Can-Am Games Come to The Lake in 2018

During a press conference on Wednesday, May 20th at Tan-Tar-A Resort, Lagina Fitzpatrick, Director of Sales for the Lake of the Ozarks Tri-County Lodging Association and member of the Lake of the Ozarks Can-Am Police-Fire Games Committee, announced that the Lake of the Ozarks has been selected as the host site for the 2018 Can-Am Police-Fire Games.

The Can-Am (Canadian-American) Games is an Olympic-style sporting event featuring over 50 different competitive categories including archery, basketball, cycling, fishing, golf, ice hockey, shooting, swimming, weightlifting, wrestling and many others. The Can-Am Games, which was started in 1977 to promote physical fitness and camaraderie among law enforcement, fire service, emergency medical service (EMS), protective services personnel and related agencies, is expected to bring 1,200 participants to the Lake from across the US and Canada. The 2018 Can-Am Police-Fire Games is slated for June 25 through July 1 and will take place throughout the entire Lake of the Ozarks area with Tan-Tar-A Resort serving as the host hotel.

"Hosting the Can-Am Games will have a huge economic impact for the Lake of the Ozarks of over $4 million and we look forward to working with the entire community on making the 2018 games a hugely successful event," Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick stated in her announcement that she and the 25 members of the Lake of the Ozarks Can-Am Police-Fire Games Committee have been working to bring the Games to the Lake for over two years. On behalf of Tri-County Lodging Association and the committee, Fitzpatrick expressed her gratitude to the Can-Am Games Federation board for selecting the Lake of the Ozarks as the host site and "making this dream a reality for the entire Lake area."

Fitzpatrick continued, "This has truly been the work of the community coming together for a common goal and could not take place without the support of our local law enforcement, fire, emergency and protective service personnel, their agencies and their boards." Fitzpatrick also acknowledged and thanked the boards and staff members of the Tri-County Lodging Association and the Convention & Visitor Bureau for their support and commitment.

Other speakers at the press conference included Captain Kelly Luttrell of the Camden County Sheriff's Office, Fire Chief Jeff Dorhauer of the Osage Beach Fire Protection District and Bill Merrylees, CEO of the Can-Am Police-Fire Games Federation board of directors.  Also present from the Can-Am board were Can-Am US president and treasurer Lynn Hillman, and Can-Am Canadian president Terry Tycholis.

Following the announcements, the press conference concluded with the joint signing of the contract by Bill Merrylees and Lagina Fitzpatrick.

This major international multi-day event takes place every other year and past locations include Regina, Saskatchewan; Milwaukee, Wis.; Spokane, Wash., London, Ontario; St. Cloud, Minn.; and York County, Pa. The 2016 games will be held in Thunder Bay, Ontario and the Lake of the Ozarks will host in 2018. The Lake also has the opportunity to be the back-to-back host site as its still in the running to host the 2020 games. The Can-Am Police-Fire Games Federation board will name the 2020 host in October 2015.

The Can-Am Games is a non-profit event. All proceeds from the 2018 Lake of the Ozarks Can-Am Police-Fire Games will go to Special Olympics Missouri. "Special Olympics Missouri is honored to be the designated charity of the 2018 Can-Am Games," says Mark Musso, president and CEO of Special Olympics Missouri. "We look forward to assisting the games' host committee with the resources of our 24,000 volunteers, 16,500 Special Olympics athletes and our event management staff."

For more information on the Can-Am Police-Fire Games, please visit www.CanAmPoliceFireGames.org.

Family Travel with Colleen Kelly Visits The Lake

Now airing its second season, PBS syndicated show, "Family Travel with Colleen Kelly" is set to show off Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks in their third episode of the season.

Rewind 1 year ago to June, 2014; The Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau played host to Colleen, her two daughters and production crew. With a jam-packed, four day itinerary secured, the cast, crew and members of the CVB staff set out to give the cameras a complete Lake of the Ozarks experience focusing on family friendly activities.

From deep underground to hundreds of feet above the entire Lake, the cast and crew filmed our caves, parks, attractions, fishing, water sports, local dining experiences, shopping destinations and lodging facilities. From a Convention & Visitor Bureau perspective, it was fantastic to see newcomers enjoy what Lake of the Ozarks has to offer first hand. The cast and crew stated numerous times how impressed they were with our destination and how they couldn't wait to come back and experience a vacation here without having to "work". It also reminded us (at the CVB) that we often forget how much fun there is to be had right here in our back yard. With the year-round, daily tasks that go into promoting our destination, we sometimes lose track of how fortunate we are to live and work in an area that most people only visit in their free time - and for that reminder, we sincerely thank Colleen and her crew.

Here is a 37 second preview of the Lake of the Ozarks episode:

The Family Travel with Colleen Kelly episode is set to air on Chicago PBS affiliate WTTW Channel 11 at 10:00 am on Saturday, May 16th and on Springfield, MO PBS affiliate KOZK on Sunday May 17th at 8:30 am and Wednesday May 20th at 8:30 am. The Lake episode will continue to air on PBS stations across the country throughout the summer and fall of 2015. Check local PBS schedules and set your DVRs. After the premier, the show will also be available to stream online on the Family Travel with Colleen Kelly website here: www.FamilyTravelCK.com

Additionally, Colleen Kelly recently featured Lake of the Ozarks as a favorite pick for her "Family Friendly Summer Vacation Destinations" segment on the Hallmark Channel's morning show, "Home & Family. You can see the full segment right here: 

A full gallery of photos taken during the taping of Family Travel with Colleen Kelly at Lake of the Ozarks can be viewed at http://funlake.zenfolio.com/familytravelck - And if you're looking to create your own memories at Lake of the Ozarks this summer, visit www.funlake.com for all of the information you need to plan your family vacation.

BROstock 2015 Set for May 27–30

Liquidforce's BROstock, the world's most prestigious professional wakeboarding event, returns to the Lake of the Ozarks with more high-flying, jaw-dropping on-the-water action, May 27-30, 2015.  Twenty-four of the world's elite wakeboarders will invade the Lake to compete for a prize pool worth over $30,000. Captain Ron's Bar and Grill in Sunrise Beach will be the host headquarters for the event. Admission to all BROstock events is free and the public is welcome to attend. BROstock officially kicks off on Wednesday, May 27 in Osage Beach with a meet and greet at Wake Effects marine dealership, followed by a barbecue at Performance Marine. On Thursday, the BROstock charity golf tournament tees off at noon at the Hidden Lakes course at Tan-Tar-A Resort followed by a 5 pm social hour at NautiFish Rum Bar in Camdenton. The heart-pumping, adrenaline-fueled fun begins on Friday, May 29 with the first round of the competition at Captain Ron's Pirates Cove at the 34.5 mile marker. From 2-7 pm, spectators in boats and floats will line the cove to watch the twenty-four competing wakeboarders push themselves to the limits. Following the first round, the general public is invited to attend a party at Captain Ron's where they can meet and mingle with the athletes. The 10 best riders from Friday's heat will compete again on Saturday, May 30 beginning at noon. Following this heat, at 2:30 pm, the final five competitors will go head-to-head to decide who will walk away with bragging rights and all the prizes. After the crowning of the 2015 BROstock champ, there will be a ten-year BROstock anniversary "blow out" party at Captain Ron's beginning at 6 pm. For a detailed map of the race area, a full roster of the participating competitors and complete schedule of events, please visit www.BROstock.com. For more information about accommodations, activities, events and dining at the Lake of the Ozarks, call the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB) at 1-800-FUN-LAKE, or visit the CVB's award-winning website, www.FunLake.com.

Memorial Weekend Celebrations at The Lake

Several resorts at the Lake of the Ozarks are celebrating the unofficial kick off of the summer travel season with stunning fireworks displays over Memorial Day Weekend, May 23-25.

Although June 21 is officially the first day of summer, Memorial Day Weekend has been the traditional start of the tourist season at the Lake, which gives many resorts, restaurants and local businesses plenty of reason to celebrate.

On Saturday evening, Bear Bottom Resort, in Sunrise Beach, will entertain visitors with live music from Money for Nothing beginning at 7 pm followed by a professional pyrotechnics display at 9:45 pm. The fun continues at Bear Bottom on Sunday with a live, double-bill concert featuring another performance by Money for Nothing from 7:00 - 9:30 pm, a second fireworks display at 9:45 pm and country music superstar Matt Stillwell will close out the evening with a much-anticipated performance beginning at 10 pm. For more information, call 573-374-6905 or visit www.BearBottomResort.com.

On Sunday, two of the Lake's premier resorts are sure to bring "oohs" and "aahs" with their fireworks displays over the Lake. Tan-Tar-A Resort, located in Osage Beach, invites Lake visitors to view its fireworks display by water at the 26-mile marker. Viewing opportunities on the resort property are for guests only. For more information, call 573-348-3131, or visit www.Tan-Tar-A.com. 

The Lodge of Four Seasons will host a grand opening of the newly redesigned cloverleaf swimming pool and poolside Parrot Bar throughout the holiday weekend and will also host a barbeque and carnival followed by fireworks on Sunday. The barbecue and carnival start at 5 pm on Sunday and cost $23 for adults and $12 for children. Reservations are highly recommended. The fireworks can also be viewed by water at the 13-mile marker. Call 800-843-5253 or visit www.4SeasonsResort.com for more information.

Those who would like to see the Memorial Day fireworks in style can reserve a spot on the Tropic Island or Celebration luxury cruise yachts.  Make reservations by calling the Tropic Island at 573-348-0083 or the Celebration at 573-480-3212. These cruises fill up fast, so travelers who want to experience the fireworks by water should reserve their spots early.

There is always something special to see or do at Missouri's Fun Lake. Find out more about the events, activities, accommodations and dining at FunLake.com or by calling 1-800-FUN-LAKE (386-5253).

Battle of Monday's Hollow, A Civil War Reenactment Weekend

Experience history as it comes to life May 30-31 with two reenactments of the Battle of Monday's Hollow at a Living History and Civil War Reenactment Weekend, held at the Missouri Trapshooters Association Grounds located at 51 Trapshooters Road off of State Road A near Linn Creek.

This event, sponsored by the Camden County Historical Society & Museum, will feature a full-scale, historically accurate reenactment of the battle on both Saturday and Sunday to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War, 1861-1865. 

Although Missouri was the third bloodiest state during the war, its role in the conflict is often overshadowed by the major battles of Virginia and Tennessee. Missouri was home to several large scale engagements, but much of the bloodshed resulted from ambushes and skirmishes. 

"The Battle of Monday's Hollow is a perfect example of what happened in Missouri throughout the Civil War because it was a skirmish," says Valerie Thomas, event coordinator and Camden County Historical Society & Museum archivist. "In October 1861, a wagon train left Rolla, Mo. for Linn Creek loaded with wintertime supplies for the troops stationed in the area. As the wagons entered Camden County, 40 Union infantry men accompanying the wagons were ambushed by rebel soldiers. As the Union troops gave chase, they quickly realized they were riding into a trap as they found themselves surrounded by hundreds of Confederate soldiers. Word spread to the nearby Union calvary, who came to their rescue and in the end, 62 Confederates were killed in the fight with only one Union casualty."

The event runs from 9 am to 5 pm Saturday and 8 am to 3 pm Sunday and will feature many period-specific activities throughout the weekend. The reenactment of the Battle of Monday's Hollow will start at 1 p.m. each day. Afterwards, according to Thomas, "the 'dead will rise' and we will reenact a more 'generic' Civil War battle with cannons, calvaries, and the whole works."

Battle reenactments of this scale generally attract an average of about 400-600 reenactors and spectators can often number in the thousands. Thomas is expecting around 6,000 attendees this year.

"It's the only reenactment of its kind in the central portion of Missouri," Thomas continues. "It's like having a front row seat to a live-action Civil War battle movie. It's quite a spectacle - Union and Confederate soldiers with sabers drawn, cannons firing, infantries shooting and the cavalry charging. Adults are absolutely fascinated by it, and kids love it, too. It's really a spectacular two-day event."

Each day visitors to the grounds can walk through Confederate and Union military camps and interact with the soldiers on both sides. Throughout the weekend, strolling minstrels will be on the grounds entertaining visitors with Civil War-period music and songs and there will be interpretative reenactment speakers talking about the effects of the war and the life of slaves. On Saturday, from 7-9 p.m., there will be a Civil War dance where soldiers in full regalia and women in period dresses will join arms and step and swing to the authentic sounds of the Gum Springs Serenaders. The dance is free and open to the public, and anyone wishing to join in the fun is welcome. Following the dance, 11 cannons will make an "announcement" using multi-colored powdered flares to close out the evening. A Civil War-era worship service is also scheduled at 8 a.m. Sunday.

Attendees can complete the historical experience by visiting the "sutler village," consisting of period vendors, craftsmen, laundresses, woodworkers and soap makers peddling their wares, all of which will be for sale to the public. There also will be traveling museums and a Civil War-era medical tent. Inside the medical tent, visitors can learn how surgery was performed and how illnesses were treated in the 1860s, as well as observe a demonstration of how wounded soldiers would have been treated in the heat of battle.

A variety of food vendors are scheduled to be at the site, featuring pulled pork, chicken and ribeye sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, nachos, funnel cakes, kettle corn, ice cream and more.

Admission is free to this maximum-effort reenactment of the only Civil War battle fought in Camden County. Parking is available for suggested donations of $10 per car and $5 per motorcycle. Handicap parking is available and shuttles to and from the battle field will be free of charge.

For more information, including an event schedule or for details on how to get involved with the reenactment, call the museum at 573-346-7191 or visit CamdenCountyMuseum.com. The Camden County Historical Society & Museum is located at the corner of U.S. 54 and Route V in Linn Creek and is open from 10 am to 4 pm five days a week (when volunteers are available).

Spring Harbor Hop at Lake of the Ozarks

Kick off the spring boating season at the Lake of the Ozarks - and win big prizes - during the 18th Annual Spring Harbor Hop poker run on Saturday, May 2.  Spring Harbor Hop participants will try to complete the best poker hand (or hands) by traveling by lake or by land to their choice of waterfront checkpoints across the Lake (there are over 40 businesses consisting primarily of bars, restaurants and marinas on the Hop). While all the stops for the event are boater friendly, participants also can enjoy the day and the scenery by land, driving from one location to the next. "The Spring Harbor Hop happens at a time when many flowers and trees around the Lake are in full bloom, so it's just gorgeous," CVB Director of Member Services Heather Brown says.  "Many people make a full day of it, as the event lets them enjoy the food and fun of the Lake, all while taking in our beautiful spring scenery. This year we're expecting as many as 1,400 people to come out to celebrate the beginning of the boating season." Players will begin their "hop" by making a suggested donation of $20 per hand and drawing their first card at any of the participating locations. Six additional cards will be drawn for each hand as participants visit the various Harbor Hop locations around the Lake. When the seventh card is drawn, the hand is complete and is turned in at that final location. An additional card to help improve the hand can be obtained at that final location for a $5 donation.  Prizes will be awarded for the top 10 poker hands at the Hop, as well as the four worst hands and 10 randomly selected winners. All eligible hands must be turned in by 7 p.m. Winners will be notified by certified mail. There also will be prizes for "section winners" who complete their entire hand in one of these four sections: Section I is the Gravois Arm of the Lake Section II includes Bagnell Dam to the 10 mile marker on the Main Channel Section III runs from the mile markers 13-26 on the Main Channel Section IV includes mile markers 31-38 on the Main Channel and Big Niangua Arm Most Harbor Hop locations open at 11 a.m., though some open as early as 9 a.m. Hours will vary from location to location, so "hoppers" should consult the list of locations and operating hours by visiting FunLake.com/HarborHop. Complete rules for the Harbor Hop can also be found on that site, or by calling the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitor Bureau at 1-800-FUN-LAKE (386-5253).

Year-Round Fishing at Lake of the Ozarks

If your vacation luggage always includes a tackle box, Central Missouri's Lake of the Ozarks is the perfect year-round destination for you. The Lake includes 54,000 acres of fish-filled water and is fed by several rivers and their tributaries - the Osage River, the Big and Little Niangua arms, Gravois Arm and Grand Glaize Arm - so there is plenty of fishing fun for everyone. Crappie, bass and catfish are the most common catches, but other species, like walleye and bluegill, await anglers as well. Fishing is fun at the Lake for both serious sport fishers and casual enthusiasts of all age and skill levels. "If you're interested in catching your daily limits of large and small mouth bass, white bass, crappie and catfish, the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks provides a wonderful opportunity to accomplish that. Some of our family's fondest memories were created with one-on-one time fishing with our children," Jim Divincen, administrator for the Lake of the Ozarks Tri-County Lodging Association, said. Anytime is a great time for crappie fishing at the Lake of the Ozarks. Spring means spawning in the shallows at the Lake and nearly everyone can cast a minnow and bobber into the water and catch fish. In the summer, you'll have to fish in deeper waters or try night fishing for the best success. Dock fishing is great in fall, when crappie like to stay in tighter schools near the structures. Don't put away the tackle in the winter, either, as a number of the Lake area's smaller family-owned resorts offer heated fishing docks, perfect for catching crappie when the weather turns cooler. If bass are your target, the Lake of the Ozarks has plenty of largemouth, white and spotted, all of which can be caught year-round. In spring and fall, the Missouri Department of Conservation suggests the use of topwater baits, plastic worms, jigs, crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Winter is an excellent time to catch bass by slowly fishing jerkbaits off points or pea gravel banks. Spring and fall bass and crappie tournaments offer big purses, making a fun day on the water very profitable, as well. "We know about catching big fish in Central Missouri. We're blessed to have one of the top fisheries in the entire country here at the Lake of the Ozarks, hosting more than 500 fishing tournaments annually, primarily in the spring and fall," Divincen said. "We're also home to three of the BassMaster Classic Winners, Denny Brauer, the first ever fisherman to be featured on the Wheaties Box, and father and son winners Guido and Dion Hibdon." Channel, blue and flathead catfish all can be found at the Lake of the Ozarks. The best months for catching channel catfish are April through September, according to the Department of Conservation, though blue catfish remain active later into the fall and can be caught year-round.  Blue catfish tend toward the open water, so fishing in the mouths of coves and deep flats brings the best success. To catch channel catfish, keep bait on or near the bottom and stay near the shoreline. Use live bait and stay near large boulders or woody cover to land flathead catfish. The Lake of the Ozarks has made a point of providing top-notch services for anglers for decades. Public launching sites are available in the Lake area's two state parks - Lake of the Ozarks State Park and Ha Ha Tonka State Park - as well as at full-service marinas and resorts around the Lake.  Many of the same marinas and resorts offer boat rentals. Fishing guides make for a relaxing and effortless fishing experience. With one call, you can book these professionals, who will take you to the Lake's fishing "hot spots," and will also provide the boat and all the equipment needed for the excursion. Fishing licenses are required for most anglers in Missouri. For more information, or to apply online, visit the Missouri Department of Conservation at www.mdc.mo.gov/permits. Whether you're fishing with your buddies or your family, your time off the water can be as enjoyable as the time you spend fishing. The Lake of the Ozarks has activities and events for every age and interest.  To learn more about these, plus dining and accommodations options, call the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB) at1-800-FUN-LAKE, or visit the CVB's award-winning website at www.FunLake.com.