Blessing Photos

I didn't get very many photos this year... this is most of the boats that were blessed (I know I missed a couple...), and I didn't really get any at the picnic, because we were dodging rain, and I didn't want my camera to get wet! It was a crazy day, but it didn't keep everyone away. Check out that sky behind them... wicked! You guys rock!

Blessing T-shirts!

I have some Blessing tees leftover... size large and XL. They're long-sleeve, $20. If you want one, please let me know asap, and I'll set it aside for you. I am also planning a re-order, so if you want a different size besides large or XL, let me know!! Call 417-679-3676 or e-mail info@pontiaccove.com.

Cheers!

Blessing is ON!

A couple of people have asked me if we're rescheduling the Blessing due to possible rain tomorrow, and the answer is NO. At least not right now. We will have the Blessing regardless of weather, and we will have the fish afterward regardless of weather. (We'll move from the park to an indoor location if necessary.) So, don't cancel your plans to come down. Plan to join us for a GREAT kick-off party, rain or shine!

Blessing of the Fleet this Saturday

The fifth annual Blessing of the Fleet is just three days away! It's time to fire up your engines and have your boats blessed for the season. Blessing ceremony/boat parade begins at 2 p.m. That means you should be in your boat outside the breakwater by 2 p.m. Father Paul will offer the blessing via VHF radio (if you have one, be sure to turn it on; if you don't, try to tie up next to someone who does). He will be stationed on the 5:00 Somewhere (houseboat) on the end of the 800 dock. Afterward, join us in the park for a fish fry and live music, starting around 5:30 p.m. We'll be selling long-sleeve Blessing tees, food, beer cups, raffle tickets and more. We encourage you to decorate your boats and/or dress in costume for the boat parade, if you want to! It's optional, of course, but lots o' fun! (See pic, above left.)

Fishing Tournament Results

Matt Wade and Johnna Morgan with professional fisherman, Roland Martin. Roland and his partner, Ronnie Curry, of Ava, took second place in the tournament.

Twenty-six teams fished the fourth annual Verne D. Cubbage Memorial Fishing Tournament out of Pontiac on Saturday. Twenty teams weighed a total of 98 fish—a total weight of about 220 pounds. A surprise celebrity appearance by professional fisherman, Roland Martin, of Naples, Fla., brought lots of excitement. He was apparently in town to turkey hunt this week. He fished the tournament with Ronnie Curry, of Ava. After the weigh-in, Martin signed autographs and took pictures with anyone who wanted them.

Cash prizes were awarded to the first five teams overall. All six kids under the age of 16 who fished in the tournament took home a $50 savings bond from First Home Savings Bank, donated by Verla Cubbage. The first three places in the Youth Division Big Bass category were awarded trophies.

Twenty percent of all entry fees will go toward Gainesville High School's extracurricular activities programs. The following is a list of all the winners:


Alex Abrams, winner of the Youth Division Big Bass with his dad and partner, Keith Abrams.

Youth Division, Big Bass
1st Place - Alex Abrams, West Plains, 2.76 pounds
2nd Place - Caleb Hathcock, Washington, Mo., 2.75 pounds
3rd Place - Trey Schroeder, St. Louis, 2.21 pounds


Phillip MacFarland and Michael Welch won first place overall with six fish and 22.60 pounds. They took home $750.

Overall
1st Place, 22.60 pounds, $750
Phillip MacFarland (Lakeview, Ark.), Michael Welch (Tecumseh)

2nd Place, 19.25 pounds, $500
Roland Martin (Naples, Fla.), Ronnie Curry (Ava)

3rd Place, 18.67 pounds, $400
Josh Barnum, Bob Barnum (both of Ava)

4th Place, 16.76 pounds, $300
Mark Sanders, John White (both of Ava)

5th Place, 14.64 pounds, $130
Brandon Williams (Cape Girardeau), Brad Welsh (Festus)

Fishing tourney this weekend

It's not too late to sign up for the Verne Cubbage Memorial Fishing Tournament this Saturday. In fact, we'll be taking entries Saturday morning until 6:30 a.m. Take-off is at 7 a.m. (or first safe light). Weigh-in is at 3:30 p.m. Even if you're not fishing, come down and join us for the weigh-in. Cost to enter is $100 per boat (two-person team), plus $10 for Big Bass pot. Cash prizes will be awarded to winners as well as lots of door prizes. Pizza buffet at Just Jackie's afterward. Questions? Call 417-679-3676.

Interesting Catch

Bill Adams caught a goggle-eye (rock bass) this morning... not something you see every day in Bull Shoals Lake. He said it's only the second one he's ever caught in this lake.

Hours This Week

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Thursday
8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday
7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday
7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday

Complicated, I know. :)

Busy, busy!

Business is really picking up around the dock! There have been lots of folks around this week, and can you blame them? The weather is absolutely gorgeous... a bit windy, but not nearly as windy as predicted. It's well in the 80s and sunny today. Looks like a pretty spring weekend is ahead for Easter. Chance of rain Saturday morning, but hopefully it will turn out to be a nice day.

The park is officially open, and the park attendants have moved in. You might recognize them from a couple of years ago - Wanda and Tom. Very nice folks. You'll notice the "cones" are out, which means we now have to drive around the gate house when we drive into the park. Please be mindful of that and your speed as you enter the park.

We'll be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday this weekend, and until 4 p.m. on Sunday. Check back next week, as our hours could change again.

Just Jackie's is 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.

The Verne Cubbage Memorial fishing tourney is coming up April 17; the Blessing of the Fleet on April 24. Shirts are here! If you want to pre-buy your Blessing shirts, stop by and see me.

Cheers! And, Happy Easter!

Final Fish Fry at St. William's

St. William's Catholic Church in Gainesville is hosting the last of three benefit fish fries from 4:30 to 6:30 this Friday night. All of the proceeds from the fish fry will go to Haiti earthquake relief. Cost is $7 for adults and $3.50 for children. Call Chris Hoefle at 417-679-4019 for more info.

Benefit for Larry Wallace March 28

Larry Wallace recently lost his home in a fire, and friends are gathering at the Grapevine (MO/AR line) on Sunday, March 28 for a benefit. Larry has played at many PCM events, and you've probably heard him at Just Jackie's, too. The benefit, including silent auction, starts at 2 p.m. Larry Wallace and the Outlaws will play from 6 to 10 p.m. Baked goods, donations and silent auction items are appreciated. Call 417-679-2177 for more info.

Stocking Up!

Just a quick note to let you know we've already starting getting in some of our new merchandise. I just unpacked four big boxes of new shirts - short-sleeve tees, tanks and hoodie sweatshirts. Matt went to a tackle show a couple of weeks ago and bought some new stuff for the tackle aisle. You'll also notice he totally reorganized the tackle aisle, and it looks so much better!

We're currently open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., so stop in next time you're around and see what we've done so far. Much more to come!

Friday Fish Fry for Haiti

St. William's Catholic Church in Gainesville is hosting a benefit fish fry from 4:30 to 6:30 Friday night. All of the proceeds from the fish fry will go to Haiti earthquake relief. Cost is $7 for adults and $3.50 for children. Another fry is scheduled for March 26, same time and place. Call Chris Hoefle at 417-679-4019 for more info.

Has spring sprung?

I've been waiting for the weather to turn sour again, but so far, it looks like the warmer temps might be here to stay! We are officially open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. We're working on stocking all the shelves again, so you should be noticing some new things in the store in the coming weeks.

The Winter Blues Blast was a hit! The weather was awesome, and we had a great turnout. Good music from five different bands, great food and friends... you can expect this to become an annual event! Thank you to everyone who came out and bought food and cups and donated to the fireworks. We are well on our way to putting together another spectacular show for you on July 4. (We hope. We're still waiting for approval on the date, but it is tentatively set for July 4.)

We are taking reservations for boat slips and boat rentals for the 2010 boating season. Give us a call at 417-679-3676. We have two brand new tritoons for rent this year. They are super nice and are set up to pull skiers and towables! I'll post pictures and more details soon.

Schedule of Bands for Blues Blast

3 to 3:30 p.m. TRACED
3:45 to 5:45 p.m. REVOLVER
6 to 7:30 p.m. BLUE PLATE SPECIAL
7:45 to 8:15 p.m. BULL SHOALS BLUES BAND
8:30 to 9:30 p.m. BLUE PLATE SPECIAL
9:45 to 10:30 p.m. REVOLVER

New Hours

Starting this Friday, March 5, we will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Winter Blues Blast this Saturday!

Finally, the first-ever Winter Blues Blast at Pontiac is Saturday, March 6. Four bands will alternate jamming throughout the day and evening. There is no cover charge, and everyone is welcome to come out and spend the day listening to some great live music! There will be food for sale throughout the day, including hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, pizza by the slice and beverages. Proceeds from food sales and souvenir cups will help fund the 2010 Pontiac fireworks. Questions? Call 417-679-3676 or e-mail info@pontiaccove.com. We hope to see you there!

A new addition to the line-up, the band Traced will open for the event at 3 p.m. Traced is a young group, all students at Gainesville High School, including Abbi Harlin on drums, Robert Voss on lead guitar, Chris McKinzie on bass, and Davy Peter on keyboard. The group covers a variety of rock artists, from classics like The Who to current indy groups, such as Muse. (Note: You might recognize the lead guitarist... he works at PCM!)


REVOLVER is the premier band in the region specializing in rockabilly music. The band's show includes a musical tour of the early days of rock and roll including Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis,Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly and others. Band members are Mike MacPherson (vocals and rhythm guitar), Tom Cline (lead guitar and vocals), Paul Moses (keyboard), Mark Smith (bass guitar) and Bill Bryan (drums).

Blue Plate Special has been together for nearly a decade. They play blues, classic rock and original music at FireFall, Winter Blast of Blues, and various other venues throughout the Springfield area. Their home-base is now Lindberg’s on Historic C-Street in Springfield. Band members are Vern Morgan (guitar and vocals), Cliff Jacobs (guitar, harmonica and vocals), Pete Stephens (keyboard, congas and vocals), Jim Sieber (bass guitar), Lynn Barbour (drums and vocals) and Carl Yendes (trumpet).

Chuck Ellis, Iron Mike Norton and Craig Mincke have been jamming together for about a year and a half. They practice weekly - all three play guitar, and Chuck also plays the harmonica. They primarily play blues, but that's not all. You're bound to hear a little bit of everything, from Metallica to George Jones.

Fish Fry Tonight for Haiti Relief

St. William's Catholic Church in Gainesville is hosting a benefit fish fry from 4:30 to 6:30 TONIGHT. All of the proceeds from the fish fry will go to Haiti relief via Father Rahab (formerly from St. William's). Cost is $7 for adults and $3.50 for children. Two more fish fry's will be held on March 12 and March 26, same time and place.

The Pontiac Ladies Club and the St. William's Ladies Council will host a community benefit spaghetti dinner from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. April 9. Fr. Rahab will be in attendance and show pictures and discuss the progress in Haiti. Cost for the spaghetti dinner is $6 for adults, $3 for children. A pie and cake auction will follow the supper.

Sailing in February!

The sun is shining, and the weatherman is calling for 50 degrees here today. Hallelujah! I wish I could say that spring has sprung, but I'm not going to go that far just yet. However, I was delighted to see Dick Jackson here this morning. Dick and his wife, Julie, operate Lifelines Sailing School out of Pontiac and also on Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana. Dick is taking a student out for a beginner lesson today. It's a rather calm day, but a gorgeous one, nonetheless.

Dates, Dates, Dates!

Mark your calendars...

MARCH 6: First ever Winter Blues Blast at Pontiac
Live music from 3 to 9 p.m. at the Pontiac/Price Place fire house. Food and drinks for sale.

APRIL 17: Fourth Annual Verne D. Cubbage Memorial Fishing Tournament
7 a.m. take-off; 3:30 p.m. weigh-in. Cost is $100 per boat (two-person) team; plus $10 per boat for Big Bass pot. A portion of the entry fees will go to support Gainesville High School's extra curricular activities. Raffle at weigh-in. Pizza buffet at Just Jackie's afterward.

APRIL 24: Fifth Annual Blessing of the Fleet
Blessing ceremony around 2 p.m. Picnic in the park with live music starting around 4:30 p.m. Ticket sales, t-shirt sales... All for the 2010 Pontiac Fireworks!

JUNE 19: Pontiac Spearfishing Tournament
Calling all divers and spearfishermen and women. The date for this one-day tournament is set. Times, entry fee and details to follow.

JULY 4: Pontiac Fireworks
This date is pending approval. Confirmation and more details to come at a later date.

Questions? Call 417-679-3676 or e-mail info@pontiaccove.com.