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Greetings and Happy New Year to
All Our 1991 Customers
Here’s hoping 1991 was a good
year for all of you! As we look back over our year, we have much
to be thankful for. Overall, we had a very successful year, meeting
new people and welcoming old friends back. We stayed on schedule
with our plans for 1991 and as always we had some trials and tribulations
to go along with our good fortune.
Articles
Pick
A Month
From Our Guests - Salsa
1992 Calendar of
Events
New for 1992
1991 Results: Annual
Resort Fishing Contest
Tackle Talk
Downrigger Fishing
on Bull Shoals Lake
“Best” List
of Local Restaurants
Retirement and
Investment Opportunities in the Ozarks
It’s a Fact
Arkansas in the News
Arkansas Weather
Information
The good news was that we finished
construction on our new 2-bedroom deluxe cabin (Cabin 8) and everyone
loved the finished product. We did a few things differently this
time. We put in some spectacular furnishings: mauve carpeting,
a 25-inch remote color TV, a wider whirlpool tub (4’ by 6’), and a bigger capacity
central heating and cooling unit. We were so pleased with the results
that we are going ahead and building two more for next year. We also
purchased another bigger and better bass boat, a Bass Pro V-17. We
started a video club for our guests with VCR’s for rent and
a library of over 60 tapes to choose from. You can either bring your
own VCR or rent one of ours. We also put microwaves in every cabin.
We had to do some other things
out of necessity. During July, our well pump died, and we had to
replace it. We were very lucky to have our well back in operation
in less than 15 hours. Our customers were wonderful about it, taking
the lack of water in stride. We flushed toilets with buckets of
water from the pool, we got water for coffee from the pumps at
the campground, and people were bathing in the lake. What an experience!
(Nerve-racking for us, but thanks to our great customers, we got
through with nary an ulcer!) We also had to replace our field lines
on our septic system (another unforeseen calamity, but again, we
lived through it). So now our plumbing is in ship-shape! So many
things can go wrong it’s amazing that most of the time
everything works fine.
Another milestone in our lives
came in 1991. Michael and I became first-time grandparents of a
beautiful baby girl, Justine Aliese, born April 23, 1991. Can it
be that we’re old enough?
Healthwise, we really don’t have any major complaints, and for
that we’re very grateful.
We are now taking a much needed
break, getting ready with our plans for 1992. As in the past, we
offer all our repeat customers a 10% discount off on our cabin
rates, as well as a discount for all referrals. This is our way
of showing our appreciation. Again, thank you all for yet another
year of fond memories. We’re looking
ahead to next year when we can welcome you back!
Pick A Month
Anytime is a good time to visit Arkansas. But if you
want to pick a month with something special for you, check out these!
January - Eagle Watching
February and March - Walleye
March thru May - Crappie
April - Springtime Flowering Trees
(Dogwood, Redbud, Plum)
April thru June - Trout
May and June - Downrigger Fishing or Motor Trolling
May and June - Largemouth
June - White Bass
July and August - Night Fishing
August - Stargazing (Perseus Meteor Shower)
September thru December - Craft Shows
October - Fall Colors
November and December - Spotting (not shooting)
Wild Turkey
August and December - Sunsets
From
Our Guests
One of the benefits of owning a resort is the chance
to get to know so many different, interesting people. We learn a lot
from our customers. For instance, Jim Ryan showed Michael how to fix
our new whirlpool tub drain stopper; Glen Householder showed Michael
how to drill through concrete when they were working together on the
deck in Cabin 8 (you rent a hammer drill)!
Also, during our get-togethers
with our guests, we get to sample some new products that, if you
haven’t already tried
them, you should: From Rodney and Renee Poynter: Ocean Spray Cran-Fruit
(Cranberry Raspberry flavor). From Marlene Ryan: Hidden Valley
Ranch Party Dip (great with raw vegetables or chips). From numerous
guests: Wheatables Crackers.
We do plenty of partying on our pontoon boat, and each
year we sample some delicious snacks prepared by our guests. This
past year we were treated to a wonderful recipe for salsa.
Many thanks to our customers for so many entertaining
ideas and for all your help in our many fix-it projects!
Salsa
From John and Deb Rossman of
Hanover Park, Illinois
2
28-oz. cans Dei-Fratelli seasoned diced
tomatoes (homestyle)
1 12-oz. can of Italian seasoned tomato
sauce
1 green pepper, chopped fine
1 medium onion, chopped fine
3 jalapeno peppers, chopped fine (including
seeds).
You can also use the ones
from the jar.
Combine ingredients in a bowl, then sprinkle with cumin
to cover the top. Mix. Serve with corn tortilla chips. Note: This
recipe is hot and spicy and will get hotter the longer it sits. You
can eat it right away, no need to wait. Another suggestion is to mix
all the ingredients up to the jalapeno, then half the recipe and add
more jalapeno to one half, making it spicier than the other, so the
children (and wimpy adults) can enjoy a milder version.
1992 Calendar
of Events
Some of the special events in our area to help you plan
the time of your trip.
January 10-12
Eagle Awareness Weekend, Bull Shoals
State Park
January 24-February 2
Come see us at the Chicagoland Sport
Show
(Booth 820) at O’Hare Expo Center
March 7-8
Gun Show, Village Mall, Mountain Home
March 21-22
Oakland Area Resorts Spring Opener Tournament,
Bull Shoals Lake
March 24-27
Golden Blend Tournament, Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock
April 10-12
Ozark’s Springtime Wildflower Weekend,
Bull Shoals State Park
Mid-April
Trout Release, Bull Shoals Lake
April 19
Easter Egg Hunt, Bull Shoals State Park
April 22
Earth Day Celebration, Bull Shoals State
Park
April 24-26
Dogwood Festival, Lakeview
May 22-24
Trout Fest, Bull Shoals State Park
May 24
Pool opens at Black Oak Resort
June 5-6
Craft Fair, Village Mall, Mountain Home
June 7-13
Ozark Mountain Bicycle Challenge (6
day tour $139)
June 21
Fathers Day Trout Fishing Tournament,
Bull Shoals State Park
June 26-27
Craft Fair, Village Mall, Mountain Home
July 2-4
Dam Reunion (40th Anniversary of Bull
Shoals
and Norfork Dams)
July 4
Fireworks Display, Bull Shoals Dam
July 16-18
First Annual Scuba Roundup,
Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock
July 25
Miss North Central Arkansas Pageant,
Mountain Home
August 19-22
Marion County Fair
September 6
Ozark Mountain Air Festival, Flippin
September 16-19
Baxter County Fair
September 17-19
Hootin’ and Hollerin’, Gainesville,
MO
September 19-20
Gun Show, Village Mall, Mountain Home
October 3-4
Cameo Club Arts and Crafts Show, Mountain
Home
October 3-4
Colorama, Bull Shoals
October 9-10
Turkey Trot, Yellville
October 17-18
Champion Tournament
October 23-24
Craft Fair, Village Mall, Mountain Home
December 5
Meramec Valley Bass Tournament, Oakland
Marina
New For 1992
We are excited about our plans
for 1992! As we mentioned, we just got the approval from our “friendly banker” for
the necessary funds to begin construction of our duplex, which replaces
our old office (Cabin 1). We have moved to Cabin 7, which will be
our home until we build our lodge. The duplex will be two deluxe 2-bedroom
units with a connecting door, so it can be used by one large group
(up to 16), or by two separate groups. Each unit will have two bedrooms,
each with a king-size bed; two queen-size sleeper sofas and a fireplace
in the living room, full kitchen, whirlpool bath, separate shower,
central heat and air, and a deck that spans the lake side of the cabin
with access from the master bedroom and the living room from sliding
glass doors. The two cabins will be just like our existing deluxe
2-bedroom cabins. We’re shooting for construction to be completed
by mid-April of 1992.
We will also be getting another V-17 Bass Pro bass boat
by April for all you fishermen. This boat has been so popular, we
had to get another one to keep up with the demand.
We imagine our two new cabins will
be keeping us very busy this spring, but we know it will be well
worth the effort when we see how pleased you’ll be.
We still have our orientation fishing trips on our pontoon
for all our guests. In addition, we plan to do more downrigger fishing
as well! We plan to have cookouts each week with each guest bringing
a dish to share, combined with a horseshoe tournament for added fun.
For those of you who like to try new things on vacation,
consider taking an introductory scuba diving course in our pool. Or,
you May opt for the 4-day open water course which qualifies you as
a certified scuba diver. For more information, contact Jim Jensen,
PADI Instructor, at (870) 431-8855.
1991
Results:
Annual Resort Fishing Contest
This year our annual fishing contest
was almost a clean sweep for Illinois. Not one winner was from
Arkansas, which was a big surprise! The only one who broke the
mold was Rob Grillion, from O’Fallon, Missouri, who walked away from the competition with
a really nice 7-pound largemouth. I must congratulate Rob, not only
for that nice catch, but also because he caught it during our Oakland
Resort Spring Opener, and took both 2nd place and “Big Bass,”
which gave him most of the prize money. And the best thing is, he
released that fish back into Bull Shoals, and now it’s probably
10 pounds now, and a whole lot smarter! Congratulations, Rob!
We also had a repeat winner; Connie
North. Either Connie or her husband John seem to win every year.
Notice we have three women winners this year. One, Katie Martino
is a mere girl (8 years old). Two other things of note. Gene Babb
was one lucky guy, winning in two categories a day apart. Also,
notice that we had a very hot lure this year; the Northport Nailer,
winning in three categories. I’d
buy stock in that company if I were you! The top color seemed to be
chartreuse this year (four categories). AND, you’ll notice that
we had TWO winners from the SAME city in Illinois (Elk Grove Village).
What a coincidence!
One more thing: Winning fish this
year were bigger than last year in five categories, and smaller
in three. So, overall, the fish are getting bigger in Bull Shoals,
just like I predicted! Looks like the spring and summer turned
out to be hot fishing months, but even though no winners turned
up in the fall or winter, the tournaments on the lake had some
stunning top weights. The Meramec Valley Tournament held in December
(a one-day tournament) had a winning weight for 12 bass over 32
pounds. And the Champion Tournament held in mid-October, had a
higher winning weight than in all the previous years since we’ve
been here! It was also another good spawn this year, so we KNOW
the fishing will be tremendous next year as well.
Largemouth Bass
7 pounds
Rob Grillion
O’Fallon, MO
March 16
Silver & Black
Sassy Shad |
Walleye
6 lb. 14 oz.
Bob Dessent
Elk Grove Village, IL
July 26
*Chartreuse Northport Nailer |
Smallmouth (Tie)
3 lb. 9 oz.
Marlene Ryan
Blue Island, IL
May 9
Green Jig & Minnow |
Harry Gustafson
Elk Grove Village, IL
April 14
Minnow |
Rainbow Trout
3 lb. 10 oz.
Gene Babb
Lisle, IL
June 5
*Chartreuse Northport Nailer |
Catfish
9 lb. 14 oz.
Connie North
Park Ridge, IL
May 4
Pa’s Walleye Deep Diver (Purple) with Minnow |
Kentucky Bass
3 lb. 8 oz.
Katie Martino
Hanover Park, IL
June 3
*Chartreuse Crankbait |
White Bass
4 pounds
Gene Babb
Lisle, IL
June 6
*Chartreuse Northport Nailer |
Crappie
2 lb. 6 oz.
Jim Williford
Chicago, IL
April 15
Minnow |
*Denotes a catch using a downrigger. We were thrilled
with our luck downrigger fishing in late spring and summer. So were
our customers!
Winners will receive a 10% discount on their cabin on
their next stay at Black Oak, plus a Black Oak Resort cap or t-shirt,
plus a wall plaque of recognition of achievement. Your name will also
be on our resort plaque with the fishing contest winners for 1991.
Congratulations!
Tackle Talk
There will be a change in fishing regulations next year.
Largemouth bass taken from Bull Shoals must be 15 inches. We welcome
this change, since this species has a harder time reproducing in our
lake than the other bass species. The size limit for smallmouth and
Kentucky Bass is still 12 inches. There is also a change in the annual
license for Arkansas. When you purchase an annual license, it will
be good for a year from the date of purchase. Also note the fee changes
for licenses on our rate brochure. These rate changes went into effect
in July, 1991.
We must make mention of a change
that is taking place among many fishermen in their attitude towards
the sport. Catch and release has really caught on. As we mentioned,
one of our contest winners, Rob Grillion, released his catch (which
was a wall-hanger, too), and many of our customers are doing the
same. We are pleased at this shift in attitude, because conservation
is something we strongly support. Our hats off to those of you
who are beginning to take only a few keepers for your table and
letting the rest go to “fight
another day.” We plan on giving special recognition next year
to those winners in our fishing contest who release those big fish
instead of eating them or hanging them on the wall (hang the picture
on the wall instead)!
Downrigger
Fishing on Bull Shoals Lake
First of all, there’s no better lake for this type
of fishing than Bull Shoals because of its depth. We started taking
fishing trips with our customers on our pontoon boat, which we equipped
with three downriggers. We’ve been catching a mixed bag of species:
walleye, trout, white bass, Kentucky, even smallmouth. Our success
has been amazing. Just look at how many winners in our fishing contest
were caught with this method. We just don’t realize how really
deep the fish go in this lake! This is now part of our vacation package:
morning or evening trips on the pontoon boat with our guests, stalking
the big ones. We’ve had so much fun with this type of fishing.
It’s so conducive to doing what you love (fishing), but doing
it in a way you can trade stories and make friends, and take the wife
or kids along for the ride at the same time, plus plenty of action
almost guaranteed. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the fun
you’ll have, not to mention the good fishing.
“Best”
List of Local Restaurants
We are repeating this column from
last year’s newsletter
because it came in so handy for everyone when they were here. We’ve
updated it, of course, and added a few new places too!
Best Fried Chicken:
Durbon’s Restaurant, Promise Land
Best Appetizer:
Potato Skins, 178 Club, Bull Shoals
Best View From Your Table:
Gaston’s overlooking the White
River
Best Steaks:
Top Kat Lounge, State Line in Missouri
Best Soup:
Cream of Broccoli, Durbon’s Restaurant,
Promise Land
Best Buffet:
Bowen’s or
Bamboo Garden (Friday & Saturday
Night)
Best Seafood:
178 Club, Bull Shoals
Best Barbeque:
Gerry’s Longhorn, Lakeview or
Couch’s, Mountain Home
Best Hamburger:
The Back Forty, Mountain Home or
The Top Kat
Best Atmosphere:
Chelsea’s, Mountain Home
Best Oriental:
Bamboo Garden, Mountain Home
Best New Place With a Gimmick:
The Front Page, Mountain Home
Entrée plus two vegetables start
you off, then
while you eat, servers come around with
free
“extras” like hot rolls, ham
and beans, fried
okra, and more!
Newest Fast Food:
Captain D’s, Mountain Home
My ALLTIME Favorite Pigout Place:
STILL the 178 Club
Best “Organic”:
The Vegetable Garden
Retirement
and Investment
Opportunities in the Ozarks
Are you thinking about retirement?
Well, consider the Ozarks for a minute. Two clear lakes, Bull Shoals
and Norfork, two of the most beautiful coldwater rivers in the
nation, the White and North Fork River, an unpolluted, uncrowded
environment, and one of the most unique retirement areas ranked
consistently at the top of choice retirement areas in the nation:
Mountain Home. Approximately 60% of the population is retired,
with 70% coming from out-of-state, from every walk of life and
profession. Besides the beauty, this area has one of the lowest
costs of housing and taxes. There are four distinct seasons, with
a gentle climate with no extremes. There’s much
more to tell. For a 30-minute videotape of the Mountain Home area
and further information, contact Vicki Jensen at Gilbert Realty
(1-800-562-7893) or 870-431-8355.
It’s
a Fact
Arkansas has over 300,000 registered boats. Only Minnesota
has more per capita!
Arkansas in the
News
Arkansas is getting lots of recognition
lately. Our governor, Bill Clinton is running for president, one
of the hit TV shows is about a town in Arkansas called “Evening Shade,”
and now you all know that one of the richest men in this country
lives in Arkansas: Sam Walton of Wal-Mart fame!
Arkansas Weather
Information
We know you want perfect weather
for your vacation, so we’ve included a guide to average temperatures and precipitation
by month for the state, so hopefully you’ll know what type of
clothing to bring along, and when to plan your trip. NO, you can’t
all come in May! My favorite month is September, when the humidity
drops and the nights turn crisp.
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