Welcome June!

Sorry it's been so long since I've written an update... Things have been pretty hectic around here the past several days. Memorial weekend was awesome. The weather couldn't have been better. I'm talking 90 degrees and sunny. No rain, no cold weather. Even the lake is warm enough to swim in... Well, I think so anyway. I know some people are holding out for a little warmer water. :) But overall, it was such a good weekend. We were busy Friday through Monday. Seems like everyone came down to enjoy the nice weather. It felt more like a 4th of July weekend than a Memorial weekend. Now we just hope the weather is as nice for the 4th...

The guys built the new dock (with 24 stalls) in less than two weeks, just in time for Memorial weekend. (It has its own walkway from the launch ramp area.) We were able to rent nightly stalls in it starting Friday afternoon. And we kept it almost full all weekend. So I guess you could say we are about 95% back to normal from the storm in February. We still have a few little things to move here and there. But otherwise, it's looking really good down here. The dock-building crew consisted of Tim, Roger, Josh, Matt, Skip, Craig and Bill. And it was soooo hot last week. But no complaints. They just got it done.

Oh, and I still have Blessing T-shirts for a few folks. If you haven't picked yours up, stop by and get them.

The next event we're planning is the Pontiac Spearfishing Tournament. It's June 17. Registration is 7 to 9 a.m. at the marina. Tournament starts at 9 a.m. Weigh-in is from 1 to 3 p.m. at Hollingsworth Cove in Arkansas. Registration fee is $25 per diver. 100% payback. Prizes given immediately following the weigh-in. And we'll have food at Hollingsworth for the divers and their families -- $5 per person. We had a great turnout last year -- about 50 divers. Call the dock if you have questions. 417-679-3676.

Later!

T-shirts Are In!

If you ordered a Blessing of the Fleet T, they are in! Well, I will actually have them at the dock Friday evening. I think. They are done anyway. It's just a matter of getting them to me! So if you're around this weekend, come in and pick yours up.

Cost is $10 each. A lot of you have already paid, and I have a record of that.

Thank you!!

The lake is at normal pool now. You can walk right off the lower road onto the walkway. It's very nice. Our beer and soda delivery guys will be really happy this week. Hopefully it will stay that way!

We had a fairly nice day on Saturday -- about 75 degrees and sunny. But sooo windy. Today, much cooler. But this week it's supposed to get warm again, and they're calling for 80s by the weekend.

We received materials on Friday for the new dock (to replace the one that was totaled in the Feb. 16 storm). The crew is going to start building it this week. Exciting! We're hopeful that it will be useable by Memorial weekend.

Gotta go. Back to Grey's Anatomy. :)

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

So... it's been raining A LOT here the past few days. Of course we needed it badly, but I'm starting to feel a little sunshine deprived. And I've heard a few other locals say that, too! Whether they would admit it or not. The lake is almost at normal pool. Still just a foot or so below. And that is great!

We had a good little storm here Tuesday morning. I was working in the office, Matt was in the survey office, and Josh was on the new dock adjusting cables. I looked outside and the sky was pitch black! It was like nighttime! And the wind started picking up, and the rain... It totally freaked me out. I grabbed Matt, and we jumped in the car and went to my grandparents' house -- they have a basement -- and hung out there for about 10 minutes. When it passed, we came back down. Everything was fine. Poor Josh was stuck on the new dock during the whole thing. We figured he would get out of there when it started looking so ugly, but he had cables loose and could not abandon them! I felt terrible. But he is fine, too.

Boy, Mother Nature sure does like to test us.

We are blessed!!!

Well... what can I say? The first annual (and yes, it will be an annual event!) Blessing of the Fleet was a huge success. I couldn't be happier with the turnout, especially considering how gloomy the weather was. The rain actual held off for a few hours in the afternoon, and about 30 boats participated in the blessing, which was so neat. Father Mike read a few passages about blessing the boats, and then each boat passed by him (he was on the end of the new dock) and he sprinkled holy water on each of them. It was a very powerful and moving moment. A few people still decorated their boats, despite the weather, and the winners were as follows:

Best in Show: Chris Geroff and Jimmy Lofink – island theme with parrots on their shoulders and dreadlocks on their heads
Best Costumes: The Wedding Party (Pam Hicks, friends and family)
Most Original Theme: The Schlicts (Christmas theme)

Then nearly 200 people gathered on the dock for our little open house, where we served beer, soda and food. We sold T-shirts (the proceeds from which will go to the Pontiac fireworks) -- we had 6 dozen, sold out immediately, and I am doing a re-order for another 4 dozen shirts. That's 10 dozen shirts! Again, it was incredible! Then from 6-10 p.m. Allen Ross (Springfield musician) played on the deck at Just Jackie's. And that was a blast. We will definitely ask him to come back.

I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who came out on Saturday. Even though it wasn't a very pretty day, it didn't matter. You still came out and had a great time. You all sure know how to have fun!

And now, here are a few dates to mark on your calendar:

June 17: Pontiac Spearfishing Tournament
July 2: Pontiac fireworks display
August 5: Blowout at the Pontiac Park pavilion
October 7: *Lake Cleanup and Full Moon Party

*This is a brand new event we are planning, sort of an end-of-season party. It will be an all-day party, much like the Blessing. More details to come later.

OH... and we made the front page of the Ozark County Times this week! Woo-hoo! Check it out if you can.

Just 2 more days!!!!

Yes, there's a chance for rain on Saturday, and YES, the Blessing will go on! Rain or shine! Let's hope shine... but either way, we are still partying on Saturday! Don't worry, we'll give our priest an umbrella if necessary. :)

And hey... aren't boats made to get wet anyway?

Do I hear wedding bells?

A bit of news: There will be a wedding at Pontiac Cove on Saturday at about 1:30 p.m., out in the cove, just before the blessing starts. So if you're participating in the Blessing of the Fleet, make sure you're outside the breakwater by 1 p.m. or so, so that you can witness this glorious event! And be on time for the blessing! See you Saturday!

A Side Note for the Blessing...

Oh, by the way, the Pontiac Relay for Life team will be setting up a booth at the Blessing to raise money for the American Cancer Society. It will most likely be kid-oriented, with cookies, some kind of fruit slushies and maybe lemonade. A fun game for the kids is in the works. Just FYI! So don't forget the little ones!

Wow! Two posts in one day. Don't you feel special. :)

Hump Day!

Not a lot going on this week at the marina. The weather has stayed very nice after a beautiful and HOT Easter weekend. A little cold front came through late last night, and today it's more like 75 instead of pushing 90. And that's nice. We like it hot. But not so much in April!

We are ready for the Blessing! I'm still hearing buzz about it... which makes me think we'll have a pretty good turnout for this first-ever event. I hope! If you have any questions about it, please call us at the dock. We're here 7 to 7 Sunday through Thursday; and 7-8 Friday and Saturday. The number is 417-679-3676.

I hope everyone is having a good week. At least we're over the hump and headed toward Friday. That's always a good thing. Cheers!

Water, Water Everywhere!

Just wanted to let you know that the water is turned on everywhere it should be at the dock. And yes, the fish-cleaning table at the new dock has water. And the faucet here by the office has water. And yes, that means we will be making cappuccino again. :)

An Easter Weekend Preview

Well you couldn't ask for a better forecast for Easter weekend! Mid-80s and sunny all weekend long! We're anticipating a busy weekend. It usually is if the weather is nice. Plus, the crappie are biting. We sold out of crappie minnows over the weekend. But we'll have more Tuesday morning. We're getting all of our rental boats cleaned up and ready for the season. And our new T-shirts came in last week. And the shelves are filling up. Things are looking really good!

About the Blessing: I wanted to tell you that if you have other boating friends who don't dock at PCM, please feel free to invite them too. Any and all boats are welcome to join the parade. And remember, you don't have to decorate your boats. Any boat can participate. But if you do decorate, you will be eligible to win a prize! Hope to see you there!!

Wanted: A PRIEST!

Hi all! Well, we just found out today that Father Paul won't be able to offer our blessing on April 29. He has a conflict. Bummer! So we're on the hunt for another priest. Any suggestions? :) No worries. It will come together by the 29th. I am having so much fun planning this event. I hope you all enjoy it! It's only about three weeks away! Are you working on themes for your boats? I can't wait to see what you all come up with. I'm thinking we'll have a registration of some sort Saturday morning, where we'll issue numbers to those of you who are decorating your boats -- so you can be judged. (Remember, we're giving prizes for the best decorations, themes, etc.)

It's been pretty nice in Pontiac this week. A little cold in the mornings, but perfect in the afternoons. Although... We're all sick of these threatening thunderstorms. We may be in for another one tomorrow! Sheesh! What have we done to upset Mother Nature??? Let's just hope the bad weather misses us.

This weekend is supposed to be nice. So come see us!

It's a beautiful day in Pontiac! There's a lot of activity around the dock today. The road is full of cars. Lots of trucks and trailers at the launch ramp, too. Everybody's fishing. I don't know if anyone is doing any good. We can only hope. :)

An update on the Blessing of the Fleet on April 29: Father Paul from Ava will do the blessing. I spoke with him this morning. I have heard a lot of buzz about the event. Folks are already talking about themes for their boats. So I think we're going to have a good little competition for the best decorations. (Reminder: You do not have to decorate your boat. It is optional. Please join us even if you don't plan to decorate.)

Looking forward to seeing everyone!

We have a new walkway onto the main dock! Roger, Tim, Josh, Bob, Matt and Chris put it in. Thank goodness that old broken one is gone. :) Check it out. It's really nice!

Well it's Sunday evening, and the weather has turned cold again in Pontiac. And we thought spring was here! What a bummer. The fishing had actually been pretty good leading up to this cold spell. Last Saturday a couple local guys caught their limit in white bass. I've also heard of a few guys catching crappie and largemouth and even a few trout. Speaking of fishing tips, we're hanging a board at the dock where Tony Allbright (Pontiac Lodge/Executive Guide Service) is going to keep us up to date on the water level, surface temperature, best bait and best catch. So look for that in the coming weeks.

Also, if you haven't been to the dock lately, the guys have really made a lot of progress on the rebuilding. Pretty much all the boats are back in the water. And Bobby and I have painted inside the store. Each wall is a different color -- we still have to do one more wall. I think it looks great! The colors are really bright. Check it out if you haven't already.

If you're reading this right now then that means you've gotten your newsletter. We are really excited for the Blessing of the Fleet! We hope you'll all plan to come down and celebrate with us. Let us know if you have any questions about that. And come see us sooner if you like. The dock is open every day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. And we'll be open later on the weekends as the weather gets warm again.

Cheers!
Jabet