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Mon. Nov 4th, 2024

 

Lake Of The Ozarks Shootout Returning To Osage Beach In 2025

All News RSS Feed Business State News Top Stories Thursday, October 17th, 2024

The Lake of The Ozarks Shootout is coming back to Osage Beach.

That according to a release sent out by the organization on Thursday, indicating the event will now take place at Dog Days & The soon-to-be Oasis at Lakeport in 2025.

The Shootout was previously hosted for over a decade at longtime nightclub Shooters 21, before it was sold to a housing developer in the 2000s.

From then the Shootout was moved to Captain Ron’s in 2008 following a bid by owner Ron Duggan, which was chosen over a bid by Dog Days and the former Topsider, and another bid by The Horny Toad.

The new course & host location is still under consideration by the State of Missouri in regards to the regatta permit.

If approved, the course will be within the state park, where it effects less water traffic and homes than it did at the Captain Ron’s location.

To see more about the proposed changes, read below:

 

In an attempt to optimize charitable fundraising potential and heighten the overall experience for racers, spectators, and sponsors in 2025, the 37th Annual Lake of the Ozarks Shootout is excited to announce its new host location of Dog Days Bar & Grill while utilizing docks or other completed portions of Oasis at Lake of the Ozarks & Marriott Resort and Conference Center. In due course and upon the completion of all ongoing construction, the relationship between Oasis & Marriott Resort and Conference Center and the Shootout will foreseeably evolve into a ‘block host location’ between all establishments.
Located by land off of Jeffries Road in Osage Beach, Missouri, both Dog Days Bar & Grill and future additional host locations are accessible by water at the 19-mile mark of the Main Channel. The Shootout’s two-day races, scheduled to take place on August 23rd and 24th, 2025, will take place just south of the Grand Glaize Bridge’s crossing at the 2-mile mark of the Grand Glaize Arm, nestled along the beautiful shores of the vast Lake of the Ozarks State Park.
“We are very excited to be moving the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout to a new location on the Lake that we believe will be safer for the racers, better for the attendees and vendors, and, most importantly, to help us raise even more funds for Lake area charities,” explained Taylor Scism, a dedicated member of the Shootout Board of Directors and Marine Technology, Inc. (MTI)’s vice president. “We have grown exponentially over the last few years, and this new location will be able to grow with us.”
Although the complex logistics of relocating an event of this magnitude approximately 15 nautical miles downstream are still ongoing, the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout—a standalone 501©(3) organization—is actively working with State of Missouri safety officials to secure its regatta permit, and to finalize the course for next year’s spirited races.
“After many long meetings and lengthy discussions in regard to the future of the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, our board of directors decided that 2025 was the year to take this incredible leap,” said Shootout Board President Mark Maasen (2024-present). “Our biggest concern is and will always be safety, and the new course and host location’s close proximity to Lake Regional Hospital—along with overall boat slip availability and the adjacency of other facilities at no additional cost to the Shootout—helped us make this incredibly difficult but exciting decision. Since 2008, Captain Ron’s Bar & Grill has been a great venue, and we are incredibly thankful for their years of dedication to the Lake of the Ozarks’ most profitable fundraiser and the world’s largest unsanctioned boat race. Sometimes, amazing opportunities fall into your lap, and they are too great to pass up. This monumental moment is one of those opportunities.”
In addition to an amplified experience for racers, spectators, and sponsors, it is the hope of the Shootout to strengthen safety parameters and increase infrastructural support while creating an even greater economic impact on the many tightly knit communities across the Lake of the Ozarks. The ease of access by both land and water, along with the increased potential for raising even more funds for the Shootout’s many charitable organizations and first responders, were also key factors behind this decision.
“I think that this is going to be a great thing for the Lake area,” said Osage Beach Police Department Chief Todd Davis (2011-present). “Of course, the Shootout started here in Osage Beach when it began at Shooters 21, and I think that Dog Days Bar & Grill will be a great location for it to take place next year. Our department is glad to have the Shootout back and I think that the City of Osage Beach is, too. It is labor intensive because of traffic control, but we have handled it before, and we will have even more options in that vicinity once the construction at Oasis is completed. I think it’s going to be a win-win for everyone.”
In line with Police Chief Davis’s sentiments, Fire Chief Paul Berardi of the Osage Beach Fire Protection District (2019-present) also welcomes the Shootout to his department’s jurisdiction with open arms.
“We are excited to welcome the 2025 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout to our fire district,” Berardi said. “For the past 36 years, the Shootout has been a vital supporter of Lake area first responders, and we are honored to be part of this tradition. Next year’s course offers an exceptional location for both spectators and racers, with safety as the top priority. The Osage Beach Fire Protection District, alongside our partners at the Mid-County, Lake Ozark, Sunrise Beach, and Gravois Fire Protection Districts, along with hundreds of other volunteers, will be on hand to ensure that the safety requirements of this great event are fully supported. We look forward to another thrilling race!”
As for Dog Days Bar & Grill Co-Owner Mark Barrett, he could not be more excited about what next year will bring the City of Osage Beach.
“We are very excited to be the host location of the 37th Annual Lake of the Ozarks Shootout,” explained Barrett. “Dog Days will be in its 32nd year, so we have seen the tremendous growth of this event. It’s truly amazing to see the entire Lake area come together for the largest charitable fundraiser in the region. We look forward to partnering with the Shootout committee to continue this tradition.”
In addition to Dog Days Bar & Grill, the developer of Oasis & Marriott Resort and Conference Center hopes to further support the present-day and future needs of the Shootout.
“Our original vision for Oasis was to create a world-class, year-round, family-focused entertainment venue that will be the center of gravity for the Lake for decades to come,” explained Jeff Tegethoff, developer and owner of Oasis & Marriott Resort and Conference Center. “Hosting the Shootout will be a great honor and we are thrilled to be a part of the next phase of growth and global recognition for this marquis event. The work that (Shootout Executive Director) Leah Martin and her team have done to elevate the Shootout aligns perfectly with the vision for Oasis—’Where Moments Become Memories.’”
For more information about the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout or to discuss sponsorship opportunities, please email: Director@LakeoftheOzarksShootout.com.
For more information on events and registration in 2025, please visit: www.LakeoftheOzarksShootout.com.

All News RSS Feed Business State News Top Stories Thursday, October 17th, 2024

Reporter John Rogger