December 23 Random Observations of The Grand Lake Bum
It was fun preparing for the big holiday with a little singing and day-drinking again Sunday afternoon at Shangri-La’s “Grand Lake Holiday Celebration” with Terry Jordan leading the sing-along adventures. All the parades and Christmas parties are all behind us now – and it’s time to brace ourselves for an overdose of football and a week of New Year’s celebrations.
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Once we put all the pressures of the Christmas holiday behind us, we officially arrive at one of my two favorite holidays of the year. New Year’s and Thanksgiving are the only two holidays focused totally on eating, drinking, and football. No gifts to worry about. No pressure to find costumes. No endless stream of parties you wish you weren’t obligated to attend. Nope. Just fun. I need to be careful this year, though. It’s rare for New Year’s Eve to fall on a Tuesday. That means a weekday viewing of the big college bowl games to drink my way through on New Year’s Eve after drinking my way through the Armed Forces Bowl trying to pull the Sooners to a winning record. I hope I’m able to recover enough for an extra-big day-long New Year’s Day bowl game extravaganza at The Anchor. You’ve got to love mid-week holidays. It means partying for ten straight days – TWICE!
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A new year means new resolutions, of course. Perhaps the best use of the word “resolutions” is the new gymnasium & athletic club a buddy of mine is planning to open. He’s hoping to get a bunch of memberships to get the ball rolling, but he’s naming it “Resolutions” because that name will still work about mid-February when he converts it to a sports bar.
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It’s officially winter. Last Saturday was the official day on the calendar. That’s the bad news. The good news is, we began enjoying a little more daylight time the very next day – and that will continue until June 20, 2025. As we celebrate holidays, don’t forget to mark your calendar for the biggest holiday boost for tourism – March 9, 2025 marks the return of Daylight Saving Time!
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I hope you have fun in this unusual extended holiday season, but mind your manners. Remember, it’s not only a long holiday week, it’s a long CHRISTMAS holiday week followed by a long NEW YEAR’S holiday week. Everybody else will be just as drunk, smart, good-looking, and impatient as you are. Bartenders and servers will be crazy busy – and they’re all working extra hard so you can play extra hard. Hold your tongue, enjoy the party, and tip well.
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GRAND LAKE BUM SHOUT-OUTS: Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Grand Lakers Mike Morey, Marlon Porter, Ed Maples, David Hinkle, Bob Allred, Nancy Wyatt, Carly Tune, Tim Williams, Chandra Farmer, Scott Gallagher, Steve Rhoades, Barbara Staten, Lester Lancaster, Barbara Smith, Debbie Dooley, Robert Vandommelon, and Stacy Shriver.
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BEST GRAND LAKE EVENTS THIS WEEK: Most places are closed Christmas Day including all Shangri-La venues except the actual hotel; but things kick back into gear right after Christmas. Thursday night is “Karaoke & Prime Rib Night” at Doc’s at Shangri-La and “Thursday Trivia Night” at Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill. Friday is an Armed Forces Bowl Watch Party at The Anchor at Shangri-La – OU vs. Navy (11:00 a.m.). Friday night is a “S’Mores & More” party at The Anchor at Shangri-La (6:00-9:00 p.m.). Saturday night is a Christmas Movie night in the Simulator Bay at The Anchor at Shangri-La at 6:00 (“Polar Express”).
Next Tuesday is New Year’s Eve – so that will be a biggie! The Anchor is open early (11:00 a.m.) for all the New Year’s Eve Bowl Games. Tuesday night is the huge “Studio 54 New Year’s Eve Gala” in the Roosevelt Ballroom at Shangri-La. There are also New Year’s Eve parties at Mulligans at Patricia Island, R Bar Dance Hall and Saloon in Grove, The Drunken Rooster, Cherokee Yacht Club, Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill, Juan Montez, Big Shots on Monkey Island, and The Monkey Bar on the Island. Next Wednesday, New Year’s Day, The Anchor will be open at 11:00 a.m. so you don’t miss any of the CFP Championship Quarterfinal Bowl Games.
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RANDY KREHBIEL’S RANDOM FACTOID OF THE WEEK: Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen had zero college offers out of high school and two after a year of junior college. One of those two was withdrawn.
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FUN FACT OF THE WEEK: Marijuana has surpassed alcohol. Although more Americans drink alcohol than use marijuana, there are now more who use marijuana “daily” than there are “daily” users of alcohol.
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ODD FACT OF THE WEEK: And you thought YOUR Christmas gifts were expensive! And those shoes you bought your wife? Consider yourself lucky. The ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the “Wizard of Oz” sold last week for $32.5 million. For used shoes!
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BEST FACEBOOK POST OF THE WEEK: Before drinking, eat liver so that the alcohol doesn’t know which liver to attack.
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PALINDROME OF THE WEEK: “Lisa Bonet ate no basil” spelled backwards is still “Lisa Bonet ate no basil .”
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BEST SIGN SEEN THIS WEEK (seen in front of an empty storefront): For Lease - Navidad
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BEST BLUESKY POST OF THE WEEK: I’m not totally worthless. I can be used as a bad example.
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PUN OF THE WEEK: Those cigarette-smoking boaters who throw their cigarettes overboard only do it so their whole boat becomes a cigarette lighter.
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UNANSWERED QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Why is “Miss Universe” always from Earth?
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OBSERVATION OF THE WEEK: Shout out to the person at social events who’s the first to say they’re going home and breaks the seal for the rest of us to be like, “Guess we’ll head out, too!”
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?” – George Carlin
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FEEL-OLD MOMENTS OF THE WEEK: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation made its debut as a holiday classic 35 years ago. Chevy Chase, who jump-started his career as Clark Griswold is now 81 years old. CBS Morning co-host Gayle King turns 70 years old this week. Actor Samuel L. Jackson is now 76 years old and actress Jane Fonda turned 87 over the past weekend.
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BEST WEEKEND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: There’s a TON of live entertainment around the lake for the next few nights. On Monkey Island, the weekend begins right after Christmas - Thursday night with Jason Morgan hosting the karaoke fun at Doc’s Bar & Grill at Shangri-La. Friday night, R. Jay Smith will perform at Doc’s. Next Tuesday, Avenue performs at the “Studio 54 New Year’s Eve Gala” at Shangri-La. DJ Kennedy leads Rockstar Karaoke Friday night at The Monkey Bar. DJ Kyle Bandito provides the late-night music at Big Shots both Friday & Saturday nights, and at the New Year’s Eve Party Tuesday.
On South Grand, The Barrett Lewis Band will perform Saturday night at Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill in Disney. House Party will entertain at the New Year’s Eve Party at Drunken Rooster next Tuesday. Zach Live is the Christmas Eve entertainment at Juan Montez. Cowboy Joe entertains Friday night and Frizzy will perform Saturday night at Juan Montez. Souled Out will provide the New Year’s Eve music at Cherokee Yacht Club.
In Grove, there are two nights of weekend entertainment at Cherokee Casino’s 1897 Bar – 90 Lb. Wrench Friday night, followed by Paralandra Saturday. New Year’s Eve, Magic J Entertainment starts the fun at 6:00 at Cherokee Casino, followed by Dead Metal Society at 10:30. DJ Laidback Larry will provide the musical entertainment Saturday night at R-Bar Dance Hall & Saloon and the CM Johnson Band will provide the music on New Year’s Eve with emcee Shane. Garrich Fausett performs Friday night at Grand Lake Casino’s Venue 655, followed by Repo’d Trailer’s Band Saturday night and Playlist New Year’s Eve. Dustin Treiber entertains New Year’s Eve at Mulligans.
Saturday night is Xtreme Fight Night at Buffalo Run Casino’s Peoria Showplace. There’s karaoke fun Friday night and Risky Business will be on stage Saturday night at Buffalo Run’s Backwoods Bar followed by The Bison on New Year’s Eve. At River Bend Casino’s Club 60 West, there is live music early Saturday night by Morgan Squared followed by karaoke with DJ Kay at 11:00 p.m. New Year’s Eve, both the Beer & Chicken Band and Bobby Degonia will be on stage at Club 60 West. Leeper and Simpson will entertain at Downstream Casino’s Legends Sports Bar Thursday night, followed by The Kurt Allen Band Friday night, Left of Center Saturday night, and Members Only New Year’s Eve. There will also be live music, food trucks, and dancing at the Gatsby’s New Year’s Eve Party in Downstream’s Pavilion. There are also four nights of live music this week at Indigo Sky Casino – Jake Clark Thursday night, Bill & Monica’s Excellent Adventure Friday, The Outlaws Reloaded Saturday night and Thomas Martinez on New Year’s Eve.
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DINING & DRINKING UPDATE: All Shangri-La facilities except the hotel will be closed Christmas Day. Scissortail Marina’s bar & grill is now closed Monday-Wednesday. Open Thursday & Friday at 4:00, Saturdays at 2:00 and Sundays 3:00-7:00. Juan Montez will be closed New Year’s Day. Bradford’s BBQ in Ketchum is now closed until spring. Blind Swine on Monkey Island and Bradford Barbecue in Ketchum have closed until Spring. The Grill at Indian Hills Marina is closed until January 3. Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill will be open for potluck fun Christmas Day from 2:00-7:00 p.m. Mooney’s has also added “Saturday Brunch” from 9:00 a.m.-11:45 every week. Grand Lake Kitchen at Har-Ber Village is open throughout the winter months. Hours are 7:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Sunday & Monday, and 7:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday (Closed Tuesday).
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BUM MUST-SEE TV: The 47th Kennedy Center Honors will be televised on CBS Monday night at 8:00. Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas airs Thursday night at 8:00 on NBC. For music lovers, Grammy Greats: The Stories Behind the Songs will air Friday night at 8:00 on CBS and Grammy Greats: The Most Memorable Moments will air Sunday night at 8:00, also on CBS.
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BUM MUST-SEE MOVIES: A Complete Unknown, Babygirl, The Fire Inside, and Nosferatu all open in theaters this week, joining Mufasa: The Lion King.
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SAVE THE DATE: Friday-Sunday, January 10-12 – Oklahoma Boat Expo at Cox Business Convention Center in Tulsa. Saturday, January 18 – An Event with Ron Young-Ninety Years of the Broadway Music Man in the Roosevelt Ballroom at Shangri-La Hotel (6:30 p.m.). Saturday, January 18 – The Golden Sounds of the Platters at the Grove High School Performing Arts Center (7:00 p.m.). Monday, January 20 – CFP Championship Watch Party at The Anchor at Shangri-La (6:30 p.m.). Saturday, January 25 – “The Kornfield Friends”-Remembering Hee Haw Original Cast Members at the Grove High School Performing Arts Center (7:00 p.m.). Wednesday, February 5 – Home of Hope Chocolate Affair at the Craig County Fairgrounds & Community Center in Vinita (6:00-8:00 p.m.).
In the college football world, it’s bowl time and playoff time! Thursday, Rutgers takes on Kansas State in the Rate Bowl (4:30). OU takes on Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl Friday morning at 11:00 followed by Texas Tech and Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl (6:00), Syracuse and Washington State in the Holiday Bowl (7:00), and USC vs. Texas A&M in the Las Vegas Bowl (9:30). Saturday games include Boston College vs. Nebraska in the Pinstripe Bowl (1:00), Louisiana and TCU in the New Mexico Bowl (1:15), Iowa State and Miami in the Pop Tarts Bowl (2:30), BYU vs. Colorado in the Alamo Bowl (6:30), and Louisiana Tech vs. Army in the Independence Bowl (8:15).
New Year’s Eve games Tuesday feature Alabama vs. Michigan in the Reliaquest Bowl (11:00), Louisville vs. Washington in the Sun Bowl (1:00), South Carolina and Illinois in the Citrus Bowl (2:00), and Baylor vs. LSU in the Texas Bowl (2:30). Tuesday night is the first CFP quarterfinal game with Penn State taking on Boise State (6:30).
Wednesday, there are three more New Year’s Day CFP quarterfinals – Texas vs. Arizona State in the Peach Bowl (12:00), Ohio State vs. Oregon in the Rose Bowl (4:00), and Notre Dame meeting Georgia in the Sugar Bowl (7:45).
The NFL season rolls into week #17 with a full schedule with a couple of big games on Christmas Day – Kansas City at Pittsburgh (12:00) and Baltimore at Houston (3:30). I hope you have NETFLIX, because that’s the only place you’ll find those two games. There’s a great game Thursday night as the Bears host the Seahawks. Sunday games include Carolina at Tampa Bay (12:00), Green Bay at Minnesota (12:00), Dallas at Philadelphia (3:30), and Miami at Cleveland (7:20). Monday Night Football features Detroit at San Francisco (7:30).
The NBA has a busy holiday schedule with a full line-up of Christmas Day games - San Antonio at New York (11:00), Minnesota at Dallas (1:30), Philadelphia at Boston (4:00), the L.A. Lakers at Golden State (7:00), and Denver at Phoenix (9:30).
The OKC Thunder are on the road at Indiana Thursday night (6:00) and at Charlotte Saturday (5:00) before returning home to host Memphis Sunday (6:00) and Minnesota next Tuesday (7:00).
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Weather for the final weekend of 2024 looks absolutely perfect. High temperatures in the low 60s and lows around 40. There’s plenty of football, basketball, and lots of holiday parties on the schedule, so be careful out there. And remember, wherever you decide to party, be sure to buy a drink for the guy next to you. It might 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
Blind Swine on Monkey Island
Blue Bluff Café at Blue Bluff Harbor
BOOM in Grove (at The Regatta)
Bradford BBQ in Ketchum
Buffalo Bar at Shangri-La on Monkey Island
Buffalo Run Casino in Miami (smoking)
Casa Gutierrez in Grove
Cesar’s Place in Vinita
Cesar’s Place in Langley
Checkered Past in Grove
Chickanella’s 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)
Cove Club in Langley
Doc’s Bar & Grill at Shangri-La Resort Hotel
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
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)
Honey Creek BBQ in Grove (south of Honey Creek bridge)
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
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
Scissortail Bar at Scissortail Marina
Sharky’s at Hammerhead Marina
Speedy’s Chophouse in Grove
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 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
