October 16th Random Observations of The Grand Lake Bum

We made it through Friday the 13^th unscathed. In fact – it was downright wonderful! Weather could not have been better for all the outdoor festivities over the past weekend – including another incredibly successful Pelican Festival. It seemed like more pelicans got invitations this year. Those guys were EVERYWHERE on the lake. There were plenty of spectators, as well. It was nice to have such perfect weather for the unbelievable turnout of boats on the water in mid-October! Don’t worry if you missed the festival. The pelicans are still hanging around for a while. It’s Grand Lake, for heaven’s sake. Make your own festival! Hurry up, though. Daylight Saving Time only lasts three more weeks.

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I must say, the OU-Texas game was a lot more fun than the OU-Iowa State game. It was particularly cool that Barry Switzer’s Coaches Cabana TV crew were at Grand Lake. I went out to celebrate Saturday night and saw Coach Switzer, Thomas Lott, Mark Rodgers and the rest of the Cabana Crew hanging out at Shangri-La Resort!

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Speaking of Shangri-La, it’s sure great to see them renewing a lot of the old Shangri-La community traditions. They’ve schedule a family Halloween outdoor fun night Friday, October 27 across the street from the Monkey Island Fire Department and they’re bringing back the big Halloween Ball the next night at the resort hotel. They have also announced the return of the fabulous Shangri-La New Year’s Eve Ball. Ah, yes. Our little lake is booming year-round again!

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If you watch people who start getting their hands on more money, it gets increasingly difficult to determine “how much is enough?” Take the case of Yokatia Rodriguez in Salem, New Hampshire.  She was charged with shoplifting after she was caught trying to escape from the store without paying for $80 of lipstick. She must be saving up her money for something really big if she needs to steal lipstick. The week before she was arrested, she had won a million dollars playing the lottery. How much is enough?

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Budgeting is important, though – especially if you’re going to ignore laws habitually. Carlee Mackie of Dundee, Scotland finally had to file bankruptcy. She listed 37,546 pounds in total debt – 18,500 pounds of that debt was unpaid parking tickets.

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Maybe sexual harassment in the workplace is finally going out of style. Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was fired from the company he co-founded and booted out of the Motion Picture Academy last when women began coming forward with their stories. Officials said they kicked him out when they found out he was a sexual predator. Don’t kid yourself. They kicked him out when WE found out he was a sexual predator. They had undoubtedly known for decades.

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President Trump had kind of a tough week last week. He is so mad at NBC News, he indicated in an interview that he was considering taking action to have their FCC Broadcast License. There is a slight problem with that, though. The FCC licenses only local stations…not networks. That might not have been as bad as his slip-up when he proudly announced he met with the President of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Ruh-roh. As it turns out, the U.S. Virgin Islands are called “U.S.” because they’re part of the United States. Donald Trump is actually “President” of the U.S. Virgin Islands. He must have just stood in front of a mirror. That’s easy enough.

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WORST PRODUCT IDEA EVER (I actually saw this at a store): Oscar Mayer Pumpkin Spice Bologna. YUCK!

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BEST FACEBOOK POST THIS WEEK (posted by a dear female friend): My fantasy is to have two men at once. One cooking, one cleaning.

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BEST SIGN SEEN THIS WEEK (at a farm pond): Frog parking only. All others will be toad.

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RANDY KREHBIEL’S RANDOM FACTOID OF THE DAY: The Yankees and Dodgers have played a record 11 World Series against each other, but not since 1981.

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BEST TWEET OF THE WEEK: Friday the 13^th is still better than Monday the whatever.

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GRAND LAKE BUM SHOUT-OUTS: Happy Birthday wishes go out this week to Michael Thrift, Scott Graham, Kim Bruno, Karen Baxter, Shelli Raines, Justin Ruzicka, Garry Toomey, Kelly Hudelson, Victoria Perry, and Kenny King. Happy birthday, kids! Congratulations and “welcome” to Donnie Crain, newly named President of the Grove Area Chamber of Commerce.

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UNANSWERED QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Have you ever imagined a world with no hypothetical situations?

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BEST EVENTS OF THE WEEK: There’s no shortage of action around the lake this weekend – and if you love golf, there’s really a lot happening. Friday is the Grove Rotary Bob Killion Memorial Golf Tournament at Patricia Island Golf Club. Friday afternoon & evening is the South Grand Lake Chamber Business After Hours (5-7 pm) at Wave On Flags & Banners north of Langley. Saturday is Oktoberfest day at Hookers at Cherokee Yacht Club. Saturday evening is the Grand Hangar Hoedown fundraiser featuring Whiskey Poet Society at South Grand Lake Regional Airport (6-10 p.m.). Saturday & Sunday are tournament days to determine the Shangri-La Men’s & Women’s Club Champions; and the Missouri Southern State University Invitational Tournament is Monday & Tuesday at Shangri-La. If you still feel the urge to take to the fairways yourself, the South Grand Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Greater Grand Lake Open Golf Tournament is alsoMonday at The Coves.

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GRAND LAKE WEEKEND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: There are great entertainment options around the lake this weekend. On Monkey Island, Randy Lunsford will entertain behind the keyboard at The Shebang this weekend. The Balcony Bar upstairs at The Shebang features you as the entertainment with karaoke fun both Friday & Saturday nights; and across the street at Big Shots Rhythm & Booze, dance the night away on Saturday with great music from DJ Deeko. Just down the highway from there, Friday night is Karaoke Night at Monkey Island Pub. Erin Fitzgibbon performs Sunday nights at Blind Swine, and there’s great music every Saturday night at the Road Hog Saloon.

On South Grand Lake, Jeff and Brenda Olive will perform Saturday night at Juan Montez at Red Arrow Marina. Saturday is the Grand Hangar Hoedown fundraiser at South Grand Lake Regional Airport featuring music by Whiskey Poet Societyfrom 6-10.

Area casinos have excellent musical options this weekend, as well. Cherokee Casino Grove hosts The Women of RockFriday night and The Pumpkin Hollow Band Saturday night. River Bend Casino’s Club 60 West Bar features Lucas GatesFriday night. Downstream Casino’s Legends Sports Bar presents Retrorockerz on stage Friday night, followed by The Mark Chapman Band Saturday. At Indigo Sky Casino, there is live entertainment in the Echo Bar starting Thursday night with music by Brett & Terri. Friday night features the music of Mayday by Midnight followed by Diversity Saturday night. At Grand Lake Casino’s Venue 655, The George Brothers will perform Friday night. Lickitty Split will be on stage at Lost Creek Saloon at Bordertown Casino Friday night, with Running on Empty wrapping up the weekend entertainment Saturday night.

The best spots to catch all your favorite sports action, including NFL Football, College Football, NBA, NASCAR and PGA Golf are Doc’s Bar & Grill at Shangri-La Resort Hotel, Monkey Island Pub, the Standing Room Only Bar at The Shebang, Road Hog Saloon, 1909 in Grove, and Pickles at the Lake in Langley.

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BUM MUST-SEE TV: Saturday night at 6:30, Shangri-La Resort will be the featured story on Discover Oklahoma(Channel 8 in Tulsa, Channel 4 in OKC). Madam Secretary airs in a new time slot, Sunday night at 9:00 on CBS. Bull isTuesday night at 8:00 on CBS; and The Blacklist has moved to Wednesday night at 7:00 on NBC.

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BUM MUST-SEE MOVIES: Boo! 2: A Madea Halloween, Same Kind of Different As Me, Goodbye Christopher Robin,and Snowman

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Remember when Dan Quayle misspelled ‘potato,’ and everyone was like “that’s a good enough reason for him not to be President’? We should be like that again.” – Ben Grimes

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SAVE THE DATE: Friday, October 27 – Shangri-La’s Family Halloween Fun Night across the street from the Monkey Island Fire Dept. – bonfire, hayrides, music by No Apparent Reason, dogs & s’mores). Saturday, October 28 – Punkin Chunkin at John’s Tractor Works 3 miles east of Vinita (11-3). Saturday, October 28 – Trick or Treat Poker Run (Cedar Port, Hammerhead, Arrowhead, Cherokee) and Boo Ball with dinner & music at Cherokee Yacht Club. Saturday, October 28 – Shangri-La’s Halloween Dinner, Ball & Costume Contest at the Roosevelt Ballroom in the resort hotel (music byUninvited Guest). Saturday, October 28 – Halloween Costume Party at Monkey Island Pub. Saturday, November 11 – Harbors View Marina Barn Dance. Saturday, November 18 – Festivus Party & Shopping Specials at Shangri-La Golf Club.Friday, November 24 – Shangri-La’s annual “Black Friday Seafood Buffet” at the Summit Restaurant.

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The NBA starts regular season play this week. The OKC Thunder host the New York Knicks to kick off the seasonThursday night (7:00 on TNT). Saturday, they’re in Utah to face the Jazz (8:00 on FS Oklahoma). Sunday night, they’re back home hosting Minnesota at 6:00 (FS Oklahoma); and they host the Indiana Pacers next Wednesday (7:00 on FS Oklahoma). In the college football world, it’s a busy weekend ahead. Everybody from around here is on the road – OU at K-State, OSU at Texas, Tulsa at Connecticut. Arkansas is at home hosting Auburn. Kansas is at TCU, Iowa State is at Texas Tech, and West Virginia is at Baylor.

The NFL weekend kicks off Thursday night with Kansas City at Oakland (7:30 on CBS). Sunday’s noon games are New Orleans at Green Bay (Fox) and Cincinnati at Pittsburgh (CBS). Dallas is at San Francisco (3:00 on Fox), Denver is in L.A. to take on the Chargers at 3:30 (CBS) and New England hosts Atlanta Sunday night (7:30 on NBC). Monday Night Football features Washington at Philadelphia (7:30 on ESPN).

Major League Baseball is thinning out the ranks in a hurry. We wrap up the Championship Series in both the American League and National League this weekend – and we’ll be down to just two teams. The World Series opens next Tuesday!

PGA Players are still on the other side of the world. Korea hosts its first PGA Tournament – the C.J. Cup @ Nine Bridges on Jeju Island. You can watch it live on the Golf Channel in the middle of the night; but a more civilized way to watch it is the live-on-tape version airing at 4.00 Thursday, 4:30 Friday & Saturday, and at 5:00 Sunday on the Golf Channel.

The NASCAR boys are running in Kansas this weekend. Coverage of the Hollywood Casino 400 begins at 2:00 Sunday afternoon on NBCSN.

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With so much golf on the horizon this weekend around the lake, the weather forecast couldn’t be better. We’ll have sunshine, light winds, highs in the upper-70s and lows in the lower 60s. Monday & Tuesday, temperatures drop about five degrees, but it’ll still be perfect for the Great Grand Lake Open and the MSSU Invitational Tournaments early next week. Fall weather doesn’t get any better than that!  It makes for great boating, as well! Get out and enjoy all the fun stuff, but remember, 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.

1909 in Downtown Grove

American Grill in Grove

Aquabar & Grill at The Landings Marina on Monkey Island (smoking on the deck)

Artichoke Restaurant & Bar in Langley

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

Big Shots on Monkey Island (smoking upstairs—open Friday & Saturday nights)

Blind Swine on Monkey Island

Blue Bluff Café at Blue Bluff Harbor

Bobbers Café in Langley

Buffalo Run Casino in Miami (smoking)

Café Italia on Monkey Island

Carlos Montez in Langley (smoking in bar)

Ceasar’s Place in Vinita and on Monkey Island

Chickanella’s in Grove

Chicken Coop West of Langley

Clanton’s Café in Vinita

Coffee Shelter in Ketchum

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

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

Docks Bar at Harbors View Marina

Downstream Casino in Quapaw (smoking)

Drake’s on the Lake at Blue Bluff Harbor

Drake’s Restaurant in Grove

Eddy’s Lakeside Bar at Shangri-La Marina

Frosty & Edna’s (west of the dam in Langley)

Gabby’s Place in downtown Grove

Goodfella’s Pizza (Cleora and Grove)

Grand Lake Casino, north of Grove on Highway 10 (smoking)

Grand Lodge in Ketchum (smoking)

Hatfield’s Saloon in Grove

High Winds Casino east of Miami (smoking)

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

Juan Montez Restaurant & Cantina at Red Arrow Marina

Karrie's Kaboose in Langley (smoking)

La Casita de Martin in downtown Grove

Lakeside Bar & Grill in Grove at Sail Boat Bridge

Lighthouse Supper Club in Ketchum

Los Garcias in Langley

Lupe's Mexican Restaurant in Grove

Monkey Island Pub (Smoking)

Monkey’s Uncle at Littlefield Corner (Breakfast & lunch)

Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill in Disney (smoking, etc.)

Morrows Bar & Grill in Raper Hollow

Mulligan’s at Patricia Island Golf Club in Grove

Nu Taste Restaurant in Grove

Okie Smokies Barbecue in Grove on Hwy 59 South

Pickles at the Lake in Langley

Pit Stop Café in Grove

Quarterdeck Cafe at Tera Miranda Harbor (smoking on the deck)

Raggedy’s in Grove

Rancho Viejo in Grove

Riggs & Company in Langley

River Bend Casino in Wyandotte (smoking)

Road Hog Saloon at the entrance to Monkey Island (smoking...but not at lunch)

Roadhouse 125 on Monkey Island (smoking deck)

Rusty Anchor (next to the cliffs at Dripping Springs)

Scooters in Langley (smoking)

Sharky’s at Hammerhead Marina (smoking)

Smokin’ Spur BBQ & Trading Post at Old Towne Plaza, Cleora

Sticky Fingers Barbecue in Ketchum

Stuffn’s Restaurant in Ketchum (Smoking on patio)

The Grill at Indian Hills Resort & Marina in Bernice

The Landings Marina (smoking on the deck)

The Landings Market and Grill on Monkey Island (smoking on the patio)

The Parrot at Honey Creek Landing in Grove (Smoking on the patio)

The Office on Monkey Island (smoking)

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

Waterway Café, Harbors View Marina (smoking on breakwater dining deck)

Wolf Creek Diner in Grove