Classic Cars, Cool Tunes and Fun Times Await at Central Missouri’s Lake Of The Ozarks

While May marks the beginning of the summer tourist season at Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks, it also marks the beginning of classic car season, with two separate events bringing in thousands of spectators for vintage automobiles, cool tunes and family fun.

Magic Dragon Street Meet Nationals, the largest car show of its kind in the Midwest, takes place May 3-5 along the historic Bagnell Dam Strip in Lake Ozark.
The Magic Dragon Street Meet, which takes its name from the serpentine-shape of the Lake of the Ozarks when viewed from the air, is celebrating its 31st year this May. This car show is open to a variety of makes and models and attracts roughly 10,000 attendees over the course of the weekend.

Magic Dragon is free to attend and features 1,000 registered vehicles spanning 30 different judging categories, ranging from the early 1900s to present day for "street rods," "rat rods," "street machines," "muscle cars," trucks and motorcycles.
The Bagnell Dam Strip will be closed to traffic on Saturday, May 4 so there will be ample display parking for the registered vehicles allowing the public the opportunity to get close-up views of these pristine autos.

In addition to all the vintage vehicles, there will be a special visit from the legendary Big Foot "monster" truck, along with a car-crushing demonstration at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Firestone Alley, located near Two-Bit Town on the "Strip." Attendees also will have the opportunity to meet the driver of Big Foot and get autographs as well. Other Magic Dragon events and activities  include a make-and-take model building station for children, golden oldies broadcast live on location by deejays from "Cool" 102.7 FM, a 50/50 raffle and a drawing for a brand new muscle car.

Show hours for the Magic Dragon Street Meet are 12 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Friday, 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Sunday. Winners of the poker run, 50/50 raffle, and drawing for the new muscle car will be announced from the main stage located at Lake Ozark Live, 1508 Bagnell Dam Boulevard, at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Judging of the show vehicles will take place Sunday morning from 9-11 a.m. Winners in 30 different competitive classes and the overall grand champion will be announced at 1 p.m. at the main stage.
For more information on the Magic Dragon Street Meet, including a full schedule of events and judging categories, visit  www.MagicDragonCarShow.com,  or like the event's Facebook page at  www.facebook.com/MagicDragonStreetMeet .

The party continues the next weekend with the kick-off of the 2019 Hot Summer Nights cruise-in events. Hot Summer Nights, which has been n amed the best annual event at the Lake of the Ozarks by Lake Lifestyles magazine, features  more cool cars and family fun.
The free five-part cruise-in takes place from 6 p.m. until 11 p.m. on the second Friday of every month (with the exception of September, when it will be held on the first Friday of the month), rain or shine, with the first Hot Summer Nights event on Friday, May 10.

Thousands of visitors attend each Hot Summer Nights event, making it the largest cruise-in in Missouri. The overall theme for this year's Hot Summer Nights series is "Cruisin' Back to the Lake," but each monthly event has its own individual theme, too. "Summer Warm Up" is the theme for the opening event on May 10 and  "Pony Car Rendezvous" is the theme for June 14. The July 12 event is all about "Hot Rods and Hot Cars" and August 9 is "Since '69!" The September 6 event is called "Salute to Our Heroes... Military, Police, Firefighters and EMTs" and is dedicated to all the men and women serving in uniforms.

For more information and updates on Hot Summer Nights, visit the event's Facebook page at  www.Facebook.com/cruisehotsummernights/ or the event's website atwww.HotSummerNightsCruise.com.

The historic Bagnell Dam Strip, with its eclectic selection of restaurants, shops and arcades is an ideal host location for these popular, fun summer-themed events.

There are many lodging options available for those looking to plan a spring and/or summer getaway to the Lake of the Ozarks. From full-service resorts to smaller, family-owned resorts, romantic bed and breakfasts to rustic cabins and comfortable campgrounds and RV parks, as well as rental vacation homes and condominiums, visitors have no shortage of lodging choices. For a complete listing of accommodations available around the Lake area, visit the "Lodging" page on the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitor Bureau's website atwww.FunLake.com.

Additional events, as well as year around attractions and information on all dining options available at the Lake of the Ozarks, also can be found on that website, or by calling 1-800-FUN-LAKE (386-5253).

2013 Events Continue to Warm Up Lake of the Ozarks

Events at Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks continue to pick up steam this weekend, May 10 - 12, with two big happenings centered around the Historic Bagnell Dam Strip.

Hot Summer Nights, a five-part automobile cruising series spectacular, returns for another season of cars, music, food and family fun on the historic Bagnell Dam Strip (Business Hwy. 54) in Lake Ozark. The series begins on May 10 from 6 until 11 p.m., and continues once a month on select Fridays during the summer (June 14, July 12, Aug. 9 and Sep. 6). Admission and cruise participation is free. In addition to food and drink, each Hot Summer Nights event features a live DJ, caricature artists, street-performing clowns, helicopter rides and other forms of entertainment. For more information about Hot Summer Nights, call the Lake Area Chamber at 800-451-4117, visit the event's website at CruiseHotSummerNights.com or visit the event's Facebook page at facebook.com/cruisehotsummernights for additional updates.

May 10 - 12 will see the return of The Bagnell Dam Rendezvous, a favorite event that has been absent from the Lake Area for the past few years. Located in the campgrounds below Bagnell Dam (the Osage River side of the dam), the Rendezvous is a step back in Missouri history as participants will set up camp as settlers and travelers did more than 100 years ago. There will be a blacksmith shop, Irish Pub with Irish creme soda, traders, craftsmen, demonstrations, black powder shoots, archery competition by KOSH Trading and Post Archery, hawk and knife throwing, fire starting, kids fishing contest, and more. There's also a potluck and live music on Saturday. Cost is $2 and children under 15 are free. Call the Dam Baitshop for camping fees. 573-365-9135.

First Big Weekend of the 2013 Season for Lake of the Ozarks

Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks is heating up the late spring season with the first big weekend of 2013 with two of the Lake Area's favorite events. By land or by lake, there is something for everyone the weekend of May 3rd through May 5th.

Celebrate automotive excellence and enjoy great family fun at the Magic Dragon Street Meet Nationals' silver anniversary on May 3-5 on the historic Bagnell Dam Strip (Business Hwy. 54) in Lake Ozark. The Street Meet Nationals, now in its 25th year, is a nationally-known, open-class car show, featuring all makes, models and years of cars, trucks and motorcycles. Each year, thousands of spectators attend this automotive festival to view over a thousand of the country's finest custom autos and motos. The Magic Dragon Street Meet's other attraction, the Generation NEXT Magic Dragon (located at Monarch Plaza in Lake Ozark), returns for its third year. GenNext runs May 3-4 and is specifically designed for the next generation of car enthusiasts. The GenNEXT location features tuner cars (Scion and other imports) and other highly customized foreign and domestic rides. Each Magic Dragon festival location features vendor villages, music, DJs and plenty of fun for the entire family. Admission is free. Judging-by-classification also is set to return to the Street Meet Nationals this year. Entry fee for these judging contests will be $5, with judging classes to be announced in the upcoming weeks.  For more information on this event, call 800-451-4117 or visit the Magic Dragon website at MagicDragonCarShow.com. 

The Spring Harbor Hop, May 4, starts the 2013 boating season at Lake of the Ozarks. This event, sponsored by the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau, is a boating festival in which participants "hop" (by water or land) to and from waterfront restaurants and marinas to draw playing cards and build a winning poker hand for prizes. Players can donate $15 per seven-card hand and start the hop by drawing their first card at any of the sponsoring restaurants and marinas along the Lake's main channel, the Big Niangua and Gravois arms. For more information about the Harbor Hop, call800-FUN-LAKE (386-5253). For a full list of participating Harbor Hop locations and event hours, visit FunLake.com/HarborHop.