At the northern end of the historic Bagnell Dam Strip, across from what is now Neon Taco, once stood one of the Lake of the Ozarks’ earliest and most fondly remembered amusement stops: a skee-ball and bumper car arcade that helped define affordable family entertainment during the formative years of The Strip.
According to information preserved by the Miller County Museum, the business was owned and operated by Clark Sandfort, an early Strip entrepreneur who would later go on to open the Rebel Arcade further down the road. This dam-end location predates many of the better known themed attractions and represents an important early chapter in how entertainment developed along the waterfront. What is known is that Sandfort sold both businesses
He did visit with writers at the Miller County Museum about the long-time arcades and had this to say: “Operation of these tourist attractions was very easy. All he did was sell tickets or tokens for the games or the bumper cars. He had neither shelves of souvenirs to fill or organize everyday, nor messy ice cream or food to serve, and no tables to clean.”
While no widely documented formal business name has survived in records or advertising, the arcade was well known for exactly what it offered: ten cent skee-ball and bumper cars. This descriptive way of identifying the business was common for small, independently run roadside amusements of the 1950s and 1960s, which often relied more on signage, visibility, and word-of-mouth than on newspaper ads or branded promotion.
Its location near the dam made it a natural stopping point. Families crossing the dam, teenagers cruising the Strip, and local kids looking for inexpensive fun all found their way inside. A small amount of change could provide hours of entertainment, making it especially appealing to visitors and residents who didn’t have the budget for higher-priced attractions.
The bumper cars were a standout feature. At a time when ride-style amusements were limited at the Lake, the cars added motion, noise, and excitement that set the arcade apart from simple game rooms. Paired with the steady rhythm of rolling skee-ball lanes, the building was alive with sound and energy, particularly on summer nights. This continued until the early 2000s.
Museum accounts note that Sandfort sold his Strip properties in the early 1970s before relocating to California. As tourism evolved and redevelopment reshaped the dam end of the Strip, the skee-ball and bumper car arcade eventually closed and was later demolished. No structures remain today, but its footprint is firmly embedded in local memory. There is no record of who owned this establishment after the 1970s; it is only known that his Rebel Arcade ended up under the ownership of Feese Real Estate, along with Two-Bit Town.
This early arcade helped establish a model that later attractions would build upon: simple games, low prices, and a welcoming atmosphere that brought generations together.
For many families, that affordability wasn’t just nostalgic - it was practical. I raised my own children on the simple pleasures of the skee-ball hall during the 2000s, long after the bumper cars had stopped operating. Dimes mattered there. My kids would clean their rooms and work hard during the school week, saving up their coins, and at the end of the week we’d head to the dam end of the Strip to celebrate a job well done. A jar full of dimes bought laughter, friendly competition, and the feeling that weekends were earned.
Though long gone, Clark Sandfort’s skee-ball and bumper car arcade remains an essential part of the layered history of the Bagnell Dam Strip - not just as an early attraction, but as a place where everyday families could afford to make lasting memories.
