Welcome to the first newsletter of the new year from lakeozark.com. We will be bringing information of interest and upcoming events to you about the Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri.

So far, this season has been pretty gentle and mild. It hasn't been anything like December, 2006 and January, 2007. In December 2006, the lake area and surrounding property were absolutely devastated by a record snow fall. Millions of dollars in damage was reported when buildings and docks collapsed under the weight of the heavy snow. And that's not to mention the boats that were damaged and sunk when the docks collapsed on top of them. The insurance adjusters worked for weeks and months during that time. As soon as the property and boat owners were starting to understand the weather conditions and the damage that was a result, January 2007 came to town with a record ice storm. Enough ice collected on trees and power lines over a day and a half that tree limbs started breaking and power lines began to sever. Power outages were experienced in nearly 70% of the central Missouri region. Power outages remained for up to 2 to 3 weeks in some areas. Everyone agrees that it will be too soon if we ever see something like that again.

One of our Proud Sponsors

Knowing how much damage that can be inflicted by adverse weather conditions, be sure to have your property inspected by one of the leading home inspectors in the lake area. Don't take a chance and miss damage that may have occurred during the off season. Schedule an in depth inspection today. Each inspection includes a full visual inspection of the structure with a printed, easy to read and understand report with full color photos. Your report will also be viewable online within a couple of hours at the end of the inspection. As a life long resident in the lake area and with over 40 years experience, you won't be sorry. Visit our web site.

Lake Rescue Shootout Location Changes in 2008

With the closing of Shooters 21 at the 21MM of Lake of the Ozarks, the Shootout event has lost it's long time sponsor. The Shootout has been going for over 20 years at the lake and all proceeds were donated to the lake area fire departments for water rescue and fire fighting.

The Missouri State Water Patrol requested applications for the event and for a new sponsor. Many applications were received and reviewed during the off season. Applications from the 7MM to the 34MM were received for the regatta. After conducting hearings and hearing presentations for new locations, the MSWP announced the new location on December 20, 2007. It was announced to be a two mile length of the lake near the 34.5MM, just down stream of the Hurricane Deck Bridge on the Osage Arm of the Lake of the Ozarks. Many things were taken into consideration for a new location with safety being a priority. "Safety is our priority. Out of the three applications, I believe this will be the safest location," said MSWP's Colonel Talburt.

Missouri's Water Related Accidents At The Lowest In 20 Years 2007 was the safest boating year in Missouri in over twenty years. Colonel Rad Talburt attributed the decrease in boating accidents to several factors:
1. Governor Matt Blunt and the Missouri legislature have been dedicated to increasing safety on Missouri waterways and have increased resources supplied to the Missouri State Water Patrol. The additional resources have resulted in the retention of experienced officers, reduced training costs, and improved equipment. The direct result has been more officer visibility, which encourages safer boat operation.
2. Public involvement in the boating safety message is at an all time high. The Water Patrol has been given more exposure by Missouri press which has been used to promote boating safety. Also, the Water Safety Council based at Lake of the Ozarks spreads the boating safety message statewide.
3. The Water Patrol has significantly increased sobriety checkpoints statewide. Last year, in some areas, an average of one out of every six nighttime boat operators were intoxicated. As sobriety checkpoints increased, the number of designated sober operators increased and the number of accidents decreased.
4. In 2004, the state legislature passed a law requiring anyone born after January 1st, 1984 must pass a boater safety course before operating a vessel. The results of that law are now being realized with safer boat operation on Missouri waterways and a reduced number of boating accidents.
"Obviously we have made a great stride toward safety by reducing the number of accidents in 2007; however, there is still room for improvement. The officers of the Missouri State Water Patrol are eager to make Missouri's waterways safe for all to enjoy in 2008 and beyond," said Colonel Talburt.

......Information from the Missouri State Water Patrol web site......

One of our Proud Sponsors

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Upcoming Events at the lake of the Ozarks

February 16 & 17 ~ 7th Annual Lake Area Chamber Home and Garden Expo

February 23, 2008 ~ 13th Annual Polar Bear Plunge for the Missouri Special Olympics

March 1 & 2 ~ 29th Lake of the Ozarks Products & Services Show

March 15 ~ St. Patrick's Day Parade

March 16 ~ St. Patty's Open Golf Tournament

March 29 & 30 ~ Early Bird Bass Tournament