December 22 Observations from the Grand Lake Bum
We’ve had all the parades both on land and on the water. We’ve enjoyed all the holiday parties our livers could stand, and poor Santa has been at virtually every business around the lake posing for photos. Now there’s nothing left but the big holiday itself – enjoying our families and filling our heads with what Christmas Day is all about – football and basketball! Right? With 25 college bowl games, 10 NFL games, and 16 NBA games (including two rematch opportunities for the Thunder and Spurs), you shouldn’t have any problem filling your Christmas holiday weekend with all that is wonderful. Merry Christmas!
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With all the pressures of celebrating the Christmas holiday season, it occurred to me that Santa is the one guy who got it right: only visit people once a year, eat all their snacks, and leave early.
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While over-indulging a little preparing for the holidays, a friend of mine dropped a gummy in her yard. When she realized it was missing, she went back to look for it; but it was covered with ants. I can’t imagine how wild the night must have been in the ant colony that night!
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With all the talk of Christmas & New Year’s, you might have missed an important day over the past weekend. Sunday was the Winter Solstice – the day with the most dark hours of the year. It just gets better from here. Mark your calendars for the big celebration March 8, 2026 – the return of Daylight Saving Time!
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The penny coin is history. There was a final run of 232 sets of three pennies each. Those 232 sets sold for a total of $16.76 million. The final set, numbered 232 out of 232, also included the original dies used to strike the coins. Those three pennies sold fo $800,000. So much for the idea that pennies are now worthless! I have an entire jar full of them. If anyone wants to start the bidding, I’m willing to part with them.
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What? Musical highways? Yep. Starting next spring, when drivers head over the east-bound lane of the Southwest Boulevard Bridge portion of Route 66 in Tulsa, their tires will turn into fingers on an imaginative piano. That stretch of road transform into a Musical Road, thanks to a $90,000 grant from the State of Oklahoma. A series of thermoplastic rumble strips will be installed on the road, and when drivers go over that spot at a certain speed —which will be the speed limit of 35 miles per hour — the vibrations of the tires hitting the strips will play a familiar song. Just what song hasn’t been announced. In New Mexico, a similar Musical Road plays “America the Beautiful.” Anyway, what better use of $90k, right?
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Whatever highways you’re traveling during the holidays, musical or not, please don’t drink & drive. It’s okay to drink. It’s okay to drive. Just don’t do them in tandem. Have a happy, fun-filled, joyous Christmas and a wonderful New Year – and be safe enough that you come out of it in one piece. Be patient with the servers, cooks, bartenders, hotel clerks, and entertainers who are working over the holidays to make sure you have fun. Tip a little extra, if you can. It’s a lot of hard work making everything look fun and easy.
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GRAND LAKE BUM SHOUT-OUTS: Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Grand Lakers Jeff Hartman, Edward Maples, Jo Lawson, Marlon Porter, Bob Allred, Nancy Wyatt, Tim Williams, Carley Tune, David Hinkle, Linda Ballard, Susan McReynolds, Scott Gallagher, Steve Rhoades, Barbara Staten, Lester Lancaster, Robert Vandommelon, and Stacy Shriver. Special shout-outs, too, to all the USPS, UPS, FedEx, Amazon, DoorDash, Uber, Wal-Mart employees, club & restaurant employees, and all the others who work lots of extra hours to take good care of the rest of us over the holidays.
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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. There are horse-drawn sleigh rides at Shangri-La beginning at 4:00 p.m. Monday & Tuesday, December 22 & 23 leaving from just behind the Dome at The Anchor. On Christmas Day, the Anchor at Shangri-La opens for Christmas Day football & basketball at 11:00 a.m.
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, there are professional holiday lakeside family photo opportunities at Shangri-La ($200). For reservations, call 918-257-5205.
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RANDY KREHBIEL’S RANDOM FACTOID OF THE WEEK: Alan Hale Jr., best remembered today as the "Skipper" from Gilligan's Island, played the Sundance Kid to Neville Brand's Butch Cassidy In the 1956 film "The Three Outlaws."
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FUN FACT OF THE WEEK: The first text message ever sent (December 3, 1992) said “Merry Christmas.”
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ODD FACT OF THE WEEK: This will be the NFL’s first postseason since 1998 without Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Patrick Mahomes.
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BEST FACEBOOK POST OF THE WEEK: Adam & Eve did not wear any clothes before they sinned; but now, because of their sins, we all have to do laundry.
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WORD FUN OF THE WEEK: An official new definition of the word “slop”: Creepy, zany and demonstrably fake content is often called “slop.” The word's proliferation online, in part thanks to the widespread availability of generative artificial intelligence, landed it as Merriam-Webster's 2025 word of the year.
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BEST SIGN SEEN THIS WEEK: Welcome to Suburbia: where they tear out all the trees, then name streets after them.
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BEST BLUESKY POST OF THE WEEK: I really think it’s time to take the warning labels off of everything and let stupidity work itself out.
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PUN OF THE WEEK: Alcohol and calculus don’t mix. Don’t drink and derive.
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UNANSWERED QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Why did we ever think “rub-a-dub-dub, three men in a tub” was ever a socially acceptable nursery rhyme to teach kids?
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OBSERVATION OF THE WEEK: When a woman wears leather clothing, a man’s heart beats quicker, his throat goes dry, he gets weak in the knees, and he begins to think irrationally. Ever wonder why? It’s because she smells like a new truck.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “The main reason Santa is so jolly is because he knows where all the bad girls live.” – George Carlin
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FEEL-OLD MOMENTS OF THE WEEK: Golden Globe Award-winning actor Don Johnson, best known for his roles in Miami Vice and Nash Bridges, turned 76 last week; and legendary actor Samuel L. Jackson turned 77 over the weekend. Rolling Stones musician, singer & songwriter Keith Richards just turned 82. I thought he was even older than that. In that same vein of ageless music, guitarist & singer Joe Walsh joined The Eagles 50 years ago this week. Oklahoma-born award-winning actor & producer Brad Pitt turned 62 years old last week; and the classic animated movie “A Charlie Brown Christmas” was first released 60 years ago.
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BEST WEEKEND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: On Monkey Island, Kevin Price 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. DJ Brock leads the Summit New Year’s Eve Celebration on the north patio New Year’s Eve while The Travis Kidd Trio entertains in the Buffalo Bar. Shangri-La Resort Hotel lobby Sunday afternoon (2:00-5:00). There’s Music Bingo Wednesday and Karaoke Friday at The Monkey Bar, both hosted by Sundown Entertainment. Next Tuesday, Erin Fitzgibbon will be on stage at The Monkey Bar. Their New Year’s Eve entertainment will feature Sundown Entertainment.
On South Grand Lake, Wilkie Jay will entertain Friday night at Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill in Disney followed by Robbi Bell Saturday night. The Brent Giddens Trio will provide the New Year’s Eve entertainment at Mooney’s. Jake Marlin & The Reckless will perform Saturday night at Pickles on the Lake in Langley.
In Grove, there’s plenty of musical entertainment New Year’s Eve at Cherokee Casino Grove’s 1897 Bar. An Evening of The Rat Pack begins at 3:00 followed by the Beaty Creek Band at 6:00, and Paralandra at 10:00, all on New Year’s Eve.
Encore will start the weekend Friday night at Downstream Casino’s Legends Sports Bar followed by The Steel Roses Saturday. The Johnny Dale Roberts Band entertains Christmas night at Indigo Sky Casino followed by The GenXers Friday and The Brothers Moore Saturday. Wilkie Jay will perform Sunday afternoon at 1:00 – and The BakBeatz will entertain on New Year’s Eve. The Buster Clifton Davis Band will provide the music at Buffalo Run Casino’s Backwoods Bar Saturday night; and Until Now will entertain on New Year’s Eve. Jeff Tatum & the Palomino Moon Band will provide the music in Riverbend Casino’s Club 60 West Saturday night; and Riverbend will return to the 80s on New Year’s Eve with music by two great tribute bands, Poison Overdose & Motley Crucial.
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DINING & DRINKING UPDATE: The Anchor and The Galley Restaurant at Shangri-La are open both Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. 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.
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BUM MUST-SEE TV: If you missed the Cherokee Yacht Club Christmas Lights Boat Parade, here’s where you can watch it on television this week: KSNF in Joplin 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! The new drama/sci-fi series The Copenhagen Test will be available beginning Saturday on Peacock. The season premier of Animal Control is Sunday night at 7:00 on Fox. A Grammy Celebration of Latin Music airs Sunday night at 7:00 on CBS; and the comedy special Ricky Gervais: Mortality will be available on Netflix next Tuesday.
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BUM MUST-SEE MOVIES: Song Sung Blue, Anaconda, and Marty Supreme open in theaters Christmas Day.
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SAVE THE DATE: 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, bowl season continues with no less than 25 games on the schedule before New Year’s Day. There are some good ones, believe it or not – Penn State vs. Clemson Saturday (11:00) followed by Georgia Tech vs. BYU (2:30), Virginia vs. Missouri (6:30), and LSU vs. Houston (8:15). USC and TCU are on the agenda next Tuesday (8:00) and New Year’s Eve games include Iowa & Vanderbilt, Arizona State & Duke, Michigan & Texas, Nebraska & Utah – and the first CFP quarterfinal game with TBD taking on Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl (6:30).
The NBA has a busy schedule, too. The OKC Thunder has two chances for revenge against the Spurs. They play in San Antonio Tuesday night and in OKC Thursday afternoon (1:30. The Thunder host Philadelphia Sunday afternoon (2:30), the Hawks next Monday (7:00), and Portland next New Yaer’s Eve (7:00).
In the NFL, there’s a full schedule, as well including three Christmas Day games – Dallas at Washington (12:00), Detroit at Minnesota (3:30), and Denver at Kansas City (7:00). There are a couple of games Saturday, too – Houston at the L.A. Chargers (3:30) and Baltimore at Green Bay (7:00). Sunday, The Dolphis host the Buccaneers, and the Browns host the Steelers, both at noon. Philadelphia is at Buffalo at 3:30 and Chicago is at San Francisco at 7:20. Monday Night Football sends the L.A. Rams to Atlanta (7:15).
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After a week of unseasonably warm weather – including the likelihood of a 75-degree Christmas Day on Grand Lake, it’ll cool down a little for the weekend, but not much. We’ll still have high temperatures in the mid-60s with lows in the mid-40s until Sunday, when temperatures drop about another 10 degrees moving into next week; but even for the New Year’s holiday, we’ll have highs in the mid-50s and lows in the upper 30s. Not bad, huh? There’s plenty of holiday 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
