For Immediate Release Media Contact: Pam Jones or Marjorie Beenders
April 13, 2009 Phone: 573-636-8282 « Email: pam@tbmg.net
Magic Dragon Street Meet Will Heat Up the Historic
"Strip" at Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks
Lake of the Ozarks, Mo. – The 21st annual Magic Dragon Street Meet Nationals Car Show, presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts, will once again bring excitement, color and incredible cars and motorcycles to the Historic Bagnell Dam Strip (Business Highway 54) at the Lake of the Ozarks, May 1-3. Hours will be 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Friday; 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturday; and 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Sunday.
All makes, models and years of cars, trucks and motorcycles will be welcome at the Street Meet, the largest open class car show in Central Missouri. The show is free for spectators and is expected to attract 10,000 visitors and 700-plus street rods, customs, trucks, street machines, lead sleds and motorcycles from all over the United States.
The event will offer participants a chance to display and earn honors for their extraordinary vehicles. Entrants will be judged in more than 40 classes for domestic and import vehicles, along with choice and specialty awards such as best supercharged, best interior, best overall appearance, best paint/graphics, best engine compartment and best undercarriage, wheels and tires. Vehicle owners will appreciate the convenience of “drive-through judging,” 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. First place and runner-up awards will be given in each car, truck and motorcycle class. Prize winners will be announced at the awards ceremony at 1:00 p.m. Sunday.
One Grand Champion winner will receive a large trophy and $200 cash for the best car, truck or motorcycle in the entire show as determined by the judges. Last year’s Grand Champion winner was a 1967 Pro-Max Vennon Nova SS owned by Dan LaBonte of Osage Beach, MO. It’s featured on the official 2009 Magic Dragon Street Meet Nationals Car Show T-shirt that will be available for purchase at the Lake Area Chamber of Commerce booth throughout the show. This year’s Grand Champion vehicle will grace next year’s car show T-shirt.
For $30 per ticket, one lucky individual will win a 2009 Dodge Challenger, courtesy of Daybreak Rotary, in its 4th annual Auto Raffle. The car will be on display at the Main Stage and the drawing will be Sunday, May 3, around noon.
The popular Friday Night Fever Cruise will start at 6 p.m. and travel from Bagnell Dam over Highway 54 to Business 54 and back down Bagnell Dam Boulevard to the Strip.
Back by popular demand, at 10 a.m. Saturday, kids will have a chance to assemble and take home a model 1934 Ford Street Rod complete with flames, free of charge, at the Make-n-Take model activity, sponsored by Hawken Paint & Body.
New this year, the Lake-area Firefighters Association Local 3987 will sponsor Cut Up A Car, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday. This fascinating demonstration will offer a first-hand look at how firefighters remove passengers and safely stabilize a car after an accident.
Other activities will include a 95-mile scenic cruise Friday morning, the Dam Poker Run, and door-prize drawings. Vendor booths and swappers will offer car parts and accessories, and well-known DJ Leo Case will spin classic oldies throughout the event at the main stage located at Luby’s parking lot, behind the “big lemon” on the Strip.
Traffic will be diverted from the show area to a safe alternate route from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. Parking will be available at each end of the Strip, for a minimal donation to the Osage High School band and other youth organizations. A free shuttle service will transport visitors from the parking lots to the show area.
The Historic Bagnell Dam Strip provides a unique setting for the Street Meet, with its diverse shops, attractions and restaurants. “The event not only benefits businesses along the Bagnell Dam Strip, but also the entire Lake area since a lot of the show attendees and participants stay at the Lake for two to four nights,” says Michelle Cook, director of marketing for the Lake Area Chamber of Commerce.
Adds Street Meet Chairperson Alan Sullivan, “Our mission statement says we want to bring a national quality show to the Lake outside of the peak tourist season in a unique environment, and we believe we accomplish that,” Sullivan says. “We continue to emphasize that it’s a family friendly show. And with hundreds of beautiful cars parked along three-quarters of a mile of the historic Bagnell Dam Strip and golden oldies playing in the background, it truly is a scene right out of ‘American Graffiti.’”
Additional Magic Dragon Street Meet sponsors include Central Bank, First National Bank, Missouri Eagle, 102.KQUL, 1150 KRMS, LO Profile Magazine, 93.5 Rocks, Mix 92l7, 101.9 The Wave, Zoom Lake, 98.9 KFLW, KOMU-TV, Mid-Missouri CW, Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Lake Ozark.
The registration fee will be $30 through April 27. After that date, participants can pay at the event. Early registration will be held 4:00-7:00 p.m. Thursday, April 30, at the Heritage Building (formerly the Osage School building on Henderson.
For more information, or to download registration forms or register online, visit the Street Meet web site at www.magicdragonstreetmeet.com. And for details about discount lodging during the Street Meet, as well as Lake-area dining, shopping and attractions, call the Lake Area Chamber of Commerce at 573-964-1008 or 800-451-4117, or visit www.lakeareachamber.com . The Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau also has complete information at 800-FUN-LAKE or online at www.funlake.com.
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