It is time for wine, cheese, and cold-water diving. The Diving Rebels and the Scubadillo
Dive club will be at the Marietta Landing campground at Lake Murray State Park
(Oklahoma) on Saturday, February 28 th for the traditional Wine & Cheese Party / Arctic
Dive. We would like to invite any interested divers and non-divers to join us. Lake
Murray State Park is located about twenty-four 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. A map of Lake Murray State Park with Marietta Landing campground
noted is included below.
DIVING
Although there is no official time for diving scheduled, there is an unofficial dive time at
11: 00 AM at the campground boat ramp area. Should you not be able to make that
time, the lake is continually open for your diving pleasure on an ad hoc basis, so you
can make your own arrangement, if desired. It should be understood that one needs to
be prepared for cold water diving, so bring the appropriate gear (thick wet suits or dry
suits).
WINE AND CHEESE CONTEST
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. The judging will begin about 3:30 PM. So, scour your wine cellar
or favorite liquor store to bring your best/worst red and white wines that will be judged
by an erudite panel of vintner wannabes who will closely taste and scrutinize the entries
for bouquet, flavor, clarity, and all such hoity-toity wine things. We will award “winner”
gift certificates for first prize for the best red and white wines. Also award a “loser” gift
certificate for the worst wine. After the wine contest, we will 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, so if you are not a contest participant or related to a
contest participant and would like to judge, please let me know. 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. After the conclusion of the contest, please feel
free to incorporate the left-over wine and cheese into the forthcoming meal.
FOOD
The Diving Rebels plan to serve a meal at about 4:30 pm, consisting of a main dish of
brisket, turkey, and sausage. We are asking that you bring a favorite side item of either
a vegetable dish or dessert and your own drinks. We will also provide water and tea. To
assist in meal planning and preparation, we’re asking attendees to purchase tickets.
Through February 23 rd , 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 by contacting Steve at (214) 641-6013. I will hold
your ticket if you can give me firm commitment for attendance.
Let us know what you plan to bring on this link
RAFFLE
After the meal, we will have our traditional raffle featuring all kinds of wonderful
items. We ask if you have any good-as-new 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 these items that you formerly experienced. For those of
you who will be bidding, please bring cash.
BONFIRE ish
If you have some good quality firewood that is not infested with any insect pests or
contaminated with any chemicals, please feel free to bring this along and we will see
about creating a moderate campfire to create warmth and ambiance. Be sure to bring a
comfortable chair for sitting around the fire and visiting at the end of the day.
Note: There may be a fire ban in place so check the site below to see if it is lifted
before you bring wood
https://ag.ok.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Most-Recent-Fire-Situation-Report.pdf
LODGING
RV and tent camping is available at Marietta Landing campground. The campground is
designed primarily for RV camping with an expansion of the paved areas and a
reduction of open and uncovered areas. A map of the campground is below. The RV
rates for each campsite range from about $31 – $43 per night. Each site can also
accommodate up to two tents. The first tent reservation will be $31 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 you have made a reservation to spend the night in a tent,
RV, cabin, or lodge, you will be provided with 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.
CAMPSITES
The Diving Rebels have reserved three campsites that will be utilized exclusively for the
outing operations area – food, contest, etc. Many sites are still available for camping
BUT none are reserved for us, so if you want to camp, we urge you to reserve your spot
ASAP. The date: February 28 th and the park MARIETTA LANDING. CLICK
SEARCH to see what is available, or you can call the park office at (580) 223-4044.
There may also be accommodation 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.
The park website is: https://www.travelok.com/state-parks/lake-murray-state-park
Should there be a potential weather impact develop as we get closer to the event, we
will update, as necessary.
Please contact us with any questions, comments, or complaints. Thanks, and we look
forward to seeing you that day.
More Info or issues
Steve “Oggie” Ogden – Outing Coordinator
steveogdentx@gmail.com
214 641-6013
