September 20 Random Observations Of The Grand Lake Bum

This is the week. The last weekend of Summer couldn’t have been more perfect (including the perfect renewal of the OU-Nebraska rivalry), but the Fall season is officially here. For people whose favorite thing to do is sit around smelly, eye-watering fires eating nasty burned marshmallows while watching everything die, your season is here! Fortunately, the arrival of Fall also marks the very best boating season on Grand Lake – fewer boats, calmer water, cooler temperatures – it’s the ultimate time to be on the lake! And football. Okay. There’s football, too!

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If you’re boating, be careful out there. It’s not a huge difference, but the bottom of the lake is getting closer to your boat hull this time of year. Per the FERC-mandated “rule curve,” GRDA is currently dropping the lake level for the winter months. It’s already down about a foot, with another foot to go before it reaches the designated 742’ elevation by October 1. Watch out for shallow areas that might not have been shallow a month ago. If the shoreline looks a little closer to you, it’s not an illusion. It’s the actual plan. If Mother Nature cooperates, the lake level will begin it’s trek back up to 744’ elevation next May.

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It’s always nice when Oklahoma’s #1 tourism cheerleader chooses Grand Lake to lead his cheers. It was great to see such a huge turnout for Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell’s annual “Luau on the Green” and “Pinnell Classic Golf Tournament” at Shangri-La Resort last week! We’re lucky to have a Grand Laker in Oklahoma tourism’s #1 leadership role!

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Speaking of tourism, if you’re looking for an affordable metropolitan vacation, you won’t have to travel far. A national study by ParkSleepFly ranks Oklahoma City as the most affordable city in America. CEO Martin Jones points out “Oklahoma City tourists could extend their vacations almost three times longer than visiting New York for exactly the same price.” Other Top 5 Most Affordable Cities include Indianapolis, Tucson, Memphis and San Antonio. Not surprisingly, New York City was the most expensive city to visit, followed by San Francisco, Boston, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia.

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BEST EVENTS OF THE WEEK: Saturday night is L/C Law’s 150-Fest Showdown at the Will Rogers Rodeo Arena in Vinita (7:00). The Anchor at Shangri-La features Saturday Night Football this week – Kansas State at OSU and West Virginia at OU – at 6:00 Saturday.

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RANDY KREHBIEL’S RANDOM FACTOID OF THE WEEK: Linda Ronstadt's backup musicians for her 1971 tour included Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon, all of whom soon formed a group called The Eagles.

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FUN FACT OF THE WEEK: One big difference between men and women is that, if a woman says “smell this,” it usually smells nice.

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ODDEST FACT OF THE WEEK: Only in math problems can you buy 60 cantaloupes and nobody asks what the hell is wrong with you.

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BEST FACEBOOK POST OF THE WEEK: When you walk into a room and forget why you’re there, it could be because you ran into an alien, and he had to erase your memory so he could escape.

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BEST SIGN SEEN THIS WEEK: Welcome to Florida. It’s not the heat. It’s the stupidity.  

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TWEET OF THE WEEK: I took that horse medicine Ivermectin. The doctor says I’m in stable condition.

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BEST PUN OF THE WEEK: Bread is a little like  the sun. It rises in the yeast and sets in the waist.  

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UNANSWERED QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Why do “overlook” and “oversee” have opposite meanings?

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OBSERVATION OF THE WEEK: At my funeral, take the bouquet off the coffin and throw it into the crowd to see who’s next.

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FEEL-OLD MOMENTS OF THE WEEK: Superstar Bruce Springsteen turns 72 this week. Actor/comedian Bill Murray turns 71 and actor/producer Will Smith turns 53. The highly syndicated “Andy Griffith Show” made its television debut 61 years ago – and was cancelled by CBS 53 years ago after 249 episodes.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Golf is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from bad shots…but you have to play the ball where it lies.” – Bobby Jones

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GRAND LAKE BUM SHOUT-OUTS: Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Bill Howell, DeAnne McAbee, Juli Miller, Theresa McDougall, Bryan Timberlake, Susan Jones, Justin May, Vernon Ellis, Lyn Moore, Corey Black, Cindy Hess, Angela Good, Jerri Parrish, Conley Gay Cornell, Jill Kelly, Sheila Bond, Fred Northrop, Chloe Goff, Susan Moritz, Barbara Oden, Debbie Mitchell, Bill Durrett, and Mickey Tyrrell.

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BEST WEEKEND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT: On Monkey Island, the Thursday Night Shrimp Boil and Karaoke with Jason Morgan kicks off the weekend on the patio at Doc’s Bar & Grill at Shangri-La. Friday night, Scott Musick entertains indoors at Doc’s. Terry Jordan entertains Friday & Saturday nights at The Summit. The Balcony Bar at The Shebang provides great karaoke fun with Kerry Kimmons Friday and Saturday nights; and just across the street, DJ K-Bandito leads the cavalcade of great DJs and dance music at Big Shots Rhythm & Booze. KJ Flip will lead the karaoke fun Thursday night at Blind Swine. Erin Fitzgibbon will perform early Friday at the Swine. Saturday night is great dancing and singing at Monkey Island Pub -  Karaoke with Tim.

On South Grand, Michele Warren and Cameron Mintz will perform Friday night at 7:30 at Blind Swine on Duck Creek. At Mooney’s Sunset Bar & Grill in Disney, the RocKFiscH Duo will entertain Saturday night followed by an early Jake Flint show Sunday afternoon (5:00-8:00).

In Grove, KJ Flip will lead the karaoke fun Friday night at The Regatta – and Faultlinewill be on stage Saturday night.

Indigo Sky Casino this week presents Jethro Tulsa in the Echo Bar Thursday night, followed by Morgan Squared Friday night and Bobby DeGonia Saturday. At Downstream Casino’s Legends Sports Bar, Superstar Mafia will be on stage Friday night and Jesse Joice will entertain Saturday night. Jesse Joice performs Friday night at Cherokee Casino Grove followed by The George Brothers Saturday.

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DINING AND DRINKING UPDATE: Sharky’s Bar and Ugly’s Grill & Bar are closed for the season. Quarterdeck Café at Tera Miranda now has reduced hours of operation – 4:00-9:00 Thursday, Friday & Monday, 11:00-9:00 Saturday, 11:00-8:00 Sunday. The Grill at Indian Hills has cut back operation ours to 7:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. La Casita de Martin in Grove also has reduced hours – lunch and dinner Tuesday-Thursday, dinner Friday, lunch Saturday, closed Sunday & Monday. Stuff’ns Café in Ketchum is now closing at 2:00 p.m.

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BUM MUST-SEE TV: The new Fall Season is underway. Law & Order SVU starts a new season Thursday night at 7:00; and Law & Order: Organized Crime debuts Thursday at 9:00, both on NBC. The mini-series Midnight Mass is available Friday on NETFLIX.  The 74^th Annual Tony Awards air live Sunday night at 6:00 on Paramount+. Sunday night also marks the return of The Simpsons for their 33^rd season at 7:00; and Family Guy returns at 8:30, both on Fox. The Rookie premieres at 9:00 Sunday night on ABC; and La Brea debuts Tuesday night at 8:00 on NBC.

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BUM MUST-SEE MOVIES: Dear Evan Hansen opens in theaters this week. Cry Macho is available on HBO Max and in theaters. Intrusion is available on NETFLIX this week.

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SAVE THE DATE: Sunday, October 3 – Heart of a Lion Classic Presented by Armada Distributing at Shangri-La Golf Club (12:30 shotgun). Thursday-Sunday, October 7-10 – Pelican Festival at Wolf Creek Park in Grove. Friday, October 8 – South Grand Lake Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament at The Coves Golf Club. Saturday, October 9 – Cedar Port Marina Customer Appreciation Party. Saturday, October 16 – Chuck Wagon Dinner & Dance Under the Stars at Har-Ber Village (6:00). Saturday-Sunday, October 16-17 – Members Pickleball Tournament at The Anchor at Shangri-La.

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SPORTS WATCH: What a sports week! College football is in week #4 – and conference play is underway. OU and OSU both play night games this week – OSU hosts Kansas State at 6:00 (only on XII Now and ESPN+) and West Virginia is at OU at 6:30 (ABC). There are great match-ups earlier in the day, though. Texas Tech is at Texas at 11:00 (ABC). Iowa State is at Baylor at 2:30 (Fox) while Arkansas hosts Texas A&M (CBS).

NFL Football is in the season’s third week. Carolina is at Houston to kick off the week Thursday night at 7:00 (NFL Network. Sunday, Chicago is at Cleveland (Fox) and the L.A. Chargers are at Kansas City (CBS), both at noon. The Rams host Tampa Bay at 3:30 (Fox); and Green Bay is at San Francisco Sunday night at 7:00 (NBC). Monday Night Football sends Philadelphia to Dallas (7:00 on ESPN).

In the world of professional golf, it’s a huge week. It’s Ryder Cup time. Coverage is all day long Friday on the Golf Channel beginning at 7:30 a.m. NBC picks up the all-day coverage Saturday at 8:00 a.m. and Sunday at 11:00 a.m.

There are some great MLB rivalries this week. The Cardinals face the Cubs Friday afternoon at 1:00 (ESPN), and the Red Sox host the Yankees Sunday night at 6:00 (ESPN). The Phillies travel to Atlanta Tuesday night at 6:00 (FS1).

NASCAR drivers are racing in the desert this week in the Round of 12 Playoffs. Coverage of the South Point 400 from Las Vegas begins at 6:00 Sunday night on NBCSN.

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With the arrival of a Fall cool front this week, the weekend weather forecast looks absolutely perfect! Mostly sunny, light winds, and high temperatures in the mid-80s. You’ll need a jacket if you’re going to be on the water at night, though, with lows in the upper 50s. There’s plenty happening around the lake this weekend, so get out an enjoy all you can – indoors or outdoors! 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.

Artichoke Restaurant & Bar in Langley

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

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

Blind Swine on Duck Creek at Safe Harbor Harbors View Marina

Blind Swine on Monkey Island

Blue Bluff Café at Blue Bluff Harbor

Buffalo Bar at Shangri-La on Monkey Island

Buffalo Run Casino in Miami (smoking)

Café at Har-Ber Village

Café Yum in Grove

Cesar’s Place in Vinita

Cesar’s Place in Langley

Checkered Past in Grove

Chickanella’s in Grove

Chicken Coop West of Langley

Clanton’s Café in Vinita

Copper Penny Bar in Ketchum

Coppers Tea & Coffee House in Grove

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

Cove Club in Langley

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

Docks Bar at Harbors View Marina

Domino’s in Grove

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 (smoking)

Gabby’s Place in downtown Grove

Galley at The Anchor, Shangri-La Resort

Goodfella’s Pizza (Cleora and Grove)

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

Grand Lake Public House in Grove

Hatfield’s Saloon in Grove

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)

Juan Montez Restaurant & Cantina at Red Arrow Marina

La Casita de Martin in downtown Grove

Lester’s Third Street Diner in Grove

Lighthouse Supper Club in Ketchum

Los Garcias in Langley

Lupe's Mexican Restaurant in Grove

Marina’s Place at Littlefield Corner

Matt’s Place in Grove

Monkey Island Pub (Smoking)

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

Monkey Grind at Shangri-La Resort Hotel

Monkey Island Trail Rides

Monkey Island Winery

Mulligan’s at Patricia Island Golf Club in Grove

Nu Taste Restaurant in Grove

Pappy’s Bar on Hwy 10 east of Grove

Pickles at the Lake in Langley

Pistol Pat’s on Honey Creek in Grove

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)

Rusty Anchor (next to the cliffs at Dripping Springs)

Sharky’s at Hammerhead Marina (smoking)

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 Grill at Indian Hills Resort & Marina in Bernice

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 Pourhouse at The Regatta in Grove

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

Wolf Creek Diner in Grove