Marina followed by The Robby VanVekoven Band Saturday night and Brent Giddens Sunday afternoon. Lil’ Red & Sidepiece will be at Hookers at Cherokee Yacht Club Friday night.

In Grove, The Downbeat will be on stage Friday night at Cherokee Casino and 90lb. Wrench takes over Saturday night. Bobby DeGonia will entertain at Grand Lake Casino both Saturday night.

Wilkie Jay starts the weekend music Thursday night at Indigo Sky Casino followed by Sunset Circle Friday and Sound the Alarm Saturday. Oreo Blue will be on stage at Downstream Casino’s Legends Sports Bar Friday night followed by Encore Saturday night. Ned Ledoux will be in concert Saturday night at Buffalo Run Casino’s Peoria Showplace. Torn is the featured entertainment Saturday night at Riverbend Casino’s Club 60 West.

---

Dining & Drinking Update

BOOM at The Regatta in Grove is now closed for the season (Drift is still open). Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill in Disney is now closed on Tuesdays. The Quarterdeck Café at Tera Miranda is no longer open on Thursdays.

---

Bum Must-See Tv

SEE TV: Miss USA Pageant including Miss Oklahoma USA Annamaria Thomas from Grand Lake airs Thursday night at 7:00 on CW. A new series The Producer debuts Friday on HBO Max.

---

Bum Must-See Movies

SEE MOVIES: Buddy, The Dog Stars, Coyote vs. ACME, Cliffhanger and Finding Emily all open in theaters Friday.

---

Save the Date

Friday, September 4 – “Cabaret Around the World” at Playmakers in Grove (7:30 p.m.). Friday & Saturday, September 4-5 – BullFest at Wolf Creek Expo in Grove (6:30-9:00 p.m.). Friday & Saturday, September 4-5 - Jana Jae Fiddle Camp – evening events at Snider's Camp and daytime events at Foundation Free Will Baptist Church. Saturday, September 5 – Grand River Dam Paddle below the Pensacola Dam (10:00-5:00). Sunday, September 6 – Grove High School All-Class Reunion at the Grove Middle School (2:00 p.m.). Friday, September 11 – Food Truck Friday at Grove’s Downtown Square (5:00-9:00 p.m.). Friday & Saturday, September 11-12 – Grove Merchants Fall Open House. Saturday, September 12 – Grand Lake Fest Cruise, Cook & Cash with indoor car show at Wolf Creek Expo. Saturday, September 12 – Dam J.A.M. Bicycle Tour beginning on the Pensacola Dam (6:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.). Saturday, September 12 – World’s Largest Calf Fry in Vinita (3:00-6:00 p.m.). Thursday, September 17 – Northeast Board of Realtors Charity Golf Tournament at The Coves (9:00 a.m. shotgun). Thursday-Saturday, September 17-19 – Born & Raised Music Festival at Rockin’ Red Dirt Ranch in Pryor. Saturday, September 19 – Touch-A-Truck fun truck examination for kids benefiting Toys for Tots at First Christian Church in Grove (9:am-3pm). Saturday, September 19 – Barkaritaville dinner & auction at Patricia Island Country Club benefiting Second Chance Pet Rescue. Sunday, September 20 – Grand Lake World Peace Gathering at the Lendonwood Gardens' Pavilion in Grove (4:00-5:30 p.m.). Monday, September 21 –South Grand Lake Foundation’s Darrel Hicks Memorial “Fore the Kids” Golf Tournament at The Coves, benefiting the Ketchum Warriors Backpack Program (8:00 a.m.). Saturday, September 26 – A Taste of Grand on the Integris Grove Hospital grounds (6:00 p.m.).

---

In the sports world, it’s the final preseason week for the NFL. There are lots of televised games if you have enough network subscriptions (including NFL Channel). Action starts with Pittsburgh at Buffalo, New England at Cleveland, and the Rams & Chargers – all Thursday night. The Chiefs host Seattle and the Cowboys host New Orleans, both at 7:00 Friday night. The first game of the regular season is September 9 – New England at Seattle.

Believe it or not, it’s time for college football! North Carolina and TCU kick off the season at 11:00 Saturday morning from Dublin, Ireland. USC hosts San Jose State at 2:00, North Carolina State is at Virginia at 2:30, and Memphis is at UNLV at 9:00 Saturday night.

PGA Golfers are in Atlanta this week for the Tour Championship. Coverage begins at 12:00 Thursday-Sunday on The Golf Channel. CBS picks up coverage of the final two rounds Saturday at 2:00 & Sunday at 12:30.

WNBA players have some great games this week. Golden State is at New York Thursday night at 7:00 followed by Washington and Phoenix at 9:00. Indiana hosts Connecticut Friday at 6:30, Chicago is at New York Saturday at noon and Minnesota is at Atlanta Sunday at 2:00. That’s the last WNBA game until September 17. The league takes a break to make way for the FIBA World Cup competition in Berlin September 4-13.

Major League Baseball fans have some good ones on the schedule. The Dodgers wrap up a three-game series in Atlanta Thursday night, the Yankees and Red Sox battle through a Sunday double-header at noon and 6:00. The Mets host the Astros Sunday afternoon followed by Cincinnati taking on the Cubs Sunday night.

NASCAR drivers are at Daytona this week for some Saturday night action. Coverage of the Coke Zero Sugar 400 starts at 6:30 Saturday night on NBC. Indy Car drivers are in Milwaukee for a couple of days of televised racing. Coverage of the Snap-On Makers and Fixers 250 is Saturday at 1:30 – and the Snap-On Milwaukee Mile 250 is Sunday at noon – both on Fox.

---

Weekend weather this week should be in the single digits – but just barely. We’ll have sunshine and high temperatures in the upper 90s with lows around 70. There’s plenty of pre-Labor Day fun all around the lake – so get out there and have fun!! Remember, though, wherever you 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 continues to grow. 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.

Alpha Bar in Grove

Anchor Sports Bar & Activity Park at Shangri-La

Big Shots on Monkey Island (Open Thursday, Friday & Saturday nights)

Billy’s Burger Bar & More in Ketchum

Blind Swine on Duck Creek at Safe Harbor Harbors View Marina

Blue Bluff Café at Blue Bluff Harbor

BOOM at The Regatta (at Sailboat Bridge)

Buffalo Bar at Shangri-La on Monkey Island

Buffalo Run Casino in Miami (smoking)

Casa Gutierrez in Grove

Cesar’s Place in Vinita

Checkered Past in Grove

Chickanellas 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)

Cregan’s Confections & Ice Cream (Ketchum)

Doc’s Bar & Grill at Shangri-La Resort Hotel

Domino’s in Grove

Downstream Casino in Quapaw (smoking)

Drake’s Restaurant in Grove

Drift at the Regatta (at Sailboat Bridge in Grove)

Drunken Rooster Bar & Grill (Cleora)

Drunken Rooster – on the Water (Grove)

E&H Liquor Store at Littlefield Corner, Monkey Island

Eagle’s Nest at Patricia Island Country Club

Eddy’s Lakeside Bar at Shangri-La Marina

Fire Pit at Wildwood Cove Resort in Drowning Creek

Galley at The Anchor, Shangri-La Resort

Gambino’s Pizza in Ketchum

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

Hero’s Deli in Grove

Hero’s Deli in Langley

High Winds Casino east of Miami (smoking)

Indigo Sky Casino west of Seneca, Mo. (smoking)

Island Bar & Grill at The Landings Marina

Juan Montez Restaurant & Cantina at Red Arrow Marina

La Casita de Martin in downtown Grove

Legacy Eatery in Grove

Los Garcia’s in Langley

Lupe's Mexican Restaurant in Grove

Matt’s Place in Grove

Monkey Bar on Monkey Island

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

One-Eyed Monkey at Littlefield Corner, Monkey Island

Our House BBQ 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

Poppin’ on Grand in Grove

Quarterdeck Cafe at Tera Miranda Harbor

Raggedy’s in Grove

Rancho Viejo in Grove

Red’s BBQ in Ketchum

Rise-N-Dine, Ketchum

River Bend Casino in Wyandotte (smoking)

Road Hog Saloon at the entrance to Monkey Island

Roberts Bar & Restaurant in Langley

Royal Liquor Store in Grove

Scissortail Lounge at Scissortail Marina

Sharky’s at Hammerhead Marina

South 125 Bar & Grill on Monkey Island

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

VIP Pizza at Hammerhead Marina (smoking on deck)

Wolf Creek Diner in Grove