December 15 Observations from the Grand Lake Bum

The official First Day of Winter isn’t until Sunday, but Mother Nature must have gotten confused and thought it was the Sunday right behind us. That one day was plenty of winter for me! Fortunately, the temperatures didn’t reach the unbearable level until after all the big parades were wrapping up – both on the land and on the water. Congratulations to everyone who participated in the parades – especially those who braved the chilly air on the water in the Grand Lake Sailing Club Boat Parade in Honey Creek and the Cherokee Yacht Club boat parade in Duck Creek.

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There was so much happening over the past weekend, we all undoubtedly missed something. If the Cherokee Yacht Club Christmas Boat Parade was something you missed, you have the chance to catch it on television no matter where you live. The television replay of the boat parade will be aired on KSNF in Joplin December 20th at 6:30 p.m. and again December 24 at 12:30 p.m., on KSMO in Kansas City Christmas Day at 9:00 a.m., on KSBI in Oklahoma City December 27th at 10:30 a.m. and again on December 28th at 10:30 a.m.; and on KTUL in Tulsa December 28th at 4:00 p.m. Enjoy!  

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We have undoubtedly all made some bad decisions that resulted in a really bad day…but at least we’re not Sherrone Moore. One day he was head football coach at Michigan – one of the top football programs in the country. Then, all in one day, it was discovered that he was having an affair with his Executive Assistant. So, he got fired – for cause – which means he won’t get any of that $13 million buyout he would normally get for being booted out. He was so upset, he went home and got in a fight with his wife, apparently threatened to kill himself…then went to see his girlfriend and threatened to kill himself and hurt her, so he was arrested for assault. He started the day as a superstar coach, and ended the day fired, losing $13 million, and sitting in jail. Now, THAT’S a bad day!

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My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell says he’s running for governor in Minnesota. His popularity has bottomed out so low this race should be called a “pillow fight.”

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The growing number of registered Independent voters may be left out of Primary Elections in Oklahoma altogether last year. They have always been banned from Republican and Libertarian primaries, but the Democratic party has always allowed Independent voters in their primary elections. In the weirdest of all bureaucratic bungling, the State Election Board said parties were supposed to submit notification between November 1 and 30. Since the Democratic Party notified them back in August, the Election Board said it was not within the notification period. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard of anyone being disqualified for anything because they provided notification of their intentions too early. Procrastinate, my friends. It’s the only way to deal with government.

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Australia last week approved a new social media ban that prohibits anyone under the age of 16 from having a social media account – Facebook, Instagram, Kick, Reddit, Snapchat, Threats, TikTok, X, YouTube, and Twitch. The social media platforms can actually be fined up to $32.9 million if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove the accounts. Kids are in a panic with no idea how they can stay in touch with their friends – proof positive they have already forgotten how to make phone calls or, you know…talk.

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GRAND LAKE BUM SHOUT-OUTS: Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Grand Lakers Shelby McDonald, Michele Drummond, Tina Blackman, Katie Hutson, Kyle Hudelson, Zack Brown, Tina Sholl, Casey Davis, Rodney Richardson, Jeff Boschee, Jeff Horany, Toni Ferguson, Laura Kelly, Tiffany Cogle, Casey Musgrove, Scott Roberts, Denise Whitson, Houston Brittain, Shannon Watkins, Kelly Wilcox, Rick Huskey, Sam Rader, Pat Jurgensmeyer, Terri Prusator, and Carolyn Pigeut.

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BEST GRAND LAKE EVENTS THIS WEEK: Christmas lights are up for the beautiful drive-thru viewing at Twin Bridges State Park, Pine Lodge Resort in Ketchum. and America’s Outdoor Adventure Park in Jay. Shangri-La’s resort hotel and Anchor have awesome light displays, as well. Thursday, the Grove Chamber of Commerce hosts their annual Holiday Legislative Luncheon at Shangri-La Resort featuring Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. (11:30 a.m.). Thursday night is the Afton Christmas Parade (6:00 p.m.). Santa’s Ozark Mountain Village is open Friday & Saturday nights at Har-Ber Village. The Ice Skating Rink is open Friday-Sunday at Grove’s Downtown Square including Snow Globe Photo Ops, a Snowball Range, and a 40-foot snow mountain Friday & Saturday. Saturday, the Shooting Star Dance Company presents “The Nutcracker” at Grove Performing Arts Center (shows at 2:00 and 6:00  p.m.). Sunday afternoon is “A Grand Lake Holiday Celebration” sing-a-long and musical performance by Terry Jordan at Shangri-La Resort Hotel lobby (2:00-5:00 p.m.); and Santa will be at The Anchor at Shangri-La Sunday night from 6:00-9:00 p.m.

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RANDY KREHBIEL’S RANDOM FACTOID OF THE WEEK: In Roman mythology, the god Jupiter gave birth by swallowing the pregnant Metis whole, which caused Minerva to burst full formed from Jupiter’s head.

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FUN FACT OF THE WEEK: While watching a rerun of the old 101 Dalmations movie, there was an advance warning saying: “Contains Tobacco Depictions.” Welp. It also contains a woman trying to make a coat out of puppies, but sure, let’s worry about smoking.

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ODD FACT OF THE WEEK: Worldwide, there are 9,000 airplanes in the air at any given moment.

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BEST FACEBOOK POST OF THE WEEK: Christmas time is great because you can shout “DON’T COME IN HERE!” and people think you are wrapping presents, when you just want to drink in peace and not share your chocolates or whiskey with anyone.

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WORD FUN OF THE WEEK: Just another strange thing about the English language: “Fat chance” and “slim chance” mean the same thing.

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BEST SIGN SEEN THIS WEEK: Marriage is grand. Divorce is 100 grand.

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BEST BLUESKY POST OF THE WEEK: I was told that, after a vasectomy, I wouldn’t have kids anymore. Imagine my shock when I got home and they were still there.

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PUN OF THE WEEK: There’s some guy who’s been stealing wheels off of cop cars. Police are working tirelessly to catch him.

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UNANSWERED QUESTION OF THE WEEK: If it’s possible to seize a giant oil tanker without killing anyone, why is it impossible to do the same with tiny “drug boats”?

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OBSERVATION OF THE WEEK: Never catch snowflakes with your tongue until all the birds have gone south for the winter.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “I got one of those DNA kits. Turns out I’m 85% water, 8% dirt, and 7% dog pee.” – Frosty the Snowman

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FEEL-OLD MOMENTS OF THE WEEK: If you’re “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and singing that longtime hit song by teenage sensation “Little Miss Brenda Lee,” you’ll be interested to know “Little Miss Brenda” turned 81 years old last week. Six-time Grammy Award-winning singer Dionne Warwick turned 85. Puerto Rican Academy Award-winning actress, dancer, and singer Rita Moreno turned 94; and Tulsa’s own David Gates, the singer & songwriter best known for being the frontman of the musical group Bread, turned 85. Believe it or not, the Beatles’ John Lennon was shot to death 45 years ago.

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BEST WEEKEND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: On Monkey Island, Ryan Graham performs live Friday night at Doc’s Bar & Grill at Shangri-La. Harpist Lorelei Barton entertains at The Summit at Shangri-La Friday and Saturday nights. Terry Jordan leads the Christmas sing-along festivities at Shangri-La Resort Hotel lobby Sunday afternoon (2:00-5:00). There’s Karaoke Wednesday and Friday at The Monkey Bar, both hosted by Sundown Entertainment. Lil’ Red & Sidepiece will entertain Friday night at South 125 Bar & Grill.

On South Grand Lake, Magen Faulconer will entertain Wednesday night at Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill in Disney for their big Gift Wrapping Pajama Party. The Smith Brothers take the stage Friday night at Mooney’s, followed by B and X Saturday night and Jacob Dement Sunday.

Pullin Strings will perform Saturday night at Pickles on the Lake in Langley.

In Grove, Mixtape 918 will be on stage Friday night at Cherokee Casino Grove’s 1897 Bar. There’s musical Bingo every Wednesday night at R-Bar Dance Hall & Saloon; and Whiskey Alibi will provide the musical entertainment Friday night followed by an Ugly Sweater Contest with DJ Laidback Larry Saturday night.

Analog Frogs will start the weekend Thursday night at Downstream Casino’s Legends Sports Bar followed by The Dillon Leggett Band Friday night and D’Elegantz Saturday. Chris Hyde entertains Thursday night at Indigo Sky Casino followed by Dino D and the D Train Band both Friday & Saturday nights and a Sunday afternoon performance by Travis Kidd (1:00 p.m.). Friday night is Comedy Night at Buffalo Run Casino’s Backwoods Bar followed by The Buck Wild Band Saturday night. The Brad Duvall Band will provide the music in Riverbend Casino’s Club 60 West Saturday night.

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DINING & DRINKING UPDATE: The Juan Montez restaurant building at Red Arrow Marina has been torn down, but a new building is on the way for 2026. In the meantime, a food truck is on site serving the same great food; and the Cantina is still open. Poppin’ on Grand, formerly located in Cleora, has now reopened in Grove at 313 W. Third. Drake’s Restaurant in Grove has new winter hours – now closing at 2:00 p.m. on Fridays. The Monkey Grind at Shangri-La resort hotel is now open 7:00 a.m.-noon Monday-Thursday and until 2:00 p.m. Friday-Sunday. The new restaurant “Eagle’s Nest” is now open at Patricia Island Country Club (open to the public).

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BUM MUST-SEE TV: The season finale of The Voice airs Monday & Tuesday at 8:00 on NBC. iHeartRadio Jingle Ball 2025 airs Wednesday night at 7:00 on ABC.  The Family Film and TV Awards Show airs Friday night at 7:00 on CBS. The documentary film Starring Dick Van Dyke, honoring the career of the 100-year-old legend airs Friday at 8:00 on PBS. At 10:30 Saturday night on NBC, Saturday Night Live is hosted this week by Ariana Grande and the musical guest – for the first time since 1987 – is Cher.

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BUM MUST-SEE MOVIES: Avatar: Fire and Ash, The Housemaid, The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, and David open in theaters Friday.

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SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, December 25 – The Anchor at Shangri-La opens for Christmas Day football & basketball at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, December 31 – The big New Year’s Eve Dinner & Dance at The Summit Restaurant features D.J. Brock and live music by the Travis Kidd Trio. Thursday, December 31 – Big Shots Rhythm & Booze hosts a New Year’s Eve Sparkle Party. Friday-Sunday, January 9-11 – Oklahoma Boat Expo Boat & RV Show at Tulsa’s Arvest Convention Center. Friday-Sunday, January 16-28 – Oklahoma City Boat & RV Show at the Bennett Event Center at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds.

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In the college football world, there’s nothing in Oklahoma bigger than Friday night at 7:00 in Norman as OU hosts Alabama in the College Football Playoffs. The winner will face Indiana in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. By the way, College Game Day will broadcast a special edition of the program LIVE from the OU campus Friday from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Saturday’s CFP games include Miami at Texas A&M (11:00), Tulane at Ole Miss (2:30), and James Madison at Oregon (6:30). If you get really hard up, there are ten more bowl games between now and next Wednesday. As they say, “Check your local listings.”

The Emirates NBA Cup Championship game is Tuesday at 7:30, then we’re back to regular season games. The OKC Thunder host the Clippers Thursday night at 7:00 before heading to Minnesota for a Friday night 8:30 game.  They’re back home to host Memphis Monday night (8:30) and back on the road to San Antonio Tuesday (7:30).

In the NFL, Seattle hosts the L.A. Rams Thursday night. Sunday games include the L.A. Chargers at Dallas and Kansas City at Tennessee, both at noon. The Lions host the Steelers at 3:30 and the Dolphins host the Bengals Sunday night; and Monday Night Football features San Francisco at Indianapolis.

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Mother Nature obviously got confused and thought winter started last weekend. It’s officially winter this weekend, but the weather won’t show it. We’ll be back up to high temperatures in the upper 50s – maybe even upper 60s on Saturday, with lows in the mid-40s. It’s a nice way to wrap up the year. We may even be up to 65 for a Christmas Day high temp. How ‘bout that? There’s plenty of holiday weekend action around the lake this weekend – so get out of the house and join the 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

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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)

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 Gro

Cesar’s Place in Vinita

Cesar’s Place in Langley

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

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

Keagan’s Coffee at Littlefield Corner

La Casita de Martin in downtown Grove

Legacy Eatery in Grove

Lighthouse Supper Club in Ketchum

Los Garcias 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

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 Cleora

Quarterdeck Cafe at Tera Miranda Harbor

R Bar Dance Hall & Saloon in Grove

Raggedy’s in Grove

Rancho Viejo in Grove

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

Speedy’s Chophouse in Grove

Sugar Shack at Lee’s Grand Lake Resort

Summit Restaurant at Shangri-La on Monkey Island

The Artichoke Restaurant in Langley

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