The new Lake of the Ozarks Shootout course layout sends race boats in the opposite direction of the 2008 and 2009 Shootouts. The new starting line sits at the 33rd mile marker near Standing Rock Hollow Cove. The finish line still sits at the 34th mile marker on the southern shore of the channel.

The shutdown zone runs from the 34th mile marker to the Hurricane Deck Bridge.

The new course will present a challenge for the racers. Some of the Shootout’s most grizzled veterans aren’t sure what sort of speeds the 2010 course will offer.

“Nobody knows,” Nauti Marine Crew Chief Myrick Coil said. Coil set up the 50 foot Mystic that propelled David Scott and John Tomlinson to back-to-back Top Gun titles at Captain Ron’s.

At speeds well above 150 mph, the slightest wind on the water can drastically affect a run.

“Is the wind going to be out of the west that day up your nose?” Coil said, referring to the aerodynamics at play with catamaran hulls.

B and B Farm, LLC, Russellville, Mo., has been certified to hold and instruct Girl Scout horse camps by the Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland.

Members of the local U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 30-05 at Lake of the Ozarks, are offering free zebra mussel inspections on boats starting on Wednesday, Aug. 11.
The inspections are being offered through a grant received by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
Freshwater lakes across Missouri including Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock and Smithville are all involved.

Christmas came early this year. Instead of waiting until Dec. 25, the infamous Santa that has been spotted ploughing the waters of Lake of the Ozarks on his personal watercraft for the last 10 years is ready to make his rounds during  the July Fourth holiday to visit with as many kids and adults as possible.
It’s become a tradition for Richard Luelf, of Lake Ozark and Kentucky, to cruise the lake in mid-summer dressed as Santa Claus, reminding kids and adults alike that the jolly old elf is alive and well and keeping an eye of who’s being good.
This year Luelf figures he will visit about 150 kids and adults over the weekend.

The Fellowship of Christian Athletes will hold the first FCA Power Camp at Camdenton Middle School from June 21-25.

The best way Dan Dougan can describe his love of cycling to skeptics is that it’s a culture, a lifestyle.

For as long as he can remember, there’s always been a bike in his life. When he was young, it was riding around the neighborhood with other kids. In college, it was fixing up a beat-up mountain bike to ride; and later, it was commuting his first-born son to daycare.

Now, as the owner of Oz Cycles and Kayak in Lake Ozark, Dougan’s love of outdoors is so ingrained in his everyday life, it’s as natural as breathing or eating.

For Kevin and Jade Sellers, nothing compares to a day on the water, riding or hitting trails. If it involves the great outdoors and healthy living, the Sellers are ready to embrace it.

Anywhere will do but there's no place quite like what they find right here at home at Lake of the Ozarks.

Whether they are looking for a calm ride, the excitement of a fast moving chute on one of the many streams and rivers in the region or the open waterways of Lake of the Ozarks, there's always a new experience in their own backyard.

The couple are true outdoor enthusiasts. For the past several weeks, Kevin and jade have taken time to haul out their kayaks and gear and join the 20-day Fit and Fun Challenge with their faithful companion, Buster along for the ride.

Camping Paradise began as a dream for Kenny Hutchens. The man with 32 years of experience as a lake-area businessman and developer didn’t need blueprints to bring his vision to reality when he set out to create a place where people from all walks of life could enjoy nature.

“It was just something that I have always kind of wanted to do and thought it would be fun," he said.

"Everybody said, ‘boy, you must have done a lot of camping to build it like this,’ and I’ve never done any camping in my life,” Hutchens joked “I was raised and born with common sense and that's what I use to do all of my work."

The common sense approach led to the creation of a park that offers a little something for everyone in the family.

AmerenUE plans to have the lake level at Bagnell Dam sitting at or near 656.5

Bagnell Dam reporting website

The Lake of the Ozarks Marine Dealers Association is gearing up for their annual April In-Water Boat Show. This year’s show will bring a few changes. First and foremost of which is the location. This year’s boat show will be held at Dog Days Bar & Grill at the 19-mile marker, Friday through Sunday April 16-18.

Hours of the show this year are Friday, April 16 from 1-9 p.m., Saturday, April 17 from 10 a.m.-9 p.m., and Sunday, April 18 from  10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission is $5  per adult. Children 11 and under are free

You just never can tell what you might find at one of the Jacob's Cave Meadowlands Swap Meets.

You can swap, barter or buy everything from exotic poultry to guns and antiques.

The next swap meet is April 1-4.
Gates open from 6 a.m.-10 p.m.

Looking for a fun-filled day of flowing green beer and the chance to get out before spring? Look no further than the annual St. Patrick's Day celebrations going on around the Lake area.

Events
• St. Paddy's Day Pub Crawl
• St. Patrick's Parade on the Water
• St. Patrick's Day Parade
• St. Patrick's Day Dance

*From the March/April issue of Lake Lifestyles magazine.

On a ride longer than the Tour de France, a lake man will bicycle more than 3,000 miles to save children from the debilitating effects of the polio virus.

Fishermen — or women — cast your reels. March 1 is almost here, and with that comes trout fishing season. Anglers will get out their rods and reels at one of three Missouri state parks, including Bennett Spring State Park near Lebanon, for the opening day of trout fishing season.

The Missouri Department of Natural resources expects a good turnout for this year, as many anglers will turn the event into a three-day fishing weekend.

It was a small token of thanks Robbie Pace-Courtright was able to give. But it was enough.
A volunteer with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Pace - Courtright thanked the Missouri State Water Patrol officers as she handed them each an award for their participation this past summer in a case study on marine field sobriety tests.

Those who are tired of new releases, or perhaps would rather see a movie that is hard to find a screening for will take refuge in the True/False Film Fest in Columbia, Feb. 25-28, 2010.

The four-night film fest is enough to stir the Indie buff in almost anyone as festival-goers have their choice among five venues and dozens of different films.

There will be a few changes at Bear Bottom Resort when it opens up this Spring. The place where families come to play and relax – day or night – is getting ready for the season.

Attention Lake-area kids, parents and the young at heart, you are about to be introduced to some glow-in-the-dark fun with a new place called Lazer Force.