Simmons - Grand Lake News Onlinegrandlakenewsonline.com/clients/grandlakenewsonline/032615pages.pdf · Dickie Lee Simmons, ... Grove, Jerry Brewer and his wife Celta, Mack Brewer

Grandlakenewsonlinecom March 26 2015

Dickie Lee Simmons 68 year old Vinita resident passed away on Sunday March 22 2015 at the Hearts-worth Nursing and Rehabili-tation Center in Vinita He was born on July 3 1946 in Vinita to Willard and Thelma (Oxford) Simmons Dickie served his country in the United States Army dur-ing the Vietnam Era He had worked as a dispatcher for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and as a patient transportation driver at the Eastern State Hospital in Vinita Dickie en-joyed going fishing and working in his garden

The family includes his children David Simmons Daniel Simmons both of Vinita Kevin Simmons of Jay Christy Wiatrak of Ketchum two brothers Jerry Simmons of Talala Gary Simmons of Vinita and nine grandchildren

The family will hold a private service Arrangements are by the Luginbuel Funeral Home of Vinita Online con-dolences may be made at wwwhonoringmemoriescom

Simmons

GrandLakeNewsOnlinecom PO Box 1 bull Langley OK 74350

918-782-7710For Advertising amp more info contact

Grandlakenewsonline email us at

Front CoverDiversity Grand Stylethose little goslings will be asking ldquoSo whose your daddy

Worley-Luginbuel Funeral Home Grove OK918-786-2261Jerry Wayne Gordon departed his life on March 17 After graduating Grove High School in 1968 he served in the US Navy He married Starlette Gordon and together they have two daughters Fawn Marie Evans and Tina LaRae Gordon both of Grove and son-in-law Charlie Evans Parents Jim and Nancy Gordon preceded him in death as well as one brother Jimmy Gordon He is survived by one sister Janet Gordon Manning one sister-in-law Vicki Gordon three nephews Marcus Manning Spensor Gordon and Scott Gordon two nieces Marjorie Manning Kilby and Teresa Manning Froese three grand-children Aidan Marissa and Connor with another grand-child on the way He requested his body be donated to sci-ence and later cremated with his ashes sprinkled into the ocean This will be at a later date No service is planned at this time

Worley-Luginbuel Funeral Home Grove OK918-786-2261Cephus C Brewer went to be with the Lord on Monday March 23 2015 at Freeman Hospital in Joplin Missouri at the age of 77

Cephus was born on Au-gust 18 1937 to Dewey and Beulah Brewer Cephus lived in Zena Oklahoma He was a member of Elk River Baptist Church He was united in marriage to Dorcas Jackson in 1957 in Miami Oklahoma

Cephus was preceded in death by his parents Dewey and Beulah Brewer Brother Lloyd Brewer Sister Julie Brown and son Curtis Brewer He is survived by his wife Dorcas Brewer of the home son CJ Brewer and his wife Kay of Zena grandchildren Tommy Brewer and his wife Melanie of Missouri granddaughter Barbara Lewis and her hus-band Rusty of Zena Cephus was blessed with six great grandchildren Makaya Jacey Keelin Tate Claudia and Markus He is also survived by his brothers Jack Brewer of Grove Jerry Brewer and his wife Celta Mack Brewer and his wife Carol Sister Carolyn of Tulsa Vinita Sublette and husband Tom of Edmond

Services will be held at 200 PM Thursday March 26 2015 at Elk River Baptist Church with Mr Rusty Lewis Mr Les Newkirk and Rev Ed Glasgow officiating Ce-phus will be laid to rest at the Zena Cemetery Zena Okla-homa Friends and family may leave online condolences by viewing Cephusrsquos obituary at wwwhonoringmemoriescom Services have been entrusted to Worley-Luginbuel Funeral Home Grove Oklahoma

Brewer

Gordon

March 26 2015 Grandlakenewsonlinecom Page 3

Good the Bad and the UglyMany of us who are year-round Grand Lake residents are re-

warded in the colder months of year with hundreds of Bald Eagles making the trek south to winter here Our countryrsquos big bird which has been designated a national emblem and thank goodness Ben Franklin didnrsquot get his way with his idea about the turkey being so designated is truly spectacular to observe up close and personal Even here on a busy Grays Hollow alias Dripping Springs we can look forward annually to the return of two or three of these mag-nificent creatures to winter here When observed if it doesnrsquot at least strike a nerve or some other emotion within any breathing American a doctorrsquos visit may be in order

I along with fellow Grays Hollow Laker Tom Tinker was in-volved in a rescue mission of a Bald Eagle some years back Our part just included the distress call and Annie Maxson and her pals came and picked up the big guy who was weak and unable to fly Annie dubbed the old boy Rusty the Eagle but unfortunately he didnrsquot sur-vive the ingesting of some contaminated food That experience along with being the Bird Man of Grays Hollow who hosts an abundance

of Purple Martins Blue Birds and Wood Ducks on an annual basis contributed to my interest in the young female eagle which has been rehabbing at the Tulsa Zoo

I first learned of the Eaglersquos demise while watching a channel six news piece showing those tending to big bird teaching her to fly and attempting to rebuild the strength of her wings They would let her fly about a hundred yards while being tethered Even though most donrsquot survive this one was released back in the wild near Lake Oologah on Tuesday When released she took off and never looked back

On Wednesday morning the Tulsa World had a story on the re-covery of this magnificent bird but with additional details some of which I didnrsquot really want to know Our countryrsquos national emblem had been brought down by a shotgun blast The big bird had been on the ground a few days and itrsquos speculated she had to fight off preda-tors just to have a chance at survival Fortunately she was found and transferred to the Tulsa Zoo for the very best of care and this story has a happy ending but now for the ugly

I once read a book on Eagles and it recounted how the early day explorers shot them for food and reported their taste to be very much similar to that of chicken Explorers passing through our country for the first time perhaps in need of food are one thing but I seriously doubt the hunter who shot this mighty bird was looking for a Sunday chicken dinner for the family In all likelihood it was like a majority of hunting all about sport and had nothing to do with the acquisi-tion of food for the table The thrill-of-the-kill or whatever but it gets worse

At the very end of the Tulsa World article it was revealed that this national treasure was downed in Delaware CountyhellipThis was one of our own that probably elected to winter on Grand lake I sincerely hope there are regrets associated with this sad state of affairshellipbut if it was an attempt to feed your familyhellipgive me a call and Irsquoll person-ally see to it you receive ten pounds of chicken Shooting Eagles is paramount to burning my countryrsquos flaghellipNot on my watch if I can help it

See Yarsquo Around the Pond

EatSleepGolfGamble

4980 Clubhouse Road bull Grove OK 743441-800-495-5253

patriciaislandcom

Grand Lake Salute to John SumnerBy Mary PryorPryority PromotionsPryoritypromogmailcom

Grand Lake OK- The Grand Lake Association in conjunc-tion with the South Grand Lake Chamber of Commerce will be holding an official ldquoGrand Lake Salute to John Sumnerrdquo on Fri-day March 27 at 300pm at the GRDA Ecosystems Building in Langley OK The hour long ceremony will honor John Sumner and the organizers of one of the largest events on Grand Lake and in the state of Oklahoma

The Big Meat Run (BMR) an off road vehicle event was started by John Sumner nearly fifteen years ago in the rock garden beneath the Pensacola Dam The rock crawling event has now grown to attract some 600 off road enthusiasts and an amazing 10000 spectators that gather in the towns of Disney and Langley OK each March The event is one in which many around Grand Lake feel could grow into the single largest spec-tator event in the state with ESPN potential in the future

Officials business owners and enthusiasts from around the Grand Lake region will be on hand to present Sumner with an of-ficial and long overdue thank you for keeping the event in North-east Oklahoma as well as boosting the local economy

ldquoWe want to thank John Sumner for doing such a great job

with this event over the years and show him our apprecia-tion for what he has done for Grand Lakerdquo stated Rodney Ray Director of the Grand Lake Association ldquoWe in-vite everyone out to join us in showing John his wife Edie and the others on their team our deepest appreciation and support for a job well donerdquo

The hour long ceremo-ny is open to the public and snacks will be provided for those in attendance All me-dia organizations are encour-aged to attend as well as area business owners off road enthusiasts and fans of The Big Meat Run This kick off to the 2015 BMR (which takes place below the Pensacola Dam March 27 28 29) is an event not to be missed For more information regarding this ceremony please contact Mary Pryor with Pryority Promotions at (918) 978-6817 or email pryoritypromogmailcom

Big John Sumner

Public Invited to Ceremony Honoring Organizers of The Big Meat Run

HUGE EVENT

Sumner Machinersquos Big Meat Run

Pancake Breakfast 700 am

GRAND LAKE FIREWORKS2015 FUNDRAISER bull JULY 3rd

Disney Oklahoma

BBQ amp Catfish7am-6pmDisney

Town Hall

Off-Road LED Light51rdquo - 500 Watt

Badland Winch12000 lbs wRemote amp Clutch Release

Silent Auction

amp Raffle

Saturday March 28thALL

ROCK CRAWLERS WELCOME

Letrsquos hope the first weekend of spring is an omen of the season to come What a fantastic weekend on Grand Lake I got my official Spring Fever ldquoshotrdquo

from Dr Phil Good at Big Shots Rhythm amp Booze Saturday night I think Irsquom going to make him my regular doctor

If yoursquore going to be in the LangleyDisney area this weekend be prepared to share a barstool with 10000 of your closest friends Itrsquos ldquoBig Meat Runrdquo weekend ndash and the rock crawlers will be rolling over every conceivable surface below the dam The next weekend a zillion athletes will be running across the dam Itrsquos getting dam busy

Uh-oh Drinking danger for my wino friends Beware of Ber-inger Trader Joersquos Franzia Fetzerrsquos and Corbett Canyon A lawsuit in California claims they contain up to 500 of the acceptable levels of arsenic I had no idea there was such a thing as an ldquoacceptablerdquo level of arsenic All these years we thought the wine was killing our wino friends ndash maybe it wasnrsquot the wine at all It was the arsenic

Irsquom not sure this would work with the GRDA Lake Police It didnrsquot work too well for Robert Pursley when he was arrested for DUI in Mary Esther Florida Asked about the items in his truck Pursley told the cops everything in the truck absolutely belonged to him ldquoexcept anything thatrsquos illegalrdquo Apparently he was referring to the bag of cocaine in the center console

If yoursquore trying to find loopholes in government regulations per-haps you should hire the giant DISH television network to help you They recently received a $325 billion discount of the purchase of part of the wireless spectrum in the US by convincing the Federal Communications Commission they were a ldquovery small businessrdquo They had created a separate company and ldquopartneredrdquo with a small Alaska Native group thereby qualifying for the ldquovery small busi-nessrdquo loophole despite the companyrsquos market value of $34 billion And the rich get richer Sheesh

If yoursquore really an ldquoout thererdquo entrepreneur letrsquos see if you have the courage to jump out there with a new Grand Lake business like the ldquoadult baby nurseryrdquo recently opened in North Liverpool Eng-land Men are charged $115 an hour to lie around in adult-sized baby cribs in man-sized infant clothing while being treated like helpless babies Really There is no sex involved but for an extra $40 the guys can have their diapers changed WTH

NEW SCAM AGAINST INSURANCE COMPANIES In Utah a Court of Appeals has ruled that Barbara Bagley as the official ldquorepresentativerdquo administering her late husbandrsquos estate DOES have the right to sue an insurance company for the wrongful death of her husband because the driver was allegedly ldquonegligentrdquo If she is suc-cessful the insurance settlement will go to her husbandrsquos heir ndash her Ironically the ldquonegligent drivingrdquo defendant is also ndash her The court is actually allowing her to sue herself in order to collect an insurance settlement for being negligent Gee I donrsquot know why people won-der about the court system

This is the best hypothetical question ever It came the UN Conference on Disarmament was meeting in Geneva and engaged in debate as to whether or not the meetings should be open to the public A representative from Belarus expressed alarm about security post-ing this timely question ldquoWhat if there were topless ladies screaming from the public gallery throwing bottles of mayonnaiserdquo (FYI my crack ldquoLake Bum Research Teamrdquo has concluded this has not been a problem in the past)

When you are driving around a neighborhood diligently looking for an address do you turn your radio down so you can see better

Only in Florida ndash this time it was West Palm Beach where Rob-ert Michael Phillips must have thought the heroin in his pocket and the cocaine in his car might not provide enough clarification to ar-resting officers He made the situation perfectly clear on his police intake form at the jail On the line asking for ldquooccupationrdquo he sim-ply wrote ldquodrug dealerrdquo Just in case it wasnrsquot clear

Entertainment note for a great cause I canrsquot wait until April 11 The fabulous Old Bulldog Band will be performing at Big Shots on Monkey Island with proceeds benefiting extension of the Monkey Island Trail Usually we canrsquot get reserve seats at Big Shots but a $25 purchase (paid in advance) will do it this time $20 at the door This will likely be a standing-room-only event It always is when

Random Observations From The Grand Lake Bumthese guys amp gals hit the stage

BEST FACEBOOK POST THIS WEEK ldquoI tried to log in on my iPad Turns out it was an Etch-a-Sketch and I donrsquot own an iPad Also Irsquom out of winerdquo

GRAND LAKE BUM SHOUT-OUTS Belated great birthday wishes to my Island pal Gary Williams who celebrated with friends Saturday night Great party Happy birthday wishes go out this week to Matt Moyer William Cook Ryan Dalton Charles Gragg Mandy Dalton Becky Sconyers Anna Pickens Cliff Cook Jana Kimball Tonya Blair and Eddie Allensworth Best wishes also to one of the all-time great Grand Lakers Ray Hunt who is recovering from some health difficulties in Tulsa

UNANSWERED QUESTION OF THE WEEK If a piece of wood measures 1 frac34 X 3 frac12 why do they call it a two-by-four

BEST EVENTS OF THE WEEK Rock Crawlersrsquo ldquoBig Meat Runrdquo is at Disney Friday-Sunday There is also a reception Friday af-ternoon at 300 at the GRDA Ecosystems Center in Langley honoring the founder of The Big Meat Run John Sumner Saturday afternoon the Girlfriends of the Airport are hosting a ldquoPaint and Sip Partyrdquo at Cherokee Yacht Club 130 pm in the Poolside Dining Room

GRAND LAKE WEEKEND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT Therersquos no shortage of incredible musical entertainment and fun around Grand this weekend If yoursquore on Monkey Island therersquos AL-WAYS a party on the weekends at Island Joersquos Kentena Big Shots Monkey Island Pub and Big Shots South Grand Lake partiers can great live music by Lickitty Split Saturday night at Pickles at the Lake just north of Langley If yoursquore in the Grove area check out the ac-tion at JR Spankyrsquos with Kevin Upshaw performing Friday night followed by Backroads Saturday night

Area casinos have great entertainment options this weekend too At Buffalo Run Casinorsquos Trailer Park Bar amp Grill Paralandra will be featured both Friday amp Saturday nights At Downstream Casino there are plenty of choices Kenny Babb will entertain with his solo piano performance in the Loverrsquos Leap Lounge both Friday and Sat-urday nights In Downstreamrsquos Legends Sports Bar there is a FREE Dirt Road Live series concert featuring Livewire on Friday night Saturday night Wayne Sharp amp the Sharpshooter Band take over the Legends stage

At Indigo Sky Casino there is live entertainment in the Echo Bar beginning with Dewayne Bowman Thursday night Another Alibi take the stage for Friday nightrsquos show with Rocked N Loaded on stage Saturday night If comedy is your thing Kevin Zeoli will be on stage both Friday and Saturday nights at the Loony Saloon Comedy Club at The Stables Casino with special guest Justin Sullivan

The best spots to catch NBA NCAA March Madness NASCAR and PGA action are the Buffalo Bar at Shangri-La Monkey Island Pub the Standing Room Only Bar at The Shebang Island Joersquos Ken-tena at Shangri-La Marina Road Hog Saloon Hookers at Cherokee Yacht Club Pickles at the Lake in Langley JR Spankyrsquos and JJrsquos Wing lsquoNrsquo It in Grove Enjoy

QUOTE OF THE WEEK ldquoThe Robert Durst case sends a power message that if yoursquore a rich serial killer in America you will only get away with it for three decadesrdquo ndash Andy Borowitz

SAVE THE DATE Saturday April 4 ndash Grand Dam Run (800-1100) at the Pensacola Dam Sunday April 5 ndash Easter Sunday Sat-urday April 11 ndash Old Bulldog Band concert amp dance at Big Shots raising money for the Monkey Island Trail ($20 at the door $25 re-served seats paid in advance) Saturday April 11 - South Grand Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Bootleggers Ball at Cherokee Yacht Club Saturday April 11 ndash The Temptations in concert at Buffalo Run Casino Saturday April 18 ndash Ales and Tails Crawfish Festival at the American Legion Rodeo Arena in Vinita (gates open at 400) Friday May 8 ndash GRDA ldquoLake Launchrdquo party at the Ecosystems Building in Langley

The weekend ahead looks every bit as nice as the weekend gone by Grand Lakers will enjoy temperatures pushing 60 on Friday 65 Saturday 70+ on Sunday It just gets better and better every week Grand Lake is ALIVE Remember wherever you choose to party around the lake be sure to buy a drink for the guy next to you It could be me

GRAND LAKE BUM

Power for ProgresshellipA weekly column from the Grand River Dam Authority

Spring cleaning and spring electrical inspections

Photos videos lake related news electric safety tips important information about upcoming events and an occasional historic tidbit These are some of the items you can find posted to the Grand River Dam Authorityrsquos Facebook page

For several years now GRDA has maintained the page to enhance its social media presence and give the online visitor a little more in-sight into the Authorityrsquos overall mission Together this page along with the GRDA YouTube Channel Twitter Account and the Grand Lake app are all avenues for lake visitors electricity customers employees stakeholders and the public at-large to view the latest news releases updated lake information public notices floodwater release informa-tion and other informative links

Like all social media GRDArsquos sites are always evolving but the goal is for them to become great resources for all stakeholders wheth-er they are interested in the electric utility industry lakes or just cur-rent GRDA issues They can also be a great place for GRDA to receive

important feedbackAs a reminder GRDArsquos orig-

inal cyberspace location ndash grdacom ndash is always open for busi-ness too You can read the latest news releases there and get more information on all aspects of the broad GRDA mission Currently on grdacom you can find a link to the 2015 Grand Lake Water-shed Survey This survey is a tool to aid the Grand Lake Watershed Alliance Foundation in gaining valuable input from the general public local communities and residents across the four-state watershed region You can take the study to help aid GLWAF and GRDA efforts in developing a comprehensive education plan

for the watershed Also on the site is a new link

to the ldquoI Am GRDArdquo video series which is a new effort that will allow our employees to give a first-hand account of their expertise and the job they perform each day to provide low-cost reliable electricity to thousands of Oklahomans More infor-mation on lake permitting GRDA job openings vendor requirements education programs (Electric Express) and overall GRDA operations are also available

Headquartered in Vinita GRDA is Oklahomarsquos state-owned elec-tric utility fully funded by revenues from electric and water sales instead of taxes GRDArsquos low-cost reliable power touches 75 of 77 counties in the state and serves as an important economic development engine for Oklahoma At no cost to Oklahoma taxpayers GRDA also manages 70000 surface acres of lakes in the state including Grand Lake Lake Hudson and the WR Holway Reservoir Today GRDArsquos 500 employees continue to produce the same ldquopower for progressrdquo that has benefited the state for 75 years The efforts of Team GRDA facilitate over $450 million in economic activity in Oklahoma annually

Just a reminder hellip A wealth of GRDA information links videos photos and more can be found online at grdacom and the Authorityrsquos social media channels

918-782-3251 411 West Ketchum Ave bull Ketchum Oklahoma

Joneshardwareus

HardwareLumber Paint

Tools and so muchMore

Sumner Machinersquos Big Meat Run Set for This Weekend

Years ago the biggest event staged below the Pensacola Dam could hardly be categorized an event but there was a bevy of activity when the flood gates were closed and fish of all sizes shapes and spe-cies were trapped in the shallow pools of water left behind Hundreds of people mostly those who were able to determine the exact time the gates would be dropped gathered below the dam to claim the fish What some thought was a big deal back in the day pales in comparison to the thousands upon thousands of rock crawlers who swarm to the rocks below the Pensacola Dam for the annual Sumner Machine Big Meat Run in March

There is no possible way the group of men building the Pensacola Dam in 1939 could have seen The Big Meat Run event coming to the town some six decades later They probably never thought about how the release of water through the turbines of the dam over time would wear down the land to the natural bedrock to form an unspeak-ably beautiful rock garden either John Sumner stumbled upon it 20 years ago and it became a playground for him and his Jeep Since then thousands upon thousands of people bring their four wheelers side by sides Jeeps trucks and other off road vehicles to explore the rocks down below the Pensacola Dam

The buzz that has caught the attention of the public is the fact that these machines referred to sometimes as ldquorock crawlersrdquo can liter-ally climb the vertical walls of the rock garden below the dam While 600 off road drivers show up to explore the rocks at the event it is the amazing amount of 10000 spectators that is a surprise to Sum-ner When the craze started growing it was also a surprise to the lit-tle towns of Disney and Langley who werenrsquot prepared at all for the throngs of people who started showing up unexpectedly

John Sumner founded the event some 15 years ago and describes its development like this ldquoIt really started off as a joke between me and about twelve of my friends fifteen years ago and then turned into

a customer appreciation event Over the years just by word of mouth it kept growing and this is the resultrdquo

People come in from nearly every state in the Unit-ed States to witness the event and stare in awe at the crazy and adventurous spirits that sometimes make it to the top of the walls and other times flip and roll down The roars from the crowd below rival that of those attending a rock concert screaming for their favorite band

The event has turned in to a three-day rock crawling festival and been a breath of fresh air for the economically depressed lake side community of Disney The thousands who show up to participate or just watch these fasinating machines pump much needed dollars into the local community which has whole-heartedly embraced the event Things get underway at 700am at city hall with a pancake breakfast to benefit the Grand Lake Fireworks Fund BBQ and catfish are made available from 700am -600pm and there is also a silent auction and raffle The streets are lined with vendors and the only time this aire of excitement is event remotely matched is the Independence Holiday weekend

The event takes place this weekend at the bottom of the Pensacola Dam in Disney Oklahoma For more information on John Sumnerrsquos Big Meat Run please visit Facebook John Sumnerrsquos BMR 2015 or Sumner Machine You can also visit wwwsumnermachinecom for more information

For 30 years Second Chance Pet Rescue of Grand Lake (formerly the Grove Humane Society) has been pro-viding food love shelter and veterinary care to Northeast Oklahomarsquos homeless animals On Sunday March 29th runners walkers and animal lovers are invited to come to-gether for the first ldquoPaws for a Causerdquo 5k Run sponsored by Grand Savings Bank to benefit Second Chance Pet Res-cuersquos Capital Campaign Expansion Project Itrsquos a day of fun fitness and fundraising for shelter supporters in our community And the whole family is invited - kids and dogs too

This dog-friendly run will also feature a 1 mile Fun Run (or walk) Friendly well socialized dogs are welcome to run or walk with their owners with all dogs on a leash and under human control at all times Dog owners are required to make sure dogs are current on vaccinations

Local pet businesses will have vendor booths with pet friendly products and goodies available the City of Grove will have city pet licensing information and forms avail-able and commemorate the event with ldquoPictures with Your Poochrdquo for a small donation Volunteers from Second Chance Pet Rescue will host a remote dog adoption All of Second Chance Pet Rescue dogs are vet-checked spayed or neutered vaccinated and microchipped Please open up your home and your hearts for these wonderful pets who will be looking for their forever families

The location of the race will begin at Grand Savings Bank 1022 S Main Grove OK Individuals can register online until 8 am Friday March 27 or download a paper form at wwwgrandsavingsbankcom and drop off at any Grand Savings Bank location or until 2 pm on race day Race day registration opens at 130 pm 1 mile Fun Run starts at 230 pm followed by the 5k Run at 3 pm The ldquoPaws for a Causerdquo registration costs will be $20 for the 1 mile Fun Run $30 for the 5K Run with $5 off for student discount

For additional information about ldquoPaws for a Causerdquo please contact Kelsie Geister or Marsha Tackkett at Grand

Savings Bank at 918-786-2203

With your help Second Chance Pet Rescue can continue to provide the love and care the homeless dogs and cats need while they wait for their forever families If you are unable to participate in the ldquoPaws for a Causerdquo but would like

to help support our non-profit life-saving animal rescue or-ganization please mail a check to PO Box 451205 Grove OK 74345-1205 or donate electronically via website wwwdoitforthepetscom

Paws for a Cause 5K Run Benefits Second Chance Pet Rescue

When yoursquore readyfor the best

call Jerry Cookson at 9186918823

Cedarportcom

Wersquore a dam site better Just look where we are located

By the Dam in Disney bull 9184358250

Grand Lake Family YMCA

Golf Scramble BBQ Cook-off

What Grand Lake Family YMCA Golf Scramble BBQ Cook-offWhere Patricia Island Golf Club

When May 9 2015 Scramble1000 AM - 300 PM BBQ Cook-off 500PMCost $125 per golfer or $500 per team (Tickets for the BBQ dinner included)

Box lunch will be served on the course Prizes will be awarded for lowest scoring team as well as closest to the hole and longest drive

There will be a BBQ cook-off following the scramble Local chefs will be preparing pulled pork amp ribs and then will be judged for a prize It will be a great fun day

All proceeds will benefit the Grand Lake Family YMCA Annual Fundraiser These funds will go to the scholar-ship fund for kids and adults who otherwise cannot participate in sports after school care or ldquoYrdquo programs Pick up registration forms at Patricia Island Golf Club or the Grand Lake Family YMCA 821 E 11th Grove

OK For more information contact the YMCA 918-786-7554 or Candy Brasel 281-704-6640

On March 19 Bill Keefer the Grove City Manager spoke to the Grand Lake and Power Squadron at their monthly meeting Mr Keefer came to Grove as city man-ager in June of 2013 after 17 years as city manager of Au-

Bill Keefer Speaks to the Grand Lake and Power Squadron

gusta Kansas He introduced the group to the organization of the Grove city govern-ment This included the fire police gas water buildings and grounds community development and Grove Municipal Ser-vices Authority (GMSA) He spoke about the challenges ahead for the city GMSArsquos new meter reading system is received a major setback with the bankruptcy of the contractor and unaccounted water usage is impacting revenue The pavement man-agement plan study began in March The plan will provide recommendations for preventative maintenance and major reha-bilitation of city streets He accepted ques-tions from the floor regarding ongoing im-provements at the Wolf Creek launch area These include the ramp improvements this year and the future installation of a pavil-ion He addressed the policies to ensure the proper conduct of city employees

Grand Lake Sail and Power Squadron a division of the United States Power Squadrons emphasizes boating safety and education If you have any questions about the GLSampPS contact Commander David Sloan at 918-786-4871

Bill Keefer

SHANGRI-LA Golf CLUB ndash Monkey IslandRecent specials announced by Shangri-La Golf Club AND they

have some membership specials Call for details 918-257-4204Rare AccomplishmentCongrats to Shane Woodworth who holed out his 2nd shot with

a 3 Hybrid from 190 yards out on Langleyrsquos Grand Cherokee Golf Course 9th hole A Double Eagle is even more rare than a Hole in One He also had a witness but I donrsquot have their name

GREAT GOLF amp GAMBLING PACKAGE2 Rounds of Golf with Cart at Patricia Island Golf Club (1 round

per person)Free Shuttle Service to the Golf Course 1 Night Double Occu-

pancy Lodging at Indigo Sky Casino amp Hotel $30 Dining Credit $200 in Slot Machine Credits at Indigo Sky Casino amp Hotel Only $249 dur-ing week and $279 weekend

($100 credit per person ID required credit Not Valid on Progres-sive Slot Machines)

For info Patricia Island Golf Club at 1-800-495-5253 ext 10PATRICIA ISLAND GOLF CLUB - GROVESpring Fever is upon us There have been lots of inquiries about

when the Patricia Island Tuesday Night League will officially begin The first official day for this league to begin will be April 21st We know you are all anxious to get started but we need to wait for longer days to insure that there will be no problems completing your rounds in time Right now is a great time to check your equipment maybe take a lesson or two and get in some practice time and enjoy some March Madness We will see you in April

For information concerning the Patricia Island Tuesday Night League please call Mike Kelly at Kelly Golf 918-787-7640 or Patricia Island Golf Club at 918-787-3338 Ext 3

For other activities at Patricia Island Golf Club contact 918-786-3338 ext 3

Ladies Golf ndash May 20th to September 30th - Every Wednesday at 300pm for 9 or 18 holes and 515pm for 9 Holes Each individual player may choose to play their own ball or Beginners might want to shamble or scramble - your choice Call or text 9188015912 for more details-(Non- PIGC Members Pay to Play)

Saturday 1000 am for $1000 Instruction on Driving Range ndash May 2nd to August 29th (not available May 23rd or July 4th) ndash Men and Women ndash ages 12 and up(Steve Pace will not be participating this year)

TOURNAMENTS (Mark your Calendars)April 4th Grove High School Soccer Boosters ndash 130 pm -

Scramble ndash Patricia Island Looking for players and sponsors Contact Candace at 918-964-0743

May 9th GRAND LAKE FAMILY YMCA - 1000 am ndash Scramble and BBQ Cook-off ndash at Patricia Island Golf Club Entry includes meal BBQ Cook off following the golf tournament Local chefs competing Great cause Benefitting those who cannot otherwise participate in sports after school care or ldquoYrdquo programs For info or to sign up call 918-786-5774 or Candy Brasel at 281-704-6640

August 21st Mary Moore Charity Event (Silent Auction and

ScrambleTournament) 12 pm Shangri-La includes Lunch and Goodie Bag

Benefitting the Home of Hope and Special Olympics Contact Jack Moore jmoore1320gmailcom

NEW PRODUCTINSTA GOLF SHOES 888-534-1202 or wwwinstagolfshoes

com These can be worn over your own shoes Great for kids with changing shoe sizes Great for travel

REQUESTIf you have some old golf equipment (especially pull carts) we

sure could use it for our Special Olympics program with the Home of Hope out of Vinita We have 16 players signed up for this season We meet every Monday at Shangri-La Call Steve at 405-834-3217hellipthanks Thank you Pat Dunn for your donation

GOLF TIP OF THE WEEKDonrsquot forget to stretch Especially this early in the season Pace

yourself (ha)Start off with short little shots (small backswing) Then graduate

up to full swingNever hit over 50-75 balls at a session without a break Early on

the best thing you can do is NOT WORRY about how well you hit the ball but instead how consistent you can be with your Tempo

GOLF SPECIALS ARE JUST WAITING FOR YOUAll area courses currently have specials and encourage you to take

advantage-Cherokee Grove Golf Course (Grove) 918-786-4100 -Grand Cherokee Golf Course (Langley) 918-435-8727-Patricia Island Golf Club (Grove) 918-786-3338-Shangri-La Golf Club (Monkey Island) 918-257-4204-Eagle Creek Golf Club (Joplin) 417-623-5050PREMIER GOLF - GET YOUR NEW BOOKhellip of GOLF-

ERrsquoS SPECIALSIncludes free Golf Digest subscription for a yearDiscount Green Fees to over 40 courses all over the state Several

in this area Go to wwwpremiergolfusacomGOLF JOKE of the WEEK A ClassicA man was walking down the street when he was accosted by a

particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless man who asked him for a couple of pounds for dinner

The man took out his wallet extracted twenty dollars and asked ldquoIf I give you this money will you buy some beer with it instead of dinnerrdquo

ldquoNo I had to stop drinking years agordquo the homeless man repliedldquoWill you spend this on green fees at a golf course instead of

foodrdquo the man askedldquoAre you NUTSrdquo replied the homeless man ldquoI havenrsquot played

golf in 20 yearsrdquoldquoWill you spend it on a womanrdquo the man askedldquoI haven`t been with a woman in 30 yearsrdquo the old man repliedldquoWellrdquo said the man ldquoIrsquom not going to give you money Instead

Irsquom going to take you home for a shower and a terrific dinner cooked by my wiferdquo

The homeless man was astounded ldquoWonrsquot your wife be furious with you for doing thatrdquo

The man replied ldquoThatrsquos okay Itrsquos important for her to see what a man looks like after he has given up drinking golf and sex

KEEP IT IN THE MIDDLE Steve

Click for Registration Form

OKLAHOMA CITY ndash Scams occur year-round but scammers hit hard and fast during tax season More than 3000 people nationwide have already been scammed out of $155 million this tax season ac-cording to Forbes Better Business Bureau of Central Oklahoma (BBB) is informing Oklahomans of the top five tax scams to avoid this year

ldquoWhether yoursquove already filed your taxes or are in the process of doing so now is the time to protect against potential tax scamsrdquo said Kitt Letcher president and CEO of Better Business Bureau of Central Oklahoma ldquoRemember to keep your personal information safe and be wary of any electronic communications about taxes or refunds that ap-pear to come from the IRS BBB serves as a free resource for consum-ers to make educated decisionsrdquo

BBB urges Oklahomans to be aware of the top five tax scams 1 IRS impersonators ndash Phone scams arenrsquot new but they can be

a significant threat to taxpayers Scammers often pose as an IRS agent by providing a fake badge number or adjusting the caller ID They de-mand the victim to pay an owed amount and typically get hostile if they are refused or questioned Remember that the IRS will never call to demand immediate payments If they need to contact you they will

generally do so through mail2 Phishing via email ndash Scammers may send phony IRS emails

requesting taxpayers to ldquoupdate your IRS e-file immediatelyrdquo The emails usually include a link similar to those of the official IRS site including links from USAgov and IRSgov Do not click on these links or respond as these emails may be scams to steal your personal infor-mation

3 Identity theft ndash Identity theft remains a serious issue and usu-ally occurs when someone uses your social security number name and other personal information to file a tax return or commit tax fraud or other crimes Most commonly a scammer will file a tax return in the taxpayers name in order to claim the money for themselves Prevent this from happening by keeping your information secure and never giv-ing out your social security number unless you can authenticate the request

4 Phony charities ndash Scam artists often target taxpayers who want to donate to tax-deductible charities Visit BBBrsquos Wise Giving Alliance at wwwgiveorg to review and check for tax-exempt charities to ensure your donations are going to a credible organization

5 Fraudulent tax preparers ndash Some scam art-ists pose as tax preparers in order to prey on those who are new or inexperienced to the filing process These scammers may promise an inflated refund but then pocket most of the money and charge a large fee for their services Select a reputable tax preparer by asking for referrals check-ing credentials and reading Business Reviews at wwwBBBorg Ensure they have a legitimate IRS Preparer Tax Identification Number sign the return and provide you with a copy for your files

About Better Business Bureau

For more than 100 years Better Business Bureau has been helping consumers find businesses brands and charities they can trust In 2012 con-sumers turned to BBB 124 million times for Business Reviews on more than 45 million companies and Charity Reports on 11000 charities all available for free at bbborg The Coun-cil of Better Business Bu-reaus is the umbrella or-ganization for 113 local independent BBBs across the United States and Canada as well as home to its national programs on dispute resolution and industry self-regulation For more information visit wwwoklahomacitybbborg

Better Business Bureau of Central Oklahoma offers tips to avoid the top five tax scams

More than 3000 people have already been scammed out of $155 million this tax season

Diana Riley Patterson

wwwsouthgrandlakecomGrand Lakersquos 1 Realtor

918-629-3717Looking for your new

grand lake dream homeSelling your home

Sheryl Fleming

918-782-8105

Email sherylongrandwavelinxnet Text SHERYL to 85377 to view all area listings

ServingGrandLakecom

Email sherylongrandwavelinxnet

Wish You Were Here

Check out our wonderful Grand Lake News Online Real Estate Advertisers and

start living GRAND

Watcha step by step

Video on this App

Oklahoma understands the importance of balancing a budg-etmdashour families do it every day in our personal lives And there is no reason that our country should not be able to do the same

This is why I am proud to support the US House of Rep-resentatives budget proposal that balances in less than 10 yearsmdashensuring that our federal government lives within its means The plan fully repeals Obamacare setting the stage for good government patient-centered reforms And it calls for a simpler flatter tax code that will promote job growth and help Oklahomans provide for their families

Repealing Obamacare alone would save Americans tax dol-lars and remove harmful regulations and government man-dates As a business owner I have seen how this misguided law and other heavy regulations are hurting jobs And I will remain supportive of efforts like this that reduce the size of government and restore individual liberties

Whatrsquos more by prioritizing a balanced budget the House plan upholds Oklahoma values

This January during a telephone town hall forum a district wide telephone conference call that I hold regularly to hear your views I asked participants if they would support a plan to balance the federal budget in 10 years

Seventy percent of respondents said they favored the 10-year approach

Paying down our national debt is one of the greatest chal-lenges facing our nation But I was sent to Washington to tackle these types of tough problems

So the first step is setting our priorities straightI was disappointed but not surprised when the president

offered a budget that never balances and raises $1 trillion in new taxes If we want a future for our children we must take steps now to ensure that todayrsquos debt does not saddle tomor-rowrsquos opportunities

Oklahomans get this which is why they joined America in sending a clear message to Washington last Novembermdashthey want a government that acts responsibility By continuing his tax-and-spend policies the president has ignored the will of the American people And it is these types of action that he must be held accountable for

I urge the president to listen to the American people and come to the negotiating table We need to start paying down our national debt now We need a plan that sets up future generations for success And we need the will of the American people to be fulfilled

It is time to set our country on the right path

Golf Tip Get Up and Down by Chipping With Your Hybrid or Fairway

Metal Have you ever been just off the green terrified of chili-

dipping your shot or hitting it thin running it way past the hole and off the other side of the green Well so have I Wersquove all struggled with confidence from time to time From just off the green I like chipping with my hybrid You may ask ldquoWhy not use a putterrdquo A putter only has 4 or 5 degrees of loft resulting in the ball grabbing the fairway cut grass and roll-ing in-consistently and unpredictably A hybrid has anywhere from 17 to 24 degrees of loft allowing the ball to hop over the initial resistance of the grass and provide a more true roll towards the hole

The major benefit to using a hybrid is the construction of the club Wedges have very sharp leading edges and thin soles causing the club to stick in the ground with an improp-er stroke A hybrid has a much wider sole and duller leading edge allowing the club to slide along the ground maintaining its speed resulting in more predictable contact and ball speed

Try using your hybrid by emulating a putter stroke The first step is to choke down on the club substantially and get into your putter setup You may have to choke all the way down to the bottom of the grip or even further This will allow you to gain better control over the club

The second step is to limit your body movement by set-ting up with your weight on your front foot Stand tall and use your putter stroke Even consider using a putter grip Treat the shot like a long putt Keep your arms and hands relaxed avoid hinging your wrists and rock your shoulders back and forth

The final step is to make a level strike Keep the club low to the ground throughout the stroke and keep your club speed consistent Trust that the loft of the club will lift the ball in the air providing a predictable roll The most difficult part of this shot is judging the distance But if you spend some time practicing this shot you will soon learn how hot the ball will come off the face and start to see your results improve greatly and get up and down more often

See you at Shangri-La on the Practice Tee

Rob Yanovitch PGA Head Golf ProfessionalShangri-La Golf Club Resort amp Marina

Mullinrsquo It Over Prioritizing Americarsquos

Futureby Congressman Markwayne Mullin

Shirtless CurtBailey about says it all

The Bendelmobile was out and about for a sampling of the great weather

Taking a leisurely spring cruise And the Big Meat Run will be happeninrsquo below the Dam and in Disney USA

Well at least she isnrsquot hangin out on the Bernice State Park beach The welcome was warm complete with a shot of Grandshine at last yearrsquos Bootleggerrsquos Ball

ldquoThe Purple Martins announced the arrival of spring this past Sunday

FIRST HOLE IN ONE OF THE YEAR AT SHANGRI-LACongratulations to Dr Tammie Koehler (2nd from right) She aced 8 Heritage at Grand Lakersquos Shangri-La Golf Club Sunday April

22 2015 using a 7-iron for the 129-yard strike She is pictured cel-ebrating with her children Byron amp Stacey Long and her husband

Duane It was Tammiersquos first career hole in one

918-782-1414N of Reasorrsquos

on Hwy 82Behind Grand Lake

Fast Lube

8am to

9pm 7 days

Senate ReviewA Weekly Column by Senator Wayne Shaw

Following the deadline to hear all bills in their house of ori-gin last Thursday this week has been a little quieter at the Capi-tol The Senate has met briefly each day and wersquore continuing our work in various committees but with this week being spring break for many schools in Oklahoma legislators are working at an abbreviated pace until next Monday when wersquoll get back to work at full speed

Taking a detour from my typical weekly legislative update I wanted to take this opportunity to share two items of local inter-est in our district

Spring storm season is just around the corner and concerns about locating a shelter facility when needed is always a top pri-ority This year students and residents will be able to seek shel-ter in one of several monolithic domes that also serve the Locust Grove school district In 2007 Locust Grove passed a bond to build a high school gym and after much research the decision was made to use a monolithic design The arena measures 148 feet in diameter and is 51 feet tall offering 17000 square feet inside and room to seat over 1400 people Itrsquos a great facility for Locust Grove but the domes also offer something else needed for Oklahomarsquos storm season ndash protection from a direct tornado hit as certified by FEMA

After the construction of the first dome in 2007 school offi-cials considered using the same monolithic design for additional buildings planned for the school In 2011 assisted by a stimulus

grant through the US Department of Education construction began on Locust Groversquos new elementary school campus which included five separate monolithic domes with an interconnected interior design These buildings are highly energy efficient sav-ing the district on average around $2000 a month on utilities

In addition to the ongoing savings each month on utility bills the domes are much less expensive to build at approxi-mately $100sq ft in comparison to upwards of $140 sq ft for traditional construction options The domes offer a healthy re-turn value on the districtrsquos investment when you consider the domes can meet the educational needs of the school district and the safety concerns of the community during dangerous storms

Moving onto a different subject this has also been an ex-citing week for the Locust Grove Lady Pirates basketball team The girls claimed Locust Groversquos first state girlsrsquo 4A basketball championship at the State Fairgrounds arena with a strong 51-33 win over the top-ranked Anadarko Warriors I commend the girls and their coach Justin Brown on an impressive season and congratulate them on their outstanding performance in the cham-pionship game I wish them all the best in their future endeavors and look forward to following the team again next year

Throughout the legislative session Irsquoll continue to keep you informed about Senate news and the business of the state Please feel free to contact me at the state Capitol by calling (405) 521-5574 or by email at shawoksenategov

Weekly Update From PAAS Director Kay Stout

Sometimes you are privileged to watch magic happen I was fortunate this past week to see prisoners shelter dogs board members of Therapetics and PAAS interact I had the privilege to be part of the documentary ldquoThe Dogs of Lexingtonrdquo It was life-changing for those of us in rescue who participated the pris-oners who trained the dogs and for Sarge it truly saved his life

This was further validated when 10 people interacted - for more than 3 hours - with the trainers and their dogs The ques-tions answers and shared stories flowed naturally and except for

the constant reminder of barbed wire and prison uniforms you could forget where you were Snarly snappy unhappy scared dogs walk through the gates and spend 247 with a trainer In just a short period of time a happy well-behaved dog is ready for a new chapter in their life The trainers bid them a heart-felt goodbye and then count the hours and days until they have the opportunity to train the next dog to come through the gates

This program is a four way win The trainer- the dog - the adopter - and the rescue Our goal is to see the program expand and to collaborate with organizations who use dogs for service (diabetes epilepsy ptsd) There are no losers - - just winners

Kay Stout - Executive Director - - PAAS Vinita - - e directorpaasvinitacom c 918-256-7227

PAAS for Petey It started with a tragic event that galva-nized concerned people to make a difference

Toni Stanley lost one of her beloved pets Petey A beautiful Siamese cat who had been neutered and received all his shots wandered across the alley into a neighborrsquos yard was labeled a

nuisance by the landowner captured by the city animal control of-

ficer and shot The officer said there was ldquonowhere to keep catsrdquo so they were disposed of immediately That incident focused the attention of animal lovers who knew each other to ldquomake a differencerdquo Three years later it will be a reality for northeastern Oklahoma when the Peaceful Ani-mal Adoption Shelter is opera-tional

Working in cooperation with the City of Vini-tarsquos animal control program who now realizes the importance of helping stray cats and dogs area municipalities and established rescue organizations PAAS will work tirelessly to help home-less dogs and cats who enter the facility find new homes This includes out-of-state transport programs breed specific rescues and petfinder adopt-a-pet and petango among others

Wersquore also establishing cooperative relationships with or-ganizations that provide therapy assistance and comfort dogs to their clients There is growing acceptance of the value shelter dogs bring to these programs This is an avenue of win-win-win (the homeless dog the rescue and the person needs this help)

Partnering with Chief Bobby Floyd and the Vinita Police De-partment trustees will work at the facility There are also citizens of the area serving as volunteers to help in the operation of PAAS

Anyone who would like to volunteer is encouraged to contact PAAS at 918-256-7227 for more information Our Executive Director knows the value of these programs through her work with the dog training program at the Lexing-ton Assessment and Reception Center (LARC) facility in Lex-ington Okla-homa Sarge a snippy growly unadoptable dog was trained at the center and is now the resident therapy dog at the Norman Okla-homa Veteranrsquos Center This is a program that we hope will be instituted at Department of Correctionsrsquo facility in Vinita

Financial support from caring individuals corporations and foundations will ensure the mission is met and lives are saved

(both human and animal)Working together ndash we can change the landscape of animal

welfare

Peaceful Animal Adoption ShelterGrand Opening April 18th at 1030am

Here is our story