Enjoy Year-Round Festivals and Family Fun
at Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks

 Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. – At Central Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks, festivals celebrate hummingbirds and eagles … mountain men and hillbillies … wine and barbecue … wakeboarding and ballooning … dogwood trees and Christmas trees … apples and apple butter and more.  In other words, there’s always something to celebrate at the Lake of the Ozarks.

 “We are delighted to offer such a wide array of festivals to visitors throughout the year,” says Tim Jacobsen, executive director, Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau. “What’s especially great is that a lot of people who come for a particular festival for a day or two frequently end up coming back to the Lake for a longer stay that includes lodging, dining, shopping, golf or fishing and visiting other attractions.”

Spring Festivals

The 2007 spring festival season will kick off with the 57th edition of the area’s oldest event, the Dogwood Festival in Camdenton, April 19-22.  It’s a good old-fashioned festival complete with a carnival, parade, melodrama, Miss Dogwood Pageant, dog contest, music, crafts and lots of food – spaghetti dinner, fish fry, pancake breakfast and food booths throughout the Camdenton Square, where most of the action takes place.

The Dogwood Festival originally was created to greet the glories of springtime at the Lake.  True to its name, the Camdenton Area Chamber Commerce will distribute to festival-goers more than 1,300 young dogwoods, the Missouri state tree.

Next up will be the 26th annual Marine Dealers In-Water Boat Show, April 20-22 at the Horny Toad Complex.  One of the largest in-water boat shows in the Midwest, this extravaganza will feature the biggest and best in new cruisers, performance boats, pontoons, ski boats, runabouts, personal watercraft, boat docks and lifts and the latest in boating accessories.

At the peak of spring, the 19th annual Magic Dragon Street Meet Nationals, the largest open-class car show in Central Missouri, will take place May 4-6 on the historic Bagnell Dam Strip, with more than 700 street rods, customs, street machines, sleds and motorcycles from throughout the United States.  All makes, models and years of cars, trucks and motorcycles are welcome. Other highlights will include music, free model cars for kids, an evening cruise, poker run, door prizes and more.  The show is free for spectators and typically attracts more than 10,000 visitors.

 “It’s really neat to see all these classic cars roll into town,” says Alan Sullivan, Magic Dragon Street Meet Nationals chairman.  “The Strip and the Lake create a unique setting for the car show – it’s not your typical parking lot with rows of cars.  It’s more like being on the set of ‘American Graffiti.’”

That same early-May weekend will bring the traditional kickoff of the Lake boating season with the 10th annual Spring Harbor Hop on May 5.  This popular poker run event attracts 1,500 or more participants who cruise among more than 45 checkpoints – Lakefront bars, marinas and restaurants – drawing cards for a potentially winning poker hand.

June7-9, the 9th annual CrossOver Christian Music Festival will bring nationally known contemporary Christian and Christian rock performers to the Stoneridge Amphitheatre at Camdenton, attracting more than 10,000 music fans from throughout the region.  The three-day event also will offer food concessions and children’s activities.

 “At CrossOver we try to mix the big-name groups with performers on their way up the charts,” says Alan Sullivan festival director.  “In the past, several groups have performed here before they made it big.”  After each concert, fans can stop by the vendor pavilion to meet their favorite performers, get autographs and purchase CDs and merchandise.  Several vendors also will offer t-shirts, CDs, jewelry, gift items, Bibles, books and more.

Summer Festivals

The Lake area’s newest event, the Hummingbird Festival, will make its second appearance in Gravois Mills on June 23.  The festival coincides with the high season of hummingbirds appearing in the village.  “We see hummingbirds here all the time and generally they’re not very bashful,” says festival spokesman Joel Kirkpatrick.  Festival highlights will include music, magic shows, square dancing, a judged car show, food and crafts booths, children’s activities and hummingbird tagging by Missouri Department of Conservation experts.

A busy festival weekend at the Lake will come up in mid-July.  The 14th annual Missouri Wine Festival, July 14 at the Stonecrest Mall, will present the wines of several Missouri wineries. Visitors will have the opportunity to taste a wide variety of wines and talk to winery representatives who will direct them to the right selection for their tastes.  Wines will be available for purchase. Admission includes hors d’oeuvres and a souvenir wine glass.  “A lot of people follow their favorite wineries and come to events like this to visit the vintners and see what’s new,” says Robin Evers, mall manager.

That same weekend, more than 4,000 spectators are expected at the Midwestcoast™ Summerfest IV presented by MasterCraft, as professional and amateur wakeboarders compete and demonstrate their exciting sport.  “Wakeboarding continues to be the fastest-growing extreme sport in the nation,” says Jonas Farrell, event chairman.  “It’s a newer sport for the Lake but each year more and more people want to come out to watch it.”  Located at Lake of the Ozarks State Park, Summerfest also will feature live music, vendor exhibits and children’s activities.

The 15th annual Laurie Hillbilly Bar-B-Q Cook Off will turn up the heat at the Laurie Fairgrounds, Aug. 4-5.  Sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society, this gathering of the “best of the best in BBQ” attracts more than 75 teams from all over Missouri and surrounding states.  The event also will include the 11th annual Kids Q for up-and-coming grillers age 5-15, as well as a dance, craft booths, samples, races and a beer garden.

“The Cook-Off always is a great time for contestants and spectators.  Competitors especially love coming to the Lake of the Ozarks because our contest and activities are so much fun and there are so many fun family activities at the Lake of the Ozarks,” says Susann Huff, Cook-Off chairperson.  “Best of all, the whole town smells like barbecue!”  The Grand Champion winner will receive $1,000 plus an invitation to the world’s largest barbecue contest held in Kansas City each fall.

Fast boats and a lot of fun will await spectators at the 19th annual Lake Rescue Shootout, Aug. 24-26 at the 21 mile marker.  Sponsored by Lake-area fire departments, it’s the largest unsanctioned boat race in the Midwest, with 52 boat classes based on length, hull design, motor and bow type.  Each racer has one mile to build up speed before being clocked by radar. Times are recorded and measured against other competitors.  Recent winners have been clocked at more than 200 mph.  The event also will include personal watercraft races, a poker run, a boat products show and a “Stereo Sound System Shootout” to determine the Lake’s loudest boat.

Fall Festivals

The fall festival season at the Lake of the Ozarks will kick off with the appropriately-named Lake Area Fall Festival at Osage Beach, Sept. 8. The 7th annual event will offer a fun-packed day of food, crafts, kid’s activities and entertainment, including local bands, singers and dancers, the Osage Beach Little Mr. & Miss Contest and the BowWow Contest for pooches.  Kids’ activities include free hayrides, train rides, carnival inflatables and a petting zoo.

The following weekend, visitors will have a chance to discover what life was like on the American frontier in the early 1800s during the 20th annual Osage Mountain Man Festival and Rendezvous, Sept. 14-16 at the American Legion Campground in Lake Ozark.  “The Rendezvous provides an authentic living-history event re-enactment that captures the frontier era prior to the 1840s,” says Trisha Creach, executive director of the Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.

Traders and trappers, gunsmiths and blacksmiths, artisans and storytellers will be on hand to recreate an encampment in the days after the Lewis & Clark Expedition opened the West.  Participants’ attire, equipment and lodging will faithfully depict the era and the re-enactors will describe their lives to curious visitors.  Highlights will include demonstrations of frontier skills and the breathtaking anvil shoot.  The popular Trader's Row shopping area will feature collectible guns and knives, woven blankets, unique handicrafts, folk art and artifacts.

Before or after the Mountain Man Rendezvous, visitors can travel to the Laurie fairgrounds on the Lake’s west side for another highly anticipated event, the Hillbilly Fair, Sept. 14-16.  It’s another good old-fashioned festival that will feature a parade, crafts and vendor booths, a carnival, games, food, dancing and a beer garden.

Another new festival, Oma and Noma Days, Sept. 28-30 at the Bagnell Dam Strip, was created last year in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of the completion of Bagnell Dam.  Oma and Noma were sisters and the first two people who drove across Bagnell Dam on May 30, 1931.

“The whole idea of Oma and Noma Days is to bring back that time period when the dam was finished in 1931,” says Mike Page, owner of the well known Dogpatch store on the Strip. The event will feature historical displays, pony rides, dog show, talent show, checkers matches, Little Miss and Mister contests, vintage car show, crafts, live music, street performers, plus peanut-spitting and frog-jumping contests.  Area merchants will be dressed in period fashions and of course, Oma and Noma re-enactors will be on hand too.

Fifty of the world’s fastest boats will thunder down the Lake on Sept. 28-30 between the 6-9 mile markers for the Lake’s first Offshore Super Series National Championship. The Horny Toad Entertainment Complex will serve as the host location for the racers and teams. Owner Merlyn Vandervort says, “This is like NASCAR on the Lake.”  Similar to the Lake Rescue Shootout in August, six categories of boats will race during the event which is expected to attract thousands of spectators along the three-mile course.

The peak of fall is a fabulous time to visit the Lake of the Ozarks, as the colorful autumn leaves turn the Ozarks bluffs into brilliant backdrops for all kinds of activities, including the 28th annual Old Tyme Apple Festival, Oct. 5-6 in Versailles.  This harvest celebration, voted “Best Festival” in the 2006 Best of Rural Missouri Readers Choice Awards, will offer something for everyone.

“A good family atmosphere is what we strive for,” says Steve Yoder, festival chairman.  That will include more than 400 crafts and food booths around the town square, a parade, motocross races, apple pie auction, Apple Festival King and Queen and baby contests, children’s activities, non-stop music, car cruise and sock hop, car show, carnival and the Olde Tyme Fiddler’s Contest.

Although Lake-area visitors can see thought-provoking artwork, attend live theatre and enjoy a musical or dance performance throughout the year, Oct. 10-Nov. 20 now is set aside to celebrate the Lake of the Ozarks' annual Carousel of the Arts.  These six weeks will salute the region's diversity in the visual, musical and performing arts, and literature.

“Cultural tourism is a growing trend and the Lake of the Ozarks increasingly is becoming a great place for visitors to experience the arts,” says Carol Zeman, art director for the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau and an active member of the Lake-area fine arts community.  Activities will include the annual National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society Exhibit, a book fair, craft shows, theatre and ballet performances, a gallery walk, a plein air paint-out and visiting authors.

The boating and tourism season traditionally winds down with the Fall Harbor Hop, set for Oct. 13.  More than 2,500 people are expected to participate in the 22nd annual hop, where boaters will stop by 45 participating waterfront restaurants and marinas to gather a winning poker hand.

End of the Festival Year

The old year will end on a frosty and festive note, as holiday celebrations transform the Lake area into a sparkling destination for relaxing, shopping and getting into the holiday spirit.

Included in the array of holiday festivities are drive-through light parks at the Laurie fairgrounds and the historic Shrine of St. Patrick, and in Versailles.  Other popular holiday activities will include the Lake Lights Festival, the traditional kick-off of the holiday season at Bagnell Dam; the Festival of Trees at the Camden County Museum; the Main Street Music Hall’s annual Christmas show; the traditional Lake Christmas Parade; and others.

And, all that is just a sampling.  No matter what time of the year you visit the Lake of the Ozarks, you’re sure to catch a fun festival or special event.  For complete information about festivals and events as well as Lake-area lodging, shopping, dining and attractions, contact the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau at 800-FUN-LAKE or visit www.funlake.com.

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