Liverpool Legends Make Their 6th Annual Stop at The Lake

Once again in 2014, the Grammy Nominated and award-winning Beatles tribute band, Liverpool Legends, will come to the stage at Main Street Music Hall in Osage Beach for two performances, on Friday and Saturday, March 7 & 8, at 8 pm. Branson's Liverpool Legends tribute show, created by Louise Harrison, sister of the late George Harrison, gives audiences the full Beatles experience.

  

Louise Harrison has been a part of what she describes as "The Global Family of Beatle People," since her youngest brother came to America with the "Fab Four" in the 1960s. She hand-picked the performers for the Liverpool Legends show both for their striking physical resemblance to the original Beatles and also for their musical expertise.  

These talented artists faithfully recreate performances throughout the Beatles' career, complete with wardrobe changes to represent the different eras of the band's history, and then continue on through the years of band members' solo performances. Vintage video footage of the Beatles serves as a backdrop for the performance and audience members are invited to relive the experience of a live concert by standing near the stage. The result is a widely acclaimed and crowd-pleasing tribute that engages audience members and takes them back in time to the years when the world was watching the Beatles.

Tickets are available from the Tri-County Lodging Association and The Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau. Premium seats are $30 for adults and children; regular reserved seating is $25 for adults and $20 for children. The venue will sell out quickly, so it's recommended that tickets be purchased early. For more information, call 800-FUN-LAKE (386-5253) or visit the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau's special event website, www.funlake.com/liverpoollegends. For information on Lake Area lodging, dining, attractions and more, visit www.funlake.com.

Polar Plunge at the Lake Set for Feb. 22, 2014

Only brave souls with warm hearts would be inclined to take a dip in Lake of the Ozarks in February. On February 22, costumed participants will "take the plunge" into the frigid waters of the Lake as part of their commitment to Special Olympics Missouri's year-round program of sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. 

Festivities at the event include a costume parade before the 2:30 pm plunge, when participants walk, run or crawl into the cold winter waters of the Lake from Public Beach #2 in Lake of the Ozarks State Park. All participants fundraise for the Special Olympics prior to the plunge and prizes are awarded for top fundraisers. These donations help the participating individuals and teams show their pride and dedication to the cause and give them, as one team puts it, "a reason for freezin'." Spectators crowd the shoreline at the event, cheering on their favorite participants and showing their support for the cause. The Polar Plunge is a project of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Missouri and is proudly hosted by the Osage Beach Police Department. To register yourself or a team to take the plunge, or to donate to your favorite participant, visit the Special Olympics of Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks Polar Plunge page at http://bit.ly/1kA5rm0.

To view a complete series of photos from the 2013 Polar Plunge, check our our Flickr photo set at http://bit.ly/YAGOZ6.

Lake of the Ozarks Mardi Gras Pub Crawl 2014

Missourians know they don't have to go to Louisiana to celebrate Mardi Gras. Lake of the Ozarks' 13th annual Mardi Gras Pub Crawl will offer great food and live entertainment on Feb. 15, beginning at 4 pm. For just $10, participants get a wristband granting them admission to more than 20 pub crawl restaurants and night spots, all of which feature live entertainment by bands and DJs. The $10 participation fee also includes shuttle transportation. A total of 32 buses will take participants from venue to venue, as well as picking up and dropping off at participating area hotels and motels. Pub crawl organizer Jeff Carroll says it is the Lake's biggest winter event, with more than 6,800 people participating in 2013. See over 60 photos from the 2013 event on our Flickr Page here. For more information on this year's Pub Crawl, visit www.LakePubCrawl.com

Eagle Days 2014

Dates for the 2014 Lake of the Ozarks Eagle Days event are set for January 4th and 5th. Bundle up in coats, hats and gloves and bring binoculars and cameras for this popular winter event, which features majestic wild eagles.  These awesome creatures nest in the bluffs around the Lake of the Ozarks and Eagle Days provides a great opportunity to see and appreciate their beauty. 


The event includes hourly programs at Osage National Golf Resort, featuring naturalists with eagles from the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis. Wild eagle viewing through telescopes provided by the Lake Area Astronomy Club will be at Willmore Lodge each day. Eagle viewing, nest building, rope making and free hot chocolate will be available at the Bagnell Dam River Access.  New for 2014, the Country Club Hotel will host two programs given by Dickerson Park Zoo, featuring owls, hawks and vultures along with interactive exhibits and crafts. The shows will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday and 10:30 a.m. on Sunday rotating every hour.  Eagle Days activities are free, but donations are gladly accepted. To view the entire schedule of Eagle Days activities, visit LakeoftheOzarksEagleDays.com

2014 Holiday Lights at Lake of the Ozarks

Lake of the Ozarks shows off its natural beauty for photographers all year, but when it gets dressed up for the holidays, it offers glitz and sparkle that demand a close-up from visiting camera bugs.  Thousands of lights reflect the joy of the season off the Lake's quiet waters, adding an aquatic theme to the holidays.

Twinkling lights are the stars of the show at drive-through holiday light parks around the Lake area. 

   

In Laurie, the 21st Annual Enchanted Village of Lights turns the 27-acre Laurie Fairgrounds into a winter wonderland from November 21st to January 1st.  Some of the displays are massive - up to 30 feet tall and 30 feet wide - while others come to life through animation.  Many are being equipped with LED lights to shine brightly throughout the park.  None of them, however, shine as brightly as the eyes of the children who visit, according to Susann Huff, Laurie's events and parks coordinator.  "I just love to see the kids' eyes when they arrive," she said.  "They can't believe it. It's hard to take it all in." 

  

Work has already begun on preparing the spectacle for visitors, expected to top 16,000 people again this year. The Enchanted Village of Lights opens each day at 5 pm to 9 pm, staying open to 10 pm on the weekends. There is no charge to drive through the village, but any donations will be put to use in refurbishing and preserving the displays for the future. More information about the event can be found at CityofLaurie.com/EnchantedLights.htm.

   

Also, just a mile down the road in Laurie is the Lake area's most enduring drive-through Christmas lights event - Saint Patrick's Festival of Lights, celebrating 31 years when the lights go on this Thanksgiving evening. The Shrine of St. Patrick on Hwy. 5 on the north side of Laurie also is the site of the National Shrine of Mary, Mother of the Church, so this festival of lights focuses on Jesus and his mother, Mary. The drive-through festival will be open daily from 6 pm to 10 pm until January 1st. New for this year, the gift shop will be open during festival hours and volunteers will be serving hot chocolate and apple cider. The Festival of Lights is a free event, though donations are accepted.

  

Versailles joins the lighting celebration from November 27th through January 1st with its own Unity Circle of Lights, featuring 40 lighted holiday exhibits in the Versailles City Park, at the junction of Highways 5 and 52 in Morgan County. The Unity Circle of Lights, too, is offered free of charge to visitors.

Last but not least, Deck the Docks is back for 2014 to light up the Lake of the Ozarks waterfront. www.cruiselake.com for more information or call (573) 480-3212 to reserve your tickets.
Climb aboard the Celebration Cruise Boat for a view of beautiful lakefront homes and docks decorated for the season. This is truly a memorable holiday experience that you can only find at Lake of the Ozarks. Cruises run every Friday and Saturday evening between November 27th through December 27th. Tickets must be purchased in advance for this one-of-a-kind attraction. As an added holiday bonus, a part of the proceeds go to support the Dogwood Animal Shelter.  

  

Learn more about all of these drive-through lights parks at: LakeHolidayLights.com/parks. Additional holiday event information can be found on the Lake's most complete event calendar at www.funlakeevents.com.

If you plan to visit the Lake for an extended shopping trip or if you want a beautiful location to host your family's holiday gathering, www.funlake.com has a complete list of Lake homes and condos to bring everyone together under one roof. Make this year's holiday season one to remember.

Autumn Color at Lake of the Ozarks

It is mid-October and Autumn is beginning to show some color all across the Lake of the Ozarks area. Fall is the perfect season to enjoy our two Missouri State Parks, scenic boat rides and seasonal festivals. If you happen to live in the Lake Area or if you are thinking of making one last visit before the weather takes a turn, now is the time to get outdoors and enjoy the Lake.

Of course, the most common question that we get this time of year is, "When will the fall colors peak at the Lake?". The truth is, we aren't aware of a way to accurately predict the exact peak of foliage color. What we can tell you is that, traditionally, our trees look their best in the week leading up to Halloween. This time varies year to year and it looks to be slightly delayed for 2013; meaning that you may still see some colorful scenery into the first week of November. Be aware that once the peak hits, colors drop very quickly and we could begin to see bare branches within just a few days afterwards. All that said, you certainly will not be disappointed if you head to the Lake right now. Hiking trails and scenic overlooks are bustling with activity as our weather has been great for enjoying a long walk in the woods. 

Don't forget your camera! We love to see and share our visitors' Lake experiences, and Fall makes for some awesome photo opportunities. If you happen to be an Instagram and/or Twitter user, follow @FunLakeMO and tag your snapshots with the hashtags #LakeoftheOzarks and #funlake. If Facebook is your thing, share a photo or two to the Lake of the Ozarks Page at www.facebook.com/funlake. We look forward to sharing and re-tweeting Lake of the Ozarks from your point of view.

If you're looking for a place to stay or if you are wondering if your favorite waterfront restaurant or dining establishment is still open for business, www.funlake.com has all of the contact information you need to plan an Autumn visit to Lake of the Ozarks. We even have downloadable State Park trail maps in the Outdoors section to help you pick the perfect hiking spot for you and your family. 

Lake of the Ozarks Still Open for Business

All that is great about fall in Missouri is ready and waiting for travelers at the Lake of the Ozarks. The bass are biting, the leaves are putting on a color show and the temperatures are just right for favorite outdoor activities like camping, fishing and boating. While some recreation areas on US Army Corps of Engineers lakes have been affected by the federal government shutdown, all services and amenities on the privately owned Lake of the Ozarks are open and available.

 "Visitors can come to the Lake knowing they will find all of our boat ramps, campgrounds, resorts and activities open and ready to accommodate them," Lake of the Ozarks Tri-County Lodging Association Executive Vice President Jim Divincen said.  "Autumn is a beautiful time at the Lake.  We hope travelers will come and see for themselves all the Lake of the Ozarks offers in the fall."
  
The three counties in the Lake area offer lodging options including family and fishing resorts, luxury resorts, condos and lake homes, bed and breakfasts and hotels and motels. Public and private campgrounds offer hundreds of sites, with options from primitive, no-frills tent sites to fully equipped RV sites. For those who enjoy rustic camping without pitching a tent, some campgrounds and parks offer rental options from cabins (including treehouse cabins) to yurts.

The fall season is one of the best times of the year to ensure outstanding fishing success at one of the country's best bass fishing lakes. Fishermen and fisherwomen can launch their boats at boat ramps in the state park, some resorts or campgrounds, rent a boat at an area marina or fish right from the docks. Bass tournaments on three October weekends offer the opportunity to win prizes for the biggest catch.

Visitors can complete their fall vacation with golfing on championship courses, shopping at the state's largest outlet mall and sampling a portion of the Lake's restaurants and nightlife. Travelers can plan their worry-free fall vacations by visiting the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitor Bureau at FunLake.com.