Electricity Woes: Update #1

Josh -- in full scuba gear -- swam the underwater electric line at the new dock today, and he found the problem! In simple terms, there is a break in the line. Not sure what caused it. But sure enough, it's there. It is fixable, but it will take some time. So... the water faucets and fish-cleaning table on that dock will be out of commission for a bit longer. Again, we are sorry for the inconvenience. Now that we have located the problem we are on it, and I promise we will have your water up and running again asap. Thanks for your patience!

Oh, and... NO SWIMMING, PLEASE. Not that I've seen anyone swimming over there, but I just want to remind you. It is not a safe swimming area. Especially right now.

Thanks! :)

The Golden Ticket

For those of you who have purchased raffle tickets (the blue tickets we've been selling since last year... one for $10 or three for $25), we will be drawing for the BIG winner Sunday morning and posting it at the marina. That is... we'll be drawing to see who wins the $500 gift certificate to PCM! We'll also draw for some other prizes, and we'll post those winners as well. If you haven't bought your raffle tickets yet, there is still time. You can buy them from Bill Bauer or myself through Saturday night. Good luck!

Who needs electricity?

Well... we all do. :)

Sorry for the inconvenience all day Friday and Saturday morning on the new dock. We are having electrical problems, and we're working on it. Everyone should have power at their slips now. However, the water and fish cleaning table is going to be out for a short while until we can fix the problem.

We don't know for sure of the cause. One possibility is a fish hook in the electric line. This is why we don't allow fishing from the dock. We'll find out soon and let you know. Again, thank you for your patience and understanding.

Bill Bauer informed me we have reached the $6,000 mark for the fireworks fund. That means we're going to have a 20-minute show next Sunday! Wow! It's going to be awesome. THANK YOU to everyone who has supported the fund-raising efforts. Without ALL of you this would not be possible.

Busy weekend. I hope everyone had a good one and enjoyed the sunshine.

One more thing...

I forgot to mention this earlier... Happy First Day of Summer! You may think it's flying by, but there are still 92 days left... Enjoy.

Stocking Up!

We just got a new shipment of the lovely and the oh-so-popular Caribbean Soul bags! Come by and see the new styles and colors. AND... we have a new ladies tee on the rack. It's super cute, too.

$3.399/gallon

Gas is FINALLY cheaper at the dock as of this morning! Down 20 cents. Woo-hoo!

Spearfishing Tourney Results

Forty-three divers entered the spearfishing tournament yesterday. The weather was perfect. Here are the results:





1st Place Catfish: Jason Copeland (38 lbs, 7 oz) - $330
2nd Place Catfish: Ricky Clark (29 lbs, 5 oz) - $165
3rd Place Catfish: Randy Boeddeker (16 lbs, 4 oz) - $55

1st Place Rough Fish: Jeff Jeter (8 lbs, 2 oz carp) - $220
2nd Place Rough Fish: Bob Benson (7 lbs, 12 oz drum) - $110
3rd Place Rough Fish: Roger Johnson (7 lbs, 1 oz carp) - $55

Big Walleye: Mike Rees (6 lbs, 12 oz) - $165

We also gave away about 20 prizes... the big one was a Cressi-Sub pneumatic spear gun from Scuba Doo Dive Shop in Mtn. Home, Ark. It went to Pontiac resident Skip Dechau.

(Jason Copeland is pictured above with the winning catfish.)

Click here to view more pictures from the spearfishing tournament.

The Lake's Arisin'

Hey all. FYI, the water is over the lower road... again. So we have it roped off. Please be mindful of this. The current lake level is 657.6, and according to the Corps of Engineers website it's supposed to go up another tenth of a foot by tomorrow. Who knows after that. So far it's really not a big deal. It isn't much higher than it has been the past month... just high enough that it has spilled over the road and made things slightly difficult for us here at the main walkway. :)

This will make you chuckle... The last time the lake was over the road a bit, a certain young lady innocently asked if we could pump the extra water "somewhere" ... I won't tell you who said this, as I'm sure she would be a little embarrassed. But it gave me a good laugh anyway! Yes, that would be handy... but unfortunately... not possible. :)

Looks like this weekend is going to be beautiful! Warm and sunny. FINALLY!! If you're not entering the spearfishing tournament, you should still come on down to Hollingsworth Cove to see the weigh-in from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Anything for a cure...

The second annual Ozark County Relay for Life was Friday night, and the folks from Pontiac represented nicely. Recognize that guy, er gal, in the picture at left? Yep, that's Pontiac's favorite hula girl, Skip Dechau. "Skippy Lou" took the stage Friday night for the Lake Bums in the Queen of the Relay contest. Skip's wife, Angie, helped him prepare for the contest... she even polished his toe nails. Below: Team members Sue Klayman, Karen Eubank, Jessica and Gabe Blackburn watched.

The Pontiac Lake Bums sold raffle tickets for a custom-built 5-by-10-foot utility trailer, the materials and labor for which were donated by the employees of E-Z Loader in Mountain Home, Ark. Norman Eubank is a Lake Bums team member, he works at E-Z Loader, and he was responsible for the trailer idea. The team raised about $3,000 for the American Cancer Society with the raffle, bringing their total to nearly $5,000!! Woo-hoo! LeAnn Kinscherff won the raffle -- she's a dock customer. Congrats LeAnn! The total for the Ozark County Relay was about $114,000 -- the goal was $90,000 -- and that is incredible!

Norman was also recognized for completing the most laps—168 to be exact, or 42 miles. This is the second year he received that honor. Thanks to Norman and other dedicated walkers on the team, the Pontiac Lake Bums also won for the most team laps for the second year in a row. Way to go team!

Saturday was a beautiful day in Pontiac, and the lake was hopping. Sunday, however, wasn’t so pretty—well, I guess that depends on who you ask. It wasn’t a very nice day for sunbathing, but it was perfect for a Sunday afternoon nap or getting a line wet. We had our A/C off and opened the windows, which was very pleasant. It started out overcast, and when the rain started to fall a little after noon it seemed like it would never end (it finally did around 5 p.m.) When we checked it that evening our rain gauge showed that we got only one inch of rain, which we are certain is inaccurate. Maybe there’s a pin hole in the bottom of it. Maybe it’s time for a new rain gauge.

...more on the gas tax refund...

Here is some info from the BoatU.S. Government Affairs website:

Missouri: Recreational boaters can apply for a $0.17 per-gallon refund of state sales tax on either gasoline or diesel fuel purchased for use in their boat. An application form must be on file with the Missouri Department of Revenue before a refund claim may be filed. Original invoices and receipts must accompany the claim, and can be filed no later than one year after purchasing the fuel, or on April 15th - whichever date is sooner.

The application form, 4924, claim form, 4923, and Schedule A, Marine Fuel Purchases by County form, 4925, are all necessary for the tax refund and can all be downloaded from the Internet at: www.dor.mo.gov/tax/business/fuel/forms/. For more information, call (573) 751-7671.

REMEMBER: We have all these forms at the dock, too.

Pain at the Pump

Hey all. I think a lot of you already know this... but in case you do not... you can get $0.17 per gallon back from the state of Missouri for the fuel you buy for your boat. We have the forms at the marina. We try to remember to tell people about them. But sometimes we forget. So just ask us. It is a little bit of paperwork... and you need to save your dock bills (they show gallons, price per gallon, and total)... but it's worth it when you get that little bonus check in the mail! Just think... if you go through 1,000 gallons of gasoline this summer (maybe that's stretching it for some of you) you could get $170 back!! Not too shabby. So... keep that in mind as you cringe at your total when you fill your tank next time. We truly feel for ya. Cheers! :)

Meet your Pontiac Park attendants!

Have you noticed new faces in the gate house this summer? John and Guyla Roberts are from Mountain Home, Arkansas. They've been here since April, but perhaps you haven't met them yet. They're really nice people, and they're with us until early fall. It's looking like today is going to be a beautiful day! Get out and enjoy it!

A Few of Our Favorite Things (Part 1)

(Above left) Cool Bags: We now carry Caribbean Soul beach bags! They are great. Brightly colored works of art, these bags are big enough for all your lake gear, including big fluffy beach towels, and they are waterproof on the inside! So your stuff won't get wet, even if the outside of the bag does. They are selling fast, so get one now!

(Above right) Quaint Little T-shirts: People have been requesting these shirts, so we bought them in more colors and more sizes, including men's and women's. Hey, if the shoe fits...