Save This Date

Saturday, August 8 is National Marina Day and Grand Rivers is celebrating BIG. Here are the schedule highlights but check the Grand Rivers Marina Day website often as we add more fun to the lineup.

Lighthouse Landing Marina and Resort Activities
Free Sailboat Rides 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. - Free sailboat rides leave on the hour and last approximately 50 minutes. You may sign up for time slots on the day of the event. This event is very popular and space is limited. Children must be accompanied by an adult and the adult must also bring with them a child's size lifejacket.

Drawing for Free Sailing Lesson and Sailboat Rental ($270 Value) Enter to win a 2 hour sailing lesson and one day sailboat rental at Lighthouse Landing. Rental boat holds up to four people maximum and damage deposit is required. You must be 21 to enter.

Green Turtle Bay Marina and Resort Activities
Fun for Kids 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. - Including free kayak and paddle boat rides, bouncers and water slide, rock climbing wall, face painting, arts and crafts, and more.

Free Rides on the River Rat 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. - Take a ride around the marina on the boat from the River Rat movie.

Grand Rivers Street Dance featuring Southern Fry’d - 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. beside Dockers Grill at Green Turtle Bay Marina and Resort.

Huge Fireworks Show at Dusk. Best place to view is at the courtesy dock area beside Street Dance and the beach area

Hard at Work

According to my friend Mz. Laura K; social media has rules. If you have a blog, you must post. It seems if you don’t blog people will think there is nothing going on. Let me assure you, the opposite is true. Summer is here and in Grand Rivers that means time to work hard and to play hard.

I guess I need to tighten the schedule and make sure I blog or risk being social media shunned. So here goes, to catch everyone up on the highlights of Grand Rivers.

Captain Bill had a Big Birthday (I won't give away his age but it is the birthday that comes with a monthly check from his Uncle Sam).

Terry made the cake (Bill's favorite chocolate cake) and f.y.i.; he will also have the same big birthday this year in August.

The Lighted Boat Parade was as always spectacular.

The Kids Fishing Event was a huge success. Thank you to all that helped.

Friends Frank and Cindy have another new grandchild (I don't have pictures yet so I am cheating and using the picture of the last new grandchild, but I think it is fair since the last new grandchild and this picture are only about 5 months old).

So Mz. Laura, I am hoping this post keeps me on the social media registry. I promise to share the pump out cruise story later this week. Stay tuned.

A Nurturing Nature

If you have visited the Tourist Information Office in Grand Rivers, then you know that right next door to me is the Grand Lakes Clinic. Since they are my neighbors, I have gotten to know and love the staff there. I also have first hand knowledge of their excellent care when it comes to poison ivy (my husband), rope burns (my nephew), colds, general wellness, and wasp stings (me).

Last year the Clinic and I coordinated new landscaping in front of our shared building. We both planted knockout rose bushes. True to their nature, the clinic staff lovingly watered, weeded and tended to their new plants. True to my nature, I took the tough love approach to landscaping. While I have never claimed to be nurturing I do believe that I have a supportive nature and will give you tons of positive feedback as you do things for yourself. My way works for the strong, but for the times in life when you need nurturing for growth and wellness; thank goodness for the Grand Lakes Clinic my friend. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so let me spell it out for you this way -

NP Denice Lindsay in front of the Clinic's Knockout Rose bushes.

Me in front of mine.

SOS

Yes. I know I haven't been here in a while. In my defense; it is boating season. I'll post pictures soon and let you know what I've been up to and it is nice to know that one or two of you miss me. I did want to share with you this letter from the lovely and talented (and sometimes forgetful) Karen Dodson-

"...SOS...

There is nothing like a small community when a distress signal is sent out. I recently returned from a trip to Berea, KY where I left my husband AND THE KEYS TO OUR HOUSE !!! After calling three locksmiths, to no avail, Del Henson at Lake Realty mentioned that Harry Sayle (of Green Turtle Bay) might be able to help me. I knew Harry from chatting with him during my early morning swims while he was trying to clean the pool around me. Del got him on the phone and I explained my dilemma.

I was sitting on my front porch waiting to be rescued, when Harry arrived along with Mayor Tom Moodie. Those two guys sized up the situation and went to work on a stubborn, heavy-duty, dead bolt lock. My cheer could be heard all across Grand rivers when they succeeded with their mission ! Many, many thanks to Tom and Harry from a grateful Grand Rivers citizen and very happy CYC member. Green Turtle Bay is lucky to have this caliber of men in their ranks and I'm lucky to have them in a beautiful small town where they were easy to find and pleased to help.

Most Sincerely, Karen Dodson"

I loved this letter. And, I do have a call into Karen asking if she found her keys and husband. :)

Sign up for the Sunfish Sailing Fleet- Learn to Sail.

Learn to sail by joining the new Sunfish Sailing Club in Grand Rivers. This new club will offer a quality sailing program for the youth in Grand Rivers and the surrounding Lakes area. The Sunfish is a popular small sailing dinghy that can be easilly handled by one person.

The program will operate out of the beach area at Green Turtle Bay Resort and will be offered on selected Saturdays. Please sign up today and let everyone you think might be interested know it is time to join the Fleet.

Here is the sign up process: go to the Commonwealth Yacht Club site at http://www.cycgtb.com/ Download the membership application from the home page. Complete the form and mail with the appropriate fee to the CYC Treasurer, Pat Jones, PO Box 654, Cape Girardeau, MO 63702. You can download the fee schedule, but the fees are $25.00 for youth members, $35.00 for adult members and $65.00 for a family membership.That's it! What could be easier.

Sign up today so the club will have your spot for summer. Get on the water and learn to sail.

Light up the Lakes

The Patriotic Lighted Boat Parade in Grand Rivers has to be one of my favorite events of the year. I guess because it combines so many of my favorite things- lights, boats, the lakes, and a tribute to service.

This year’s parade is scheduled for Saturday, May 23 and the club wants your help in lighting the lake from shore to shore. This event is open to all boaters and vessels.

This year, CYC will award trophies and prize money totaling $800 in two categories; Vessels 20 foot and under and Vessel greater than 20 foot. Each category will include first and second place prizes for most wattage, most patriotic, and best display. There will also be a crowd pleaser award. The trophies are sponsored by Lake Realty and prize money is sponsored by Green Turtle Bay Resort. Judging will occur at the Grand Rivers Jetty by Lighthouse Landing.

So decorate your vessels with simple or complex lighting, and patriotic decorations to honor those who have given us our freedoms. Gather your family, friends, organize your pier or office, call your neighbors. Rent a barge; bring your small or large vessels with a few or many lights. Come by land or water and help light the lake from shore to shore.

Register before May 16, 2009 and be early in the lineup. For more information visit the website at cycgtb.com or contact Dave Rittenhouse, Fleet Captain at fleet captain@cycgtb.com or call 618-322-9312.

Not a boater? Join us Saturday, May 23 to view the parade at the Grand Rivers Jetty. The event time is dusk; around 8:45 or 9:00 p.m.

Ultra Fabulous

The Land Between the Lakes Spring Ultra Trail Runs were this past weekend and it was an ultra fabulous event. We had a record 360 runners!

What makes it an ultra is the fact that you can choose to run 50 miles. And keep in mind it is a trail run. The course starts at Lighthouse Landing Resort, with the first 1.7 miles run on paved roads to the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, where the trail begins. The LBL section is a 11 mile loop on single-track trail between Kentucky and Barkley Lakes; offering views of the lakes, and several challenging hills. Saturday morning’s rain turned the trail to mud and added to the challenge of the run (as if running 50 miles was not enough of a challenge).

What makes it fabulous is the West Kentucky Runners Club and all of the great Grand Rivers volunteers. I would like to recognize the individuals who make this successful event happen. They are Steve Durbin who is the director for the race, John Durbin who takes care of the finish line and awards; Mark Vance who organizes supplies; Kelly LeNeave who handles the brochure and the website; Scott Germain who is in charge of volunteers; and Mike Howard who does a little of everything.

On behalf of Grand Rivers, our part would not have been possible without the Pats who did the shopping, and food service set up at the Community Center; Martha Riddle, Sugar n Spice, Commonwealth Yacht Club, and Pat Terry who cooked soups and chili; The Grand Lakes Clinic who did all of the food for the aid stations; The Grand Lakes Fire Department who do the start of the race and help with traffic control, Mayor Moodie, Dianne and Bob Bingham, and Emory Pence who all came downtown at 6:00am on a rainy Saturday morning to direct parking, and all of the great traffic control volunteers and food service volunteers.

Thank you also to Channel 6 and Garrin Thomas and to the Paducah Sun’s John Wright for such great coverage of the event.

And congratulations to my husband for completing the challenge for the third year!

A Cold rainy 7:00AM Start for 360 Runners

Chamber Volunteers

My Husband Finishes the Race

Cool North Face Jacket the Runners Club had made for me. I love it.

Dinner and a Talent Show

If you weren't in Grand Rivers last night then you missed an amazing night at the Badgett Playhouse. Last night was the Fourth Annual Grand Rivers Talent Show. All of the performers were outstanding. My husband was a judge and it was not an easy task to select a winner when the entire night was one winning performance after another. Wow.Wow. Wow.

Several of the performers mentioned they will be performing in the "You Can Be A Star" Talent Search at the Kentucky Opry tonight. If you missed them last night in Grand Rivers, you should go see them at the Opry Talent Search tonight.

Of course we started the evening with dinner at our house. Seems like our friends always gather in my kitchen. Which is fine with me. Lord knows I don't use it.

It was another great weekend in Grand Rivers.

Thank You Evansville Courier Press

Thank you to Karen Phelps and the Evanville Courier Press for this great article on Grand Rivers. You can read the full story here -

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2009/jan/05/big-accolades-come-small-ky-towns-way/

Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas

This morning it is cold and icy in town. A few cars are out but they are moving slow. I’m moving slow too. I’m nursing a cold and have been for a couple of days, so I’ll keep this weekend review short and sweet and then go home and nap.
Saturday was Miss Linda’s annual Community Christmas breakfast and neither my cold nor the 8:00 am start time could keep me away. Linda embodies everything I love about Grand Rivers. She is outgoing and warm hearted. She was one of the first to welcome me to Grand Rivers when I moved here. She is also high spirited and full of pluck. I love her jokes. Visit her at Canoe Antiques, and you will love her too. At breakfast we said farewell to Marie, another long time resident of Grand Rivers. She will be moving soon to be closer to her children and she will be missed.
Sunday was the Chamber Holiday Open House. The hand bell choir from the Grand Rivers First Baptist Church performed magical Christmas harmonies on the bells.

My personal highlight of the weekend was a surprise gift from a friend. Now, I’m not much on receiving gifts. I’m hard to buy for because I don’t think there is anything I need and most of the time I would rather people just save their money. I’m not much on surprises either, but I LOVED LOVED this particular surprise gift. So may I close in saying, Thank you, thank you Susan for the frog pajamas. Neither my mom nor my husband will be able to outdo this gift…maybe even for years to come.

Fond Farewell

On Saturday night the gang met up at our house to say farewell to (and Happy Birthday to) more boater friends; Frank and Cindy. Frank and Cindy arrived in Grand Rivers in the spring sporting glowing tans and long blonde hair. We called them the Vikings. The marina assigned them a slip on pier 6 and “Mayor” Pat took them under her wing. Frank and Cindy live every day to the fullest. They are a welcome addition to Green Turtle Bay and Grand Rivers. They volunteered on Marina Day, cooked for Tuesday night clubs, participated in cruising club and CYC events, and added to the fun of summer with all their enthusiasm. We laughed. We cried. We now call them friends and will miss them over the winter. Frank and Cindy shared with me this letter to express what these few short summer months meant to them.

“In October 2006 we arrived at Green Turtle Bay; one of the “must stops” when doing the Great Loop. We were traveling with another boat and we planned to stay one night and then move on. Well, all of us had such a great time that we stayed four days. Since then, we have always talked about our great experience at Green Turtle Bay.

Due to Hurricane insurance, we have to be north of the 35 parallel by the first of June. We started thinking of all of the nice places we visited when doing the loop. Well, Green Turtle Bay popped into our minds and we thought it would be a great place to spend a few summer months. What a great choice it turned out to be.

We arrived in April on a windy rain filled day. As we were tying up at our designated slip on Pier 6, we were welcomed by the “Mayor” of Pier 6; Pat Terry and her faithful companion Luke. As the days went on the mayor introduced us to everyone on Pier 6 and to others from piers 12, 5 and 4. We were overwhelmed by the kindness of everyone. We joined the Commonwealth Yacht Club and participated in many of the events throughout the summer. There is so much to do at Green Turtle Bay there was never a dull moment.

To try and find all of the right words to express our memories and new experiences of the past several months would be a challenge, but here are a few; awesome, overwhelming, fun, learning, relaxing, and enjoyable. By far this was the best stop in our three years of boat travel. We have so many special thank yous to give to all. To try and list everyone by name would take another six pages so to everyone a big THANK YOU.

Over the summer our pet of 7 years, Diamond passed away. Our hearts were empty. The kindness and compassion of our new friends helped us get through this difficult time and we will never forget any of you.

Winter is moving in and it is time to go south. We would like to thank the entire Green Turtle Bay staff for all of your friendly smiles, and help with whatever we needed. The Gary’s for having the foresight to build such a beautiful resort for boaters. And once again to everyone we have met, Thank you so much. All your warm hearted and thoughtfulness is what makes Green Turtle Bay in Grand Rivers, KY one of the finest boating area’s around. See you in the spring. Have a safe and happy new year. “

Frank and Cindy Staffe
Peacekeeper

Boater Friends

About this time of year in Grand Rivers we start seeing many of our boater friends migrate south. Last night we met our friends Jay and Owe at the Commonwealth Yacht Club for their seasonal farewell. Also present were Pat, Jerry, Diane, Marcia, Stu, Diane, Cindy and Frank (did I mention that I am the new recording secretary for CYC).

As another boating season draws to a close, I reflect back to the memories of this season and past seasons that bonded us as friends. Tuesday night dinner clubs at the Green Turtle Bay Pavilion, get-togethers on the pier, parties at the Yacht Club; all are more fun when Jay and Owe are in town. I have never once seen Jay in a bad mood. She has a genuine concern for others and always asks me how my son or mom is doing. Whenever you invite her somewhere the response is, “What can I bring!” She is always ready to help and she has one of the best laughs I have ever heard. What I like most about Owe is his quick wit and one liners. I am privileged to call them friends. To Jay and Owe, thank you for your friendship, travel safe, have a warm winter, and we will see you back in Grand Rivers in the spring.

Weekend in Review

On the weekends, I become a tourist in my own town. This weekend the weather was gorgeous and the events were all about friends and celebration here in Grand Rivers.
Friday night we celebrated Halloween with friends at the Commonwealth Yacht Club Halloween Party. Saturday morning was spent downtown working on Christmas decorations with Chamber volunteers (thank you to Pat, Jack, Martha, Lauren, Clinton, and TJ for all your hard work on Saturday). Saturday night was the 25th Anniversary of the Friends of LBL Dinner. Sunday was our last breakfast of the season at Docker’s Restaurant (they will reopen in the spring), and the maiden voyage of the Frog’s Pajamas (our new old boat). Thank you to our friends Pat, Jerry, Cindy, and Frank. Without you all, I don’t think we would have made it out of the dock.
I think I will let the pictures tell the details as I need to get to work...

Welcome to Kentucky Lake Views

Welcome to my blog. I work, live, and play in Grand Rivers, Kentucky, the village between the lakes. I love this village and the lakes that surround us. Most of all I love the spirit of the people in this community. We are connected and we are accountable. We laugh, sometimes argue, and always look out for each other just like family. We find our common goals and work toward them. Some of our visitors do have the opportunity to meet our locals and connect with that spirit. For those of you who don’t, this blog is a peek inside our community.