wine & cheese party and arctic dive

Hey all – after a two-year absence, we are returning to the remodeled Marietta Landing campground in Lake Murray State Park (Oklahoma) on Saturday, February 25 for the traditional Wine & Cheese Party / Arctic Dive. Lake Murray State Park is located about 24 miles north of the Texas border just off I-35 and 7 miles northeast of Marietta, OK. This is an easy day trip – only 1:30 – 2:00 hours from DFW.

DIVING
Although there is no official dive time scheduled, there is an unofficial time dive of 11 AM there at the campground boar ramp area. Also, please no solo diving (strange that I should say that), so be sure and buddy up. Water temp is 52 deg.

SILENT AUCTION
We’ll have a silent auction throughout the day on Saturday during which participants can bid on that item. We’ll note the donor’s club on each item, and that club will receive the money generated by the sale. Please bring only gear that is in reasonably good shape and is still usable such that you would still feel comfortable using it. Any unsold items may be rolled into the raffle drawing that we hold in the evening.

WINE AND CHEESE CONTEST 3:30
We will have our famous and traditional wine and cheese contest where we utilize a panel of just slightly less than sommelier-quality judges (if you don’t have an entry, you can be a judge) who will rate and award prizes for best red wine, best white wine, worst wine and best cheese. We’ll award winner gift certificates for first prize for the best red and white wines. We’ll also award a loser gift certificate for the worst wine. After the wine contest, we’ll choose the best cheese, and the winner will also win a gift certificate (no entries for worst cheese, please!!). We need judges for both contests. Please bring your bottles uncorked to the judging site and place them in the provided labeled paper bags to maintain the secrecy of the process.

FOOD 4:30 pm
The Diving Rebels plan to serve a meal at about 4:30 pm, consisting of a main dish of brisket and sausage. We are asking that you bring a favorite side item of either a salad or desert and your own drink. We will also provide water and tea. To assist in meal planning and preparation, we’re asking attendees to purchase tickets. **Through February 18, each ticket costs $10. After that date and at the event, each ticket costs $15**. If you would like to attend and have not yet obtained your ticket, you can contact me and I will reserve and mark a $10 ticket for you on assurance of surety of your first born that you will attend. J You can obtain a ticket at the January or February club meetings and also by contacting Steve at (214) 641-6013. I’ll hold your ticket if you can give me a firm commitment for attendance.

RAFFLE
After the meal, we will have our traditional raffle featuring all kinds of wonderful items. We ask if you have dive related items that could be used by anyone, that you consider donating these for this activity and allow someone else to experience the joy in the use of this items that you formerly experienced. For those of you who will be bidding, please bring cash.

BONFIRE
We will hopefully have a bonfire, although reduced compared to some of the blazing and raging infernos we have generated in the past. Given the recent wet weather, it seems doubtful that a burn ban would be in effect.

LODGING
RV and tent camping is available at Marietta Landing campground. A map of the campground is provided below. The RV rates for each campsite range from about $32 – $40 per night. Each site can also accommodate up to two tents. The first tent reservation will be $32 and the second tent at the same site is $16. Each of these reservation rates also includes a day pass for that vehicle at no extra charge. If have made a reservation to spend the night in a tent, RV, cabin or lodge, you will be provided a day ticket for entrance to the park. If you are just there for the day, you will need to go on the park website (provided below), to purchase a $10 car pass or you can stop at the park headquarters and purchase a pass for $10/vehicle. So, you might carpool, if not spending the night.
The Diving Rebels have reserved three of these campsites – 9. 10 and 14. Site 10 will be utilized exclusively for the outing operations area – food, contest, etc. Sites 9 and 14 are available for reservation through Steve, with payment at the rates noted above. Mr. Hahn, the Lake Murray State Park manager, has blocked an additional 4 campsites exclusively for our event – sites 12 – 16 as noted on the map. So, if you would like to reserve a site, please consider reserving sites 9 or 14 (through me) or sites 12 – 16 through the park. To reserves the sites, the park office at (580) 223-4044 and ask for Tracy.
There may also be accommodations at the park lodge as well as cabins. Traditionally, for those spending the night at the park, we meet for breakfast at the beautifully refurbished lodge as the dining area provides an impressive overlook of the lake.