Labor Day weekend gives grand finale to summer season

Lake of the Ozarks' fall season begins next weekend with family festivals

Camdenton R-3 fifth- and sixth-grade students Emmitt and Karmello Reynolds enjoyed a peaceful swim Friday near the spring cove parking lot at Ha Ha Tonka State Park.
Camdenton R-3 fifth- and sixth-grade students Emmitt and Karmello Reynolds enjoyed a peaceful swim Friday near the spring cove parking lot at Ha Ha Tonka State Park.

Every time Toni Sumner travels from Chicago to visit her mother in Osage Beach, they make sure to enjoy Lake of the Ozarks' scenic waterways at their favorite shoreline spot.

photo

The Zac Brown Band

The pair relaxed, talked and kicked off their Labor Day weekend together at Ha Ha Tonka State Park, as many visitors and residents did by swimming along the shore, boating in the cove by Ha Ha Tonka Spring, hiking up to the Ha Ha Tonka Castle ruins or fishing on the public docks.

With Labor Day weekend underway, the initial spotty rain showers Friday didn't detour thousands from flocking to the Midwestern playground for a final summertime vacation. Families, couples and friends enjoyed walking the trails, fishing and camping at the two state parks, shopping at the hundreds of local businesses, indulging in go-kart races and mini-golf tournaments and boating on the lake's waters.

The last big holiday weekend to the Lake's summer tourist season doesn't mean tourists don't return for family fun. The next few weekends offer up more than a handful of popular and family-friendly events encouraging visitors to return and hard-working residents to get out and play.

As its summer-long festival comes to a close, guests can spend some quality time on Bagnell Dam Strip during the Hot Summer Nights finale Friday in Lake Ozark.

photo

GPS scavenger hunt at Pinnacle

This event marks the Vettes for Veterans salute, with soldiers riding in Corvettes down Bagnell Dam Strip in a special patriotic salute. While guests browse through the numerous classic and customized cars, trucks and motorcycles that cruise-in each month, visitors to this Missouri Tourism Innovator Award winning festival can also partake in a variety of family activities such as facepainting, caricatures, clowns, live music, contests and many other festivities.

For more information, call Bob Schwartz at 573-348-4053, or visit www.cruisehotsummernights.com. Also, visit the Hot Summer Nights Facebook page.

On Saturday, the City of Osage Beach will host its 14th Annual Fall Festival and Concert in the Park at Osage Beach City Park.

From 10 a.m.-5 p.m., the activities will be abound as guests can enjoy a variety of entertainment, including performances by LOZ Community Dance, Branson's Heart to Heart and Denim & Lace Band, the MDC-sponsored kids pellet gun shooting, archery and dutch oven cooking, bounce houses and inflatable's, petting zoo, Adopt-A-Pet booths, educational booths and displays, health and wellness information, a variety of craft and arts vendors, the Bow Wow Contest at noon and much more. At 6 p.m. the Travis Gibson Band will take to the stage, ending the event at 9 p.m.

Admission is free. For more information, call 573-302-2000, ext. 290 or visit www.osagebeach-mo.gov.

The Laurie/Sunrise Beach Rotary Club's Tenth Annual Westlake Street Machine Fall Follies Car Show is scheduled Saturday at the Laurie Fairgrounds.

There will be exhibits of classic cars, trucks, motorcycles and drag boats from all across the Midwest, as well as a judged car show. A police escorted car cruise is scheduled at 4:30 p.m. Saturday on Highway 5 in Laurie. Spectators may watch the cruise on Highway 5 between Route O and Highway 135.

After the cruise, at approximately 6 p.m., there will be an awards ceremony in the beer gardens. The public is then invited to a free concert with the Helen Russell Band in the beer gardens. A free fireworks display will be at dark, also in the park.

Admission/parking to the car show is $5 per person, or $10 for a truckload until 3 p.m. After 3 p.m., admission and parking are free for the evening's activities. The gates open at 7 a.m. and registration begins at 8 a.m. For more information call Gene Van De Woestyne at 573-836-2530.