Fall Harbor Hop Deals Late-Season Fun
at Central Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks

Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. – As the boating season winds down at Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks, visitors and area residents will take to the water one more time for the 21st annual Fall Harbor Hop.  The event, set for Saturday, Oct. 14, will run from mid-morning until 7:00 p.m.
   
More than 2,500 participants are expected at this exciting and entertaining event, says Tim Jacobsen, executive director of the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau.  “Mid-October is a great time of year to gather friends and family for an on-the-water view of the beautiful fall foliage.  And the Harbor Hop always is a lot of fun, as boaters stop at favorite waterfront restaurants and marinas while gathering a poker hand and a chance to win great prizes.”
   
The Harbor Hop is a poker run, in which participants pick up playing cards at lakeside restaurants, bars and marinas along the Lake’s main channel and its Big Niangua and Gravois arms.  The object is to build a winning poker hand and be eligible to win prizes.  “Hoppers” can start their run at any of the 45 sponsors’ checkpoints where they pay an optional $10 donation per seven-card hand and draw their first card.  Six additional cards are drawn as boaters “hop” to more checkpoints.  Players turn in their hand(s) where they draw their seventh and final card. There’s no limit to the number of hands an individual may play.

The 10 winners who draw the best poker hands will be notified by mail after the event.  Prizes also will be awarded for the four worst hands and for 12 randomly drawn hands.  Donation totals will determine prize amounts. Prizes will be awarded in the form of gift certificates.
   
The Fall Harbor Hop traditionally is held the second weekend of October.  It was created by Randy Kelly of Kelly’s Port Marina on behalf of the Lake of the Ozarks Marine Dealers Association as a way to attract visitors to the area in the fall. As the event grew beyond its original size and scope, the Lake of the Ozarks CVB took over its management. The CVB also sponsors a Spring Harbor Hop the first weekend in May to kick off the boating season.
   
“We’re expecting a big crowd this year due to lower gas prices, but the weather also plays a major role,” says Harbor Hop volunteer Connie Hutchens.
   
The Fall Harbor Hop is sponsored by Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau, waterfront restaurants and businesses, and the Lake of the Ozarks Marine Dealers Association.
   
For more information about the Harbor Hop and other events, attractions, shopping, lodging and dining at Central Missouri’s scenic Lake of the Ozarks, contact the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitor Bureau by calling 800-FUN-LAKE or online at  www.funlake.com.

# # #