Frost Named GRDA Board Chairman-Elect

Board Member Terry Frost was named GRDA Board Chairman-Elect at this week's GRDA Directors Meeting, according to GRDA's Friday Flyer. He is the owner of Cherokee Yacht Club and Hammerhead Marina.

What? His term expired in August.

But Governor Brad Henry came to the rescue Aug. 25 and reappointed him to the Board for another seven year term, but failed to notify the Grand Lake area media (except for the Grand Lake Chronicle). Surprise.
Attempts by The Observer to get confirmation from GRDA's media department went unanswered. Repeated attempts by Janet Warford-Perry of the Miami News Record, requesting information from Henry's press secretary, Paul Sund, went unanswered as well, according to Warford-Perry. Speculation was that the appointment would be delayed until after the November elections.

According to the website Follow the Money, Frost made campaign contributions this year of $5,000 to Brad Henry's 2006 campaign; so did David Chernicky, Jim Frasier, and Brent Lagere, three other GRDA Board of Directors members.

And so did John Mullen of Ugly John's Marina. Joe Harwood of Arrowhead Marina donated $4,000; Peter Mullen, owner of Shangri-La who wants to build a huge 447 slip marina there and is seeking to make $500 million in improvements, donated $5,000 to Henry's campaign.

Another familiar name is John Special, Stillwater businessman, who donated $5,000 as well.
According to GRDA Lake Patrol accident reports, he was the driver of one of the boats involved in a fatality accident in July at the mouth of Drowning Creek.
Golly, The Observer forgot to donate so don't look for us to get any help from the Governor.

Pelican Festival Returns Sept. 29-30

The 23rd Annual Pelican Festival hosted by the Grand Lake Association will be held on September 29 & 30. This festival celebrates the return of the migratory American White Pelican as it stops on Grand Lake to feed and rest before it continues its journey from Canada to the coasts of Mexico for the winter.

The festival is designed to include something for the young and young-at-heart; from the varied activities of the Kids’ Zone to the Art and Craft Faire for the adults. Some of the craft and food vendors are returning from previous years as they so enjoy the Grand Lake community. And rather than the old-fashioned carnival rides, we’re doing something different this year for today’s kids--interactive games.

Outside the Grove Civic Center there will be a 24’ rock climbing wall, the Gravitron Space Simulator which will have them experiencing the sensation of weightlessness, an airborne adventure parachute, a bungee run where runners race side-by-side while harnessed to a bungee cord, the moon bounce, a 22 foot slide, 40 foot obstacle course and a jousting arena.

Also new this year will be on stage performances featuring Magician Chris Capstone. Capstone will be performing an old fashioned family vaudeville magic show. Festival goers can catch his show several times a day both Friday and Saturday when he is sure to captivate the crowd.

For the second year in a row, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department will be setting up in the Kids Zone their all important program of Child Identification. They will be taking fingerprints and a current photo so parents will have an up-to-date visual identification record of their child. These records are invaluable in the event of a lost or missing child. Sheriff Jay Blackfox and his department want to help keep our kids safe and this is one way they work toward that goal. Department clowns will be present to entertain and hand out balloons.

And as a special outreach to our service men and woman, The Blue Star Mothers, Grand Lake Chapter 13 will be set up with paper and art supplies as well as pre-addressed boxes so attendees to the Festival can make a card or write a thank you which will be forwarded to these outstanding individuals far from home.

The Grove Civic Center on Main Street in Grove is the location for these activities and admission to the Faire and stage shows are free.

For bird watchers and wildlife lovers who want to see these awesome birds; during the festival the Grand Lake Audubon Society provides low cost pelican viewing tours or will provide you with a map showing locations where the birds have been spotted. The American White Pelican is one of the largest living birds. Adults weigh between 10 and 17 pounds with a wingspan of 8 to 9 ½ feet. And, again this year, Wildlife Photographer Robert C. Livesay will be presenting a digital slide show entitled “The Secret Life of Pelicans” several times on both days.

On Saturday at 10 a.m. the parade kicks off in Grove. The parade draws viewers who line up along Main & Third Streets to watch all the entrants pass by. This year the parade theme is the same as the mission statement for the Grand Lake Association, “to preserve, protect and promote Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees.” Monetary prizes are awarded for first, second and third place floats. Everyone is invited to participate in the parade and can base their float on any one of the three words, just call for an entry form.

The inside hours of the Pelican Festival are Friday, September 29 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday, the 30th 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; outside will remain open until 9 p.m. both days. For more information, you can contact the Grand Lake Association at 1-866-LUV-GRAND or visit us via our website http://www.grandlakefun.com/.

This 23rd Annual Pelican Festival is sponsored the members of the Grand Lake Association as well as the City of Grove, the Bank of Grove and Grand Bank.

A Call from Afghanistan

With this week's 9/11 anniversary we are reminded of all of our servicemen and women who are in dangerous parts of the world fighting to keep our country safe.
One of them has close ties to Grove…Sgt. Michael Galletly, 35, son of City Manager Bill Galletly, who is serving in Afghanistan.
The last phone call Galletly got from his son was about two weeks ago, when Michael reported that he was "goin huntin." He is squad leader in a light infantry platoon of three teams, each with two armored Humvees and another light armored vehicle. Prior to the "hunting" expedition he was based at Camp Blackhorse about 20 miles east of Kabul.
Michael has been in Afghanistan since February and is due home in June 2007. Home is Norman, with his wife and two children, ages 12 and 7. He is with the Oklahoma group.
Bill Galletly said he talks with his son about once a month, or more often if possible, via a satellite phone.
Bill said he gets nervous when he hears about "hunting" expeditions because he knows the team is going after al- Qaida leaders, including a guy named Osama, a dangerous expedition. Not a night goes by that he doesn't think about Michael, Galletly said. And he can't wait for him to return home safely in June.

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Observations...

Cancel your subscription to The Entertainment Channel. There is a new show in town, with new cast, and coming soon, new show times. We're talking about the Grove Airport Trust Authority Board meetings, which are always entertaining.

At Monday's meeting, two new board members, Dave Helms and Bob Brogden were sworn in, via signature rather than an oral oath of office per the other city trust authorities.

The cast now includes Helms, Brogden, Bryant Chestnut, David Adzigian and Harry Halterman. Having no chairman or vice chairman due to the term limitation and resignation of Gary Tripensee and Max Schuermann, they elected Chestnut as temporary chairman, approved minutes of previous meetings, and heard from Larry Hestand regarding the lack of a sewer line to the four hangers on the east side, at the north end.

Item #2 on the agenda, proposed revisions and or restatement of Resolution No. 1 dated March 2, 1983, was first tabled after Brogden raised objections to some of the wording.
Copies of the Resolution were not made available to the public or media in attendance via a packet, as per the other city trust authorities, so we have no idea what they were talking about. But it seemed to be about changing the meeting times from 1 to 4 p.m. to allow for more public attendance, and electing officers in September rather than November. Brodgen said he felt these and other issues needed a legal stamp of approval.

But since the group failed to approve Item #2, they could not elect new officers for the board, in Item #4, or designate who is to sign the bank signature cards, in item #5.
So they "untabled" Item #2 long enough to approve Items #4 and 5, electing Chestnut as Chairman, Adzigian Vice Chairman, and Brogden as Secretary-Treasurer, with all three owning rights to sign checks. (Actually, Brogden was first nominated as vice chairman by Helms, but this didn't fly. Pardon the pun.)

The group then re-authorized the signing of the Land Deeds for property titles transferred to the city several months ago, noting the delay was due to attorneys.

Item #8 brought out that the ceiling tiles in the main hangar needed replacing, damaged in a wind storm a couple of months ago. Adzigian pointed out that this should have been covered under the airport's insurance policy, but no one had called the insurance company after the damage was incurred. We can hear the phone call now:

"Hello, insurance company, we've had a wind storm out here at the airport and it plumb blew the ceiling tiles out of the main hangar. We forgot to close the hangar door."
"When did this occur?"
"Oh, about two months ago."
"Sorry, you are supposed to file claims in a timely manner and you are out of luck. And next time close the door."

Item #11 was talk about airport future plans and goals, an item which has been discussed at three previous meetings. This time, the board agreed that airport security was the main need, with new fencing and gates on the south end, mainly to keep out teenage punks and vandals. The airport will have $187,000 in Federal money to spend on the first portion of fencing and will complete it in several stages as money is allocated. Previous "want lists" have included remodeling the airport office and extension of the runway to handle big jets. (Grove's runway is longer than the R.L. Jones Airport in Tulsa, Oklahoma's busiest). The board agreed to have the airport manager speak to the airport engineer about security issues and request he come to the next meeting.

Brogden and Helms agreed to take on the project of reviewing the Airport Policies and Procedures Manual.

Item #12, a cost of living increase for the airport manager, Terry Abercrombie, easily passed 5-0 ($696.66 for '06'07.) The board made budget adjustments elsewhere to cover the salary increase. Following this item, the entire audience in attendance left the meeting, save for one media person.

Abercrombie reported that the broken fence on the south end had been repaired with new gates installed; several lights had been replaced; the rotating beacon was not working due to no power; and the taxiway drop off is a half inch more than allowed. Mowing was needed due to rain and deer's and coyotes have been seen on the property.

Adzigian reported that he had done a fuel analysis for July and August compared with the same period last year and total fuel sales were up $1256, mainly due to jet fuel sales being 3,000 gallons ahead of last year. Sales of 100LL were off by 900 gallons from last year, he said.

It was pointed out that the Agenda wording on approval of the purchase order register and check register was not in compliance with the Opens Meeting Act, since the word "Approval" was omitted.

The meeting adjourned without any harsh words being uttered, a departure from some previous meetings. Next showtime is the second Monday of the month. Script to be announced.

Broadband Signals Being Jammed?

Wasn't it Forest Gump that said "Grove's Internet Service is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get." The wireless service is up one minute, down the next, slowing to a crawl. Maybe there is another customer somewhere trying to use the service. The dial up service slowed to 21.4 kbps this week as well. (on Green Country)

And, Troy Kyman, owner of Precision Wireless, the company that is starting up new service for Grove, said this week they had caught Green Country Internet/Jet Stream Wireless intentionally installing 900 mhz transmitters on its tower near the Grove Co-op, pointing one towards Precision's tower and one towards the WaveLynx tower, causing interference.

WaveLynx is another Grand Lake wi-fi company located in Langley but servicing parts of Grove from atop the Vista Towers on Monkey Island.

"They have also been channel jumping to each of our frequencies being used, causing interference. We have contacted them demanding the removal and are preparing a letter of their actions to the FCC, Kyman said.

Precision has one tower in test phase operation with two more in construction stages and will transmit on the 900 mghz frequency as well as 5.8 ghz frequency.

Sign up Now for Chamber Golf Tourney

Early registration date is fast approaching for the Annual Grove Chamber of Commerce
Golf Tournament to be held on Friday, Sept. 22, at Patricia Island Golf Club.
The 4-person scramble will begin with lunch sponsored by First National Bank & Trust
at 12:30 p.m. Golfers will tee off at 1:30 pm. The fee is $75 per person if registered by
September 19th. The fee increases to $90 per person after September 19th.

The tournament will award prizes, including a Hole-In-One opportunity and a special
prize for the lowest score of the day,” said Lacinda Riley, Tournament Chair. The
tournament is open to the public to enjoy a golf outing and have a great time networking.

If interested in playing in the Annual Grove Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament, call the Chamber office at (918) 786-9079 and an entry form with be sent to you. Entry form and fee should be mailed or delivered to Grove Area Chamber of Commerce, 310 S. Main, Grove, OK 74344.

Playmaker Auditions This Saturday

The “Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society” is holding auditions for their production of “The Christmas Carol” and will present it in collaboration with The Playmakers over the Holidays. It will be produced with the assistance of the Oklahoma Arts Council.
They are looking for five women and one man to be directed by Sandy McCabe. Auditions will be held at Off Broadway Arts, the Playmakers’ theatre, 121 W. 3rd St. , in Grove on Saturday, September 16 at 10:00 am . Over-the-top British accents must be learned to be part of this hysterical Farce. If you have questions about the roles and the schedule of performances, call Sandy at Java Dave’s, 918-786-4421 or leave a message at 918-786-8950.

Library to Hear Ozarks Presentation

Susan Young of the Shiloh Museum will give a slide presentation on traditional life in the Ozarks on Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 7 p.m. at the Grove Public Library. The public is invited to all meetings of the Delaware County Genealogical Society.
Young, herself a fifth generation Ozarker, reports that before her kinfolk settled in the Ozarks, they came from the southern Appalachians in Kentucky and Tennessee. The full name of the Springdale, Arkansas, museum is Shiloh Museum of Ozark History. Young points out that the Ozark foothills extend into the eastern edge of Oklahoma, and that life here was very similar to life elsewhere in the Ozarks.
Young's position at the museum is as community outreach coordinator, a position she has held since 1994. Her areas of special interest include religion, cemeteries, and moonshining. The Delaware County Genealogical Society meets the third Tuesday of every month except December at the library. Coming up in November is the annual meeting at which new members of Old Families of Delaware County will be recognized. Anyone planning to apply for Old Families should turn in their application by about October 1. Anyone wanting information or help with an application should contact Rose Stauber at the library.
Watch for an announcement soon of special classes in beginning genealogy and in Cherokee research. A short social time will follow the program on Sept. 19. For more information, contact Rose Stauber, 786-3569.

Teen Strength, Adult Tennis Programs Coming to YMCA

Teenagers looking to shape up should head over to the YMCA for two programs designed to develop muscular strength and their understanding of nutrition.
Beginning this week, Teen Strength Training will be offered for ages 12 through 16.
The class meets Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays from 4:00 to 5:00 pm to learn the basics of strength training. Each muscle group is covered.
Teen Strength Training is free for YMCA members; $35 per month for non-members.
On Monday, September 18 a Teen Nutrition Class: “How to Eat to Build Muscle” will be offered. Scheduled for 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., this class will teach the basics nutrition facts that help build muscle and keep healthy.
The Teen Nutrition Class is free for YMCA members; $5 for non-members
For further information and to pre-register for either of these programs, call the Grand Lake Family YMCA at (918) 786-5774. The Grand Lake YMCA is located at 206 Elk St. in the old library building.

If you’ve always wanted to learn how to play tennis, this could be your opportunity.
For the next six weeks, the YMCA is offering adult tennis lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 to 10:30 am.
Lessons are based on your skill level and a racquet is required (balls are provided).
And don’t worry about the kids. Child watch is available at the YMCA.
The location for lessons is the Sports Complex tennis courts at the corner of Shundi and 13th in Grove.
Cost for the series is $5 for YMCA members; $50 for non-members.For further information and to pre-register, call the Grand Lake Family YMCA at (918) 786-5774.