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April 10, 2012

Spring Travel Tips & Story Starters
Spring into the Good Life at Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks
Spring Dogwoods on the Water
Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. -
The beautiful season of spring has arrived and with it, several of the Lake's finest festivals and celebrations. Read on for hot topics and tips to get you started on spring stories about the Lake of the Ozarks. For more info, color images or other assistance, please contact
Marjorie, Jo, Gene or Kyle at The Beenders-Walker Group.

THE MAGIC DRAGON IS IN HIGH GEAR ...

Get your motor running, head out on the highway and find adventure at the Lake Area Chamber of Commerce's 24th Annual Magic Dragon Street Meet Nationals, Presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts on May 4-6 in Lake Ozark and Osage Beach. The Magic Dragon Street Meet is celebrating the second straight year it has split into two different sites - the original Magic Dragon Street Meet show in Lake Ozark and the Generation NEXT Magic Dragon event in Osage Beach. The Magic Dragon Street Meet stretches down the Bagnell Dam Boulevard strip and is an open-class automotive event, including all makes, models and years of cars, trucks and motorcycles. This show runs Friday (noon-5 p.m.), Saturday (8 a.m.-8 p.m.) and Sunday (8 a.m.-1 p.m.). The Generation NEXT Magic Dragon event is held on Saturday (8 a.m.-5 p.m.) at Prewitt's Point in Osage Beach. GenNEXT is geared to the next generation of car enthusiasts and showcases import tuner cars and other tricked-out domestic rides. "The Magic Dragon Street Meet is like stepping on to the set of the movie American Graffiti with tons of classic cars of all makes and models," said Magic Dragon Street Meet Chairman Alan Sullivan, "while GenNEXT is more like a living-breathing set of the movie, The Fast and the Furious." Magic Dragon StripBoth power-packed sites feature vendor villages, music, thrilling car competitions, prize drawings, model cars for the kids, a drawing for a 2012 Chevy Camaro RS (sponsored by the Daybreak Rotary Club) and plenty of excitement for all ages. Admission is FREE. For more information on these events, call 800-451-4117or visit MagicDragonCarShow.com or the show's Facebook page.

BEAUTY OF THE LAKE ...

Blend your love of nature with some great activities and enjoy scenic sites and the sparkling splendor of the Lake of the Ozarks area. The Tunnel Dam and Whistle Shallows at Lake Niangua are at the end of the Big Niangua River and all along Lake Niangua there are perfect spots for picnics, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, swimming or just relaxing in the water as time drifts by. To get there, take Hwy. 54 west past Camdenton to the junction of State Roads J and U. Take a left on State Road U and an immediate right to reach Edith, then turn right on Whistle Road. If you prefer a scenic bridge surrounded by natural beauty, you can visit the Swinging Bridges and Shallows, an area named for a wood-planked suspension bridge across Auglaize Creek. To find the Swinging Bridge and Shallows, take Hwy. 42 west from Osage Beach or State Road A west from Linn Creek to Swinging Bridges Road. For more information about scenic areas at the Lake, call the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitor Bureau at 800-FUN-LAKE (386-5253). You can also visit the CVB at  Funlake.com or its Facebook or Twitter pages.

LET'S ALL DO THE TIME WARP ...

Oma and Noma daysOma and Noma Heritage Festival on May 19 on the Bagnell Dam Blvd. Strip in Lake Ozark. This family-fun celebration commemorates Oma and Noma Degraffenreid, two ladies who were the first to travel across Bagnell Dam in 1931. Visit the old-time festival and you'll be treated to a cornucopia of arts and crafts, vintage automobiles, Ozark storytellers, Bagnell Dam tours, a dog show, pageants and live blues, bluegrass and Ozark folk music. You can also enter one of the festival's many zany contests such as peanut-spitting, bubble-gum bubble blowing and pie-eating. Or if you're really industrious, make your own racing outhouse for the famous Great Ozark Outhouse Race. To find out about all things Oma and Noma, please call 573-365-7132 or visit OmaNomaHeritageFestival.com.

AREA RESTAURANT EARNS HONORS ...

OpenTable.com diners recently voted Baxter's Lakeside Grille at Lake Ozark onto the OpenTable Diners' Choice list. Baxter's was voted the most booked Lake restaurant on the site. OpenTable diners rated Baxter's Lakeside Grille 4.7 out of 5 (outstanding) and included comments about the excellent atmosphere, great staff and quality food. Restaurants are named to the website's Diners' Choice list through qualified, impartial and up-to-the-minute feedback from patrons who book through OpenTable.com, a web-industry leader that provides free, real-time online restaurant reservations for diners and reservation and guest management solutions for restaurants. Baxter's Lakeside Grille, an American restaurant with great food, warm, personal service, and an inviting, casual atmosphere, is located at 2124 Bagnell Dam Boulevard and is open Tuesdays through Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 8 p.m. For more information about Baxter's Lakeside Grille, call 573-365-2669 or visit BaxtersLakesideGrille.com or Baxter's Facebook page.

LOOKING AHEAD...

Spring is here and summer is just around the corner. Both seasons are loaded with fun fairs, festivals and events at the Lake of the Ozarks. For more information about getaway packages, lodging, dining, shopping, events and attractions throughout the Lake area, contact the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau at 800-FUN-LAKE (386-5253) or visit the Bureau's website, FunLake.com.

 

April 19-22

62ND ANNUAL DOGWOOD FESTIVAL

Celebrating its 62nd year, the Dogwood Festival in Camdenton provides fun for the entire family. Visitors to the Dogwood Festival can enjoy live music, food, a carnival, arts, crafts, beauty pageants, a hog roast, a fish fry, a parade, garage sales, a Shoebox Float Contest for kids, a golf tournament, a 5K Fun Run and much more. For more information about the Dogwood Festival, call the Camdenton Area Chamber of Commerce at 573-346-2227. For a full schedule of events, entry forms or details, visit the festival's website at www.CamdentonChamber.com/DogwoodFestival.htm. 

 

April 21-22

SPRING BIG BASS BASH

A $150,000 payout lures amateur anglers to the Lake of the Ozarks on April 21-22 for the Spring Big Bass Bash, sponsored by the Anglers in Action Tournament Trail. First place in the Big Bass competition earns $40,000, second place nets a cool $20,000 and third place reels in $10,000. This year, there are 160 guaranteed, bi-hourly payouts during the two-day tournament, a $1,000 bonus for the Big Bass in the Ladies Division and a Kids Division for children 12 and under. Two-day entry fees are $165 per person and one-day entry fees are $115 per person. The Kids Division registration fee is $10 per day. Ten $500 prizes await lucky winners who register before the Early-Bird Entry Deadline of April 9. Find out more about this tournament, including complete registration information, at BigBassBash.com or call 866-515-0102 for further details.

 

May 5

SPRING HARBOR HOP

Start off the boating season on the Lake of the Ozarks with the Spring Harbor Hop, sponsored by the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau. The Harbor Hop is an event in which participants "hop" (by water or by land) to and from waterfront restaurants and marinas to draw playing cards in order to build a winning poker hand. These poker hands make them eligible to win valuable prizes. Players can donate $15 per seven-card hand and start the hop by drawing their first card at any of the 30-plus sponsoring restaurants and marinas along the Lake's main channel, the Big Niangua and Gravois arms. For more information about the Harbor Hop, call 800-FUN-LAKE (386-5253). For a full list of participating Harbor Hop locations and event hours, visit FunLake.com/HarborHop.

 

May 11, June 8, July 13, August 10 & September 14

HOT SUMMER NIGHTS

Hot Summer Nights, a five-part cruising series on the Bagnell Dam Strip in Lake Ozark, takes place on May 11, June 8, July 13, August 10 and Sept 14 and will feature all makes and models of cars, trucks and motorcycles. Visitors attending the event will enjoy classic cars, trucks and motorcycles, contests, giveaways, helicopter rides, live entertainment and much more. For more information about Hot Summer Nights, call 573-964-1008 or visit CruiseHotSummerNights.com.
 

 

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Spring is the season of exciting travel stories at the Lake of the Ozarks!  For more information, media assistance or high-resolution photography, please call The Beenders-Walker Group toll-free at 800-544-8474 or email Marjorie, Jo, Gene or Kyle.

 


Lake Logo  

LAKE OF THE OZARKS TRI-COUNTY LODGING ASSOCIATION & CONVENTION AND VISITOR BUREAU

Phone: 800-FUN-LAKE (386-5253) Fax: 573-348-4292 

P.O. Box 1498  Osage Beach, MO 65065

Website: www.FunLake.com  Email: [email protected]   


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Quick Links

FunLake.com 

 

Magic Dragon Street Meet

 

Oma and Noma Days

 

Baxter's Lakeside Grille

 

Dogwood Festival

 

Big Bass Bash

 

Spring Harbor Hop

 

Hot Summer Nights

 

VisitMO.com 

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