Gaston's White River Resort Online Newsletter Ozark Mountain Trout Fishing

Late Summer 2005 Newsletter

http://www.gastons.com/news/latesummer05.htm

Hillbilly Chili Cookoff - September 17th, 2005

The Bull Shoals Rotary Club hosted the Hillbilly Chili
Cookoff on Saturday, Sept 17th, at the Bull Shoals
State Park along Highway 178 in Lakeview. This year
was the biggest chili cookoff ever! There were more
people at this year's event than in the last four years
combined! Cooks came from all over Arkansas and
surrounding states to compete for the title of Arkansas'
Best Chili, which would win them $500 and a trophy,
and a chance to compete in the World Championship
in Omaha, Nebraska for a $25,000 prize! We are proud
to say that our very own Tony Chong got 4th place and
already has plans for next year. The 2006 Chili Cookoff
will be even bigger and better, so plan to come and try
out some of the best chili in the world next fall!
http://www.chilicookoff.com/

Post Wine Tasting - October 1st, 2005

Hosted by Post Wines of Altus and Gaston's, the third
annual Post Wine Tasting will be on Saturday, October
1st in our Conference Lodge. The wine tasting is free to
the public and will be held from 2 to 8 PM. For more info,
please call 870-431-5202 ext 206 and ask for Keith. We
hope to see you there!

Green Family Reunion

The Green Family had a very large family reunion here with us back
in late June. The family of 27 spanned 4 generations and are from
all over the country. They chose Gaston's because of our central
location and great atmosphere. Thank you all for staying with us!

Ford Model T Buckets

In July, a group of Model T hot rod owners known as
"Bucketheads" took over the entire area and cruised
around town in their amazing hot rods. Of course,
many drove out to eat lunch with us in the restaurant
and enjoy the best food with the best view anywhere
around. While they were eating, I snuck outside and
got some pictures of the cars, and couldn't help but
notice the attention to detail and perfect condition that
these cars were in. And of course, a supercharged big
block motor on a 2000 pound car is quite impressive also!
"Thank you" to all of the Bucketheads for coming to see
us. Come back anytime!

Fish Photos

The fishing has been great this summer... just ask Carl Shipley
from Springdale, Arkansas! Carl caught this beautiful monster
brown trout that weighed in at about 25 lbs. We have had many
people tell us over and over again that the fishing this summer
has been remarkable and the best they have ever experienced.

Oshkosh Fly In Visitors

Oshkosh, Wisconsin hosts the most famous air show in the world each year.
This year was a record setting year for the event, with 700,000 people in
attendance. There were over 10,000 airplanes flown in, and 3,000 of those
were show planes, ranging from ultra-lites and home-builts to vintage planes
and old war birds. Every year, we have several Oshkosh pilots stop in to see
us on their way to Wisconsin, or on their way back home from the show. This
year, a group of pilots put on an air show for a handful of us and toured the area
for a day, flying around the lake and river valley. We always love to see unusual
planes, so if you are ever planning a trip across the country in your plane, stop in
and say hello! Some pilots come in for a bite to eat or just for fuel, others stay
the night in one of our cottages and rest up before continuing their journey.

Visitors Information Center Update

Our Visitors Information Center is coming along very nicely. The construction
crew is currently hanging the trusses on the east side of the facility, and doing
some interior work on the west end. This is truly going to be an amazing facility
and I hope that everybody plans to visit it next year when it opens up.

The next addition will go from the end of the existing building, all the way to the
right edge of this photo. The VIC is going to be huge!!!

Resort Pets

This doe and fawn were spotted along our Ozark Nature Trail.
We have many deer all over the resort and they can usually be
seen in the late afternoon and evening along any of our nature
trails. It's always fun watching the little fawns play around!

Rose's Photo Page

Rose Maschek's Photo Gallery has been updated, Click Here to view.

39th Annual Boy Scouts of America White River Canoe Race

The Quapaw Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America had
their 39th annual White River Canoe Race recently. The race
is a 118 mile journey, starting just below Bull Shoals Dam,
and ends near Batesville, Arkansas. The trip takes three
days to complete and the scouts stop at many campgrounds
along the way. To ensure that the scouts started off on the
right foot, we fed 150 of them spaghetti and meatballs up at
the State Park pavilion the night before they took off.

World War 2 Friends Reunion

Owen Hilton (right) and his wife Dorothy came to Springfield, Missouri
from California over 13 years ago. Philip Vinci and his partner Jean came
to Bull Shoals from Chicago only very recently. What do these two
couples have in common? Owen and Philip have been life long friends
since World War 2. The two couples met at Gaston's recently for a
surprise birthday fishing trip for Owen on August 24th. Little did Owen
know that Philip would be sitting in the boat with their guide when he
came down to the dock that morning! Owen could not believe his eyes
when he saw his buddy, and the two were very excited to see each other.

They both had a great morning of fishing together and catching their
limit of trout easily. Their guide, Ron Roderick, knew about the surprise
and took excellent care of the two veterans. Even though they get
together once a year at reunions, there is still a sparkle in their eyes
when these two buddies see each other. This type of life-long friendship
is something that cannot be explained in words. These two men have
been through so much together and survived everything they have faced.

Both Owen and Philip served together during World War 2 on the USS
Kalinin Bay, a carrier that was stationed in the South Pacific. Their ship
was involved in many battles, the largest was known as the "Battle of
Leyte Gulf." Their ship survived six brutal hours of pummeling from the
Japanese forces in what is still the single largest sea battle in naval
history. This task force included six carriers and seven escort ships.
In a surprise attack, Japanese forces sunk five of the American ships.
The Kalinin Bay was damaged but did survive, although it had 115 holes
in it. The ship lost five men in the fight, and was hit by two Kamikaze
pilots during the conflict. The other ships that sunk lost 3/4 of their crew.

There were other battles too... the Battle of Samar in the Philippines, for
example. What is amazing is that no matter what battle the two men talk
about, they never have any regret... they both talk like this was just their
job that they had to do. I often think about this generation of men and
women and how great they all were for what they did. The sacrifices
they made were so great, and they did so in the name of freedom for
all of us. Our country would not be the same if it had not been for this
generation of fine folks who protected our way of life and the freedoms
that we too often take for granted today. Owen and Philip, our hats are
off to you and your fellow servicemen for what you have achieved!

- Story by Ron Branaman

Upcoming Events

Hillbilly Chili Cookoff - September 17th, 2005
Bull Shoals will once again host the Arkansas state
chili cookoff at the Bull Shoals City Park. The contest
is hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and will be
Saturday, September 17th, 2005. For more information,
please contact the Bull Shoals/White River Chamber of
Commerce at 870-445-4538.

Post Wine Tasting - October 1st, 2005
Hosted by Post Wines of Altus and Gaston's,
the third annual Post Wine Tasting will be on
Saturday, October 1st in our Conference Lodge.
The wine tasting is free to the public and times
will be announced at a later date.

Fall Frenzy at Bull Shoals State Park - October 28th and 29th, 2005
The Ozarks are beautiful this time of year with
gorgeous weather and colorful scenery. Trout
fishing is at its peak. Activities include evening
nature programs, lake and river cruises, hayrides,
an evening concert, campsite decorating contest,
and more. All activities are free except for lake and
river tours. Please contact the State Park at
870-431-5521 or bullshoalswhiteriver@arkansas.com

Gaston's Special Winter Rates - December 2005
Our yearly winter rates start on Monday, November 28th,
and will run until Tuesday, February 28th, 2006. If you stay
two nights or more with us, you get 40% off of your cottage
rates... that means it can cost as little as $55 per night to
stay here with us along the river! Our restaurant does go
into winter hours during this time of year, so call ahead if
you plan to dine. The restaurant is open Friday night,
Saturday all day, and Sunday morning until brunch ends.

Remember: White River Trout Fishing
Is OPEN Year Around.
NO CLOSED SEASON !!!!

January, February, and March offer some of
the best trout fishing to be found anywhere!

White River trout fishing is excellent in January, February, and March!

For the most recent fishing conditions and information, please
check out our White River fishing report, updated each Friday.
http://www.gastons.com/gfr.html
The oldest and most complete White River fishing report on Internet ... Since 1995!

Free Information on Arkansas, The Natural State

Free Arkansas Fishing Guide
http://www.arkansas.com/helpful-info/free-vacation-kit/

Arkansas Vacation Kit, Living in Arkansas Guide and MORE

For detailed information please click on the link below.�
http://www.arkansas.com/helpful-info/free-vacation-kit/

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With Best Wishes,
Danny Gaston

http://www.gastons.com