Nice catch!

Kirk Mitchell and Kimberly Kellis (St. Louis residents and Pontiac part-timers) caught these walleye in early June. The biggest one weighed 7 1/2 pounds.

Pontiac Fireworks - July 4th!

The Pontiac Fireworks will be on Wednesday, July 4th. We're hosting a picnic in the park from 6 to 8 p.m. that evening with live music and BBQ: pulled pork, beans, potato salad and cole slaw. We'll also be selling t-shirts, glow necklaces, hats, beads, etc. - all to raise money for the fireworks. Please join us! Fireworks will begin a little after 9 p.m. Call 417-679-3676 for more info. Cheers!

Your summer theme song?

Spearfishing Tourney June 16

The annual Pontiac Spearfishing Tournament will be Saturday, June 16. Take-off is at 8 a.m. from the marina. Weigh-in is from 1 to 3 p.m. at Hollingsworth Cove. Absolutely NO late exceptions will be made at weigh-in. If you're not in by 3 p.m., you'll be disqualified. (Don't make me do that to anyone.) Be five minutes early, and you will make me very happy. :)

Entry fee is $25 per diver - 100% payback. Categories are as follows: first, second and third place catfish; first, second and third place rough fish; biggest walleye. Cash prizes and door prizes will be handed out on the deck at Just Jackie's starting around 4:30 p.m.

Questions? Call 417-679-3676. Fins up!

A sneak peek at the LHR guest books!

A few snippets from the guest books at Lake Harbour Resort...

"We had a beautiful weekend on the lake... The accommodations here are perfect. We felt like we were in a cottage at the seashore. We'll be back!"


"Beautiful weekend. Wonderful accommodations!"


"We had a blast while we were here. We will definitely be back!"


"We loved our vacation at Pontiac Cove!! Lake Harbour Resort is very NICE! It was wonderful that everything is provided and we didn't have to 'pack the kitchen sink.'"


"We really enjoyed our stay here! It really works out great being so close to the marina. We will be coming back again!"


This one was actually much longer, but I didn't retype the whole thing. It's one of my favorites...


"Good morning! It is our last day here at Lake Harbour Resort, and it has been a near perfect mini vacation. My husband and I live in Kansas City, and when my parents told us they had booked the top three rooms of this resort for Memorial Day weekend I was ecstatic. I grew up coming to this lake every summer, but around 8th grade all the cousins, aunts and uncles took up new hobbies and sports that didn't allow for our schedules to match up... Here we are 11 years later... Before I fill this journal... I will leave you with our morning plan: The kids and my sister and her husband left early this morning. My parents are out kayaking, and I am here writing while grandma cleans her room. My husband is packing up the cars. We will eat a nice breakfast at Just Jackie's and then hit the road, back to real life. Hopefully it won't be another 11 years."

Upcoming Events!

Saturday, June 9

Just Jackie's annual customer appreciation party is this Saturday, June 9. Iron Mike Norton will play from 5:30 to 9:30. There will be prizes and bottomless cups of beer. It's always a fun time - don't miss it!

Saturday, June 16

The annual Pontiac Spearfishing Tournament is Saturday, June 16. Registration begins at 7 a.m. at Pontiac Cove Marina. Take-off is at 8 a.m. Weigh-in is from 1 to 3 p.m. in Hollingsworth Cove. Categories include catfish (no flatheads), rough fish and walleye. Cost to enter is $25 per diver. Winners get 100% payback. Prizes will be handed out on the deck at Just Jackie's starting around 4:30 p.m.

LHR - the finished product!

Update

Just a little update to let you all know (if you don't already) that the campground is open for business! We are (and have been) taking reservations now. Call 417-679-3676. Walk-ins are welcome.

Lake Harbour Resort is also open for business! (Pics coming soon...) Be our FIRST guest! Call us today! Memorial weekend is almost full!

Cheers!

Fishing Report

Brandon Williams (Cape Girardeau, MO) caught this 45 pound, 12 ounce striper in Bull Shoals Lake on April 20.

Fishing Report

Bob Gunkel caught this 7 pound largemouth last week:

Bill Allen caught this 6 pound, 5 ounce largemouth this afternoon:

He also had a couple other large keepers!

Blessing of the Fleet and LHR open house THIS SATURDAY!

The Seventh Annual Blessing of the Fleet is this Saturday - are you planning to be there?! We have a full day of activities planned, starting with an open house at Lake Harbour Resort from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by and check out the new units! The blessing ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. on the water in front of Pontiac Cove Marina. Father Paul Wightman will be there again this year to bless your vessels for the season. Enjoy live music in the park from 4 to 10 p.m. Yes, we have that much music! Four bands are playing, as well as a few individual local musicians. We'll have a fish fry at 5:30: $8 for adults, $5 for kids under 12. We'll also be selling souvenir t-shirts, cups and koozies to raise money for the Pontiac Fireworks. Oh, and the campground will be officially open this weekend, too! Call 417-679-3676 to make reservations for LHR, the campground, rental boats and slips. See you Saturday!

LHR - a sneak peek inside!

Bathroom

Kitchen

Living room

Blessing of the Fleet: April 28!

I just mailed a newsletter to all PCM annual stall customers and mentioned the Blessing of the Fleet, and I just realized I forgot to include the date. Ooops! It's Saturday, April 28. We'll start with an open house at Lake Harbour Resort from 10 a.m. to noon. The Blessing ceremony will take place on the water at 2 p.m. Bands start playing in the park at 4 p.m. We'll have a fish fry and be selling t-shirts, souvenir cups, koozies and more to raise money for the fireworks (scheduled for July 4 this year). Come out for a full day of fun for the whole family!

Marina Hours

By the way, we are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily now (until 6 on Saturdays). We'll gradually stay open later until Memorial weekend, when we'll switch to summer hours: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Helloooooo, April!

Ok, so I know I've been really bad about updating the blog lately. I am really going to TRY to do better. A lot is happening inside at Lake Harbour Resort these days. I will take pictures and post them later this week. We are starting to get a few reservations. Check our website for rates. And call us if you'd like to inquire about the rooms or make a reservation... and please help us spread the word! We're also STILL in the process of leasing the campground from the Corps. It's happening, just not as quickly as we'd like. I really hope to have good news by the end of the week. More soon. Cheers!

Spring is here! (we think)

Just a little update to let you know we are now open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The water has been turned on at the dock. We are beginning to stock the shelves, and we've even starting receiving some merchandise (t-shirts, hats, etc.) for the season! We are still in the process of leasing the campground from the Corps. We hope in a couple of weeks it will be a done deal. In the meantime, we are taking tentative reservations. Once the lease is final we will call back and confirm all reservations. We're also now taking reservations for Lake Harbour Resort. We plan to have it open by May 1, so we will take reservations for anytime after that. Call if you have questions, or if you'd like to make a reservation: 417-679-3676. Cheers!

LHR... more progress!

In case you don't know... LHR stands for Lake Harbour Resort... the new lodging we are building adjacent to the campground in Pontiac. The exterior doesn't look a lot different from the last time I posted pictures, but we do now have shutters! They definitely liven the place up a bit. And check out that lake view!

A closer look at the shutters... (Lola really digs the color)

Upper units

Working on the steps down to the lower units

Landscaping!

If your name is John, and you sent me an inquiry on slip rates for a 27' boat and also about the resort... please email me at info@pontiaccove.com or call 417-679-3676. I don't have any way to respond to you! Thanks :)

Lake Harbour Resort Rates

We're still working on getting the rates for Lake Harbour Resort on our website, so I thought I'd at least post them here. We are now taking reservations for the resort, as well as boat rentals and slips. And we're also taking tentative reservations for the campground. Tentative because our lease of the campground is still in the works. Once the lease is final we'll call everyone back to confirm. Email info@pontiaccove.com or call 417-679-3676 for more info. Cheers!

Memorial Weekend thru Labor Day Weekend

$129/night (Friday-Saturday)

$119/night (Sunday-Thursday)

$799/week (7 nights)

 

May and September

(excluding Memorial and Labor Day weekends)

$119/night (Friday-Saturday)

$109/night (Sunday-Thursday)

$699/week (7 nights)

 

Oct. 1 thru April 30

$99/night

$599/week (7 nights)

 

*Rates are for 4 guests
($10 additional charge per person, up to 6 guests maximum)

 

All units, patios and balconies are non-smoking.

Blues Blast canceled

Due to scheduling conflicts the Blues Blast set for March 3 has been canceled. We were unable to find a later date that worked for everyone involved in the planning of the event, so we decided to sort of combine it with the Blessing of the Fleet on April 28. What does this mean? We're going to have a variety of awesome musicians performing at the Blessing! Please mark your calendar for April 28. You won't want to miss this! Exact details of the day's events are still being finalized. But, you can count on this: We will have an open house at Lake Harbour Resort that morning. Everyone is invited to stop by and take a tour of the rooms. At 2 p.m. we'll have the annual blessing ceremony on the water. Music will start in the park shortly after the blessing, and food will be served around 5 or 5:30. We hope to see you there!

Like us on facebook!

Some days it's just easier to post updates on facebook than it is to get on the blog. If you're on facebook, you can "like" us and keep up with what's going on at PCM and LHR. Click here to find us on facebook. But, no worries! I will post some pictures and updates here soon from our trip to St. Louis for the boat show. It was great seeing so many familiar faces and meeting lots of new folks, too. 36 days til spring! The countdown is on.

Meet me in St. Louis!

Just another reminder that Pontiac Cove Marina (and Lake Harbour Resort!) will have a booth at the St. Louis Boat and Sportshow this Wednesday through Sunday. Our booth number is 1563. Stop by and say hi!

LOCATION:
America's Center and Edward Jones Dome
701 Convention Center Plaza
St. Louis, MO 63101

HOURS:
Wednesday, February 8, 2pm–9pm
Thursday, February 9, 2pm–9pm
Friday, February 10, 12pm–9pm
Saturday, February 11, 10am–9pm
Sunday, February 12, 11am–5pm

ADMISSION:
Adults: $10
Youth: 15 and younger FREE!
2-day pass: $14 (good any two days of the show)

Click here for more information.

Public Workshops

Two public workshops will be held at the Corps of Engineers Mountain Home Project Office to hear discussion of the proposed changes to certain recreation areas in the Little Rock District, including the Pontiac Park.

Please come out for one or both of these meetings!

Feb. 21, 2012
2-4 p.m.; 5-7 p.m.

324 W. 7th St.
Mountain Home, Ark.
Ph: 870-425-2700

Pontiac Park Information

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District announced today that due to budget cuts it would be closing several parks and recreation areas, including the Pontiac Park and Campground. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THE PARK IS ACTUALLY CLOSING. It just means the Corps will not manage the park from now on. We at Pontiac Cove Marina have requested to lease and take over management of the park, which we believe will provide better service to campers and park users, as the marina is open year-round and 7 days per week, 14 hours per day during the summer months. A series of workshops to solicit public input will take place in February. We'd appreciate your support of our proposal!

Click here for the full press release.

We will keep you posted as we learn more information. I have already had several calls and e-mails from customers asking why they aren't able to make reservations for this summer. I assure you, the park will be open this year, but it may be a couple of months before you are able to make reservations. Keep checking back for more information. You can also follow us on facebook.

Thanks for your understanding and support!

Hello, 2012!

Thought everyone might like to see the progress on the resort since I posted some 2+ weeks ago. (I apologize, but the holidays consumed me.) As you can see, the top floor units have a pretty sweet lake view.

Bottom floor units: siding is all finished, doors and windows are in; still need shutters, ceiling fans, lights, etc...

We're back to work in 2012, but remember, the dock is only officially open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays through February. If you need assistance at another time, please call ahead, and we'll be happy to make those arrangements. Just Jackie's is open on Fridays only (3 to 10 p.m.) in January, and Skip's place (As the Lake Turns Diner and Dive) is open all weekend.

For all you St. Louis folks (and anyone else who plans to attend the St. Louis Boat Show) - PCM will have a booth at the St. Louis Boat Show this year! It's Feb. 8-12. Stop by and see us!

It has been incredibly windy the past few days. We finally had some relief today. The sun has been shining, but it's cold. The next few days are supposed to be warmer (pushing 60 degrees, I think). No winter weather predicted for the near future. Could we possibly have a mild winter? I won't hold my breath...

Happy new year, all! More updates soon, I promise.

More progress... siding!

Crazy geese

Very foggy and frosty at 8:00 this morning, but the sun is now shining, and it is warming up. Several folks are out mistletoe hunting... and fishing! I think the geese are the only ones swimming. Hope you're enjoying your Saturday, too.

More progress

We have doors and windows, shingles and a sidewalk!

So long, November!

Happy *almost December*, folks! Starting tomorrow (Dec. 1 ) we are officially on winter hours, which means we will be open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays only (weather permitting) through February. However, we will be happy to make arrangements to meet you here at any other time. Just call in advance and leave a message. (We will be pumping gas all winter.) Cheers!

Update

As you can see from the pictures below, our project is coming right along. We have shingles on the roof, and the deck is on the upper level. It has a killer lake view! Especially right now with the leaves falling off the trees. It was so foggy yesterday we couldn't see the lake, so I didn't snap any pictures of the view. But, I will try to do that in the next few days...

December is quickly approaching, which means we'll be switching to our "winter hours" until the first of March. For now, we are planning to be open from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays only (weather permitting), starting Dec. 3., and by appointment any other day of the week (just call ahead, and we'll be happy to meet you down here at any other time). That means this is our last full week to be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you need anything or have any questions, please do not hesitate to call: 417-679-3676.

Have a happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

A roof overhead

New resort at Pontiac Cove

Level 2 walls are up! It's beginning to look like something, eh?

More progress and change of hours

We have a floor!

NEW HOURS: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily through November. Cheers!

Progress

The walls have been poured for the lower level of our new resort. There will be three units on this level, and three units on an upper level. It's coming right along!

It has a lake view! (Look between the trees on the upper left side of the photo.)

Hallelujah!

The lake level is finally back to normal! Well, close enough. It's 656.14, which is the seasonal pool level. "Normal" pool is 654. At least we have the lower road back. And we owe a HUGE thank you to volunteers from the Pontiac/Price VFD for washing all the muck off the road.

Happy Saturday!

It's gorgeous out there. Enjoy it!

Breaking Ground

In case you haven't heard, we are starting construction on a new resort in Pontiac - planning to be open in May 2012. See photo above: the road on the left is the road that goes into the park (from Highway W). The first building will be located on the north side of the road (location shown above on the right side of the photo). Phase 1 includes a two-story building with six units - three up and three down. Each unit will have a kitchen, dining and living area, bathroom, separate bedroom and a patio (for the lower level) or balcony (upper level). The building will be within walking distance of the park, Just Jackie's and Pontiac Cove Marina. We are very excited about this new project and will let you know when we begin taking reservations. If you have any questions, please call us at 417-679-3676 (ask for Matt or Jabet) or email info@pontiaccove.com. Cheers!

Lake Cleanup THIS WEEKEND!

Sorry for the short notice, but if you're in Pontiac this weekend and want to participate in the Lake Cleanup, simply swing by the dock and pick up trash bags and t-shirts and have at it! This is a Corps of Engineers-sponsored cleanup. They have it every year - it's called the Great Arkansas Cleanup. We technically are not in Arkansas, but we're pretty darn close, and we used to participate in their cleanup years ago. Since then, PCM has hosted its own cleanup in years past, with a picnic afterward. We're not doing that this year, so if you want to help clean up the lake, this is the weekend to do it! When you're finished, you can drop your bags at the launch ramp, and the Corps will pick them up. We're open from 7 to 7 this Saturday. Pick up bags and t-shirts (while they last) anytime during the day. Cheers!

Happy Labor Day weekend/Happy FIRST birthday, Lola!

In case you're wondering why I haven't kept up with the blog as much this year... it's all HER fault (see above). That's my daughter, Lola. Some of you remember she was born on the Friday of Labor Day weekend last year - a BIG surprise to us, as she was 26 days early! Happy, healthy and ready to see the world. So, Matt and I weren't around last Labor Day weekend - we spent it in the hospital! Today is Lola's birthday. It's too bad she can't pump gas or count minnows (maybe next year). I hope you all have a fun and safe Labor Day weekend - I will be seeing you this year! Cheers!

The hours they are a changin'

Labor Day weekend is upon us, and for many folks it's the last big hurrah of summer. The marina hours will shorten through the week starting next week. We will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Thursday; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. The weekend hours will get shorter later in the month.

We'll be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily in October; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily in November. We will be closed December, January and February; however, we will be available to pump gas or accept payment for bills via appointment. Just call ahead, and we'll be glad to meet you here anytime during the winter.

Just Jackie's hours will also change after this weekend. Starting next week the restaurant will be open from 3 to 10 p.m. Friday; 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday (kitchen closes at 5 on Sunday). Closed Monday to Thursday.

Have a fun and safe Labor Day weekend, everyone!

19 feet to go...

The parking area at the 800 dock is getting larger

 

Look, we got our road back!

20 feet to go...

Still about 20 feet above normal pool, but at least we're about to see the upper road again. It's been a looooong time since we made that loop!

Lake level update

Today's lake level is 677.0. It's steadily dropping now - about 6 inches per day. We still have about 23 feet to go. At this rate we should be back to normal pool by the end of September. Anyone want to try to predict the day?

This is what 679.8 looks like

The lake is finally starting to drop; it's still about 25 feet above normal. Below, you can see the 'upper' road to the marina is getting closer to being out of the water

 A view out toward the main lake; this tree makes it look like fall!

 This is the back of the cove, at the bottom of the road that cuts over to the 800 dock; yes, we meant to let this dock end up on shore - it's slated to be torn down as soon as we have time to do it

Is your last name Hicks? Are you missing a sign? This is lying on the side of the road in the park...

 A view of the dock, looking out toward the main lake. Again, you can see the top road is starting to show!

Under construction

I'm working on a new design for the blog... just fyi.

Finally some relief in the forecast...

Check this out!

Look at the weather forecast for next week. Lows in the 60s?? It's a cold front!

Maybe this will cool you off...

July showers!

We finally got some relief from the heat and drought over the weekend. We had a couple nice little showers on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Much needed! (Photo by April Luna)

Recognize this guy?

That's Captain Morgan, circa 1976, standing in front of what is now called the '100 dock' - the first dock in the back of the cove. Sue Ann Luna Jones, Ozark County Times editor, sent this to me.