It’s Party Time At The Shootout On The Strip – Speed on the Water
Today is the day—the party of the year at Lake of the Ozarks in Central Missouri takes place this evening from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Bagnell Dam Boulevard as dozens of performance boats towed by incredible trucks on impressive trailers are going to be front and center during the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout On The Strip presented by Waves and Wheels. OK, calling it the “party of the year” is probably absurd coming from someone who had to fly four hours and then drive two and a half just to get to the popular Midwest boating destination yesterday.
This evening’s Lake of the Ozarks Shootout On The Strip presented by Waves and Wheels is going to be one gigantic party—with a couple of smaller ones mixed in. Photo courtesy Andy Siever/Waves and Wheels
No matter, the party is still a really good one—one that continues to improve year in and year out thanks to dedicated directors, volunteers and an enthusiastic supporter in Waves and Wheels founder Justin Wagner.
“Waves and Wheels loves the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout and how much it impacts this community economically and charitably, and we love the Shootout On The Strip and how it has helped prove that Lake of the Ozarks is a mecca for performance boating,” said Wagner, who helped bring the street display back to Bagnell Dam Boulevard in 2015 after a couple of lackluster years at Laurie Fairgrounds. “We’re excited to put on another great show this year. We’ll have some cool boats on display and other cool customer ‘toys.’ I’ve heard that there will be more boats than previous years, too. I’m hopeful everyone has a great time.”
Wagner is also hopeful that attendees stay cool and hydrated as Wednesday’s forecast is calling for temperatures close to 100 degrees.
One really good way participants can stay cool is by checking out the party Swift & Co. Realty is hosting at The Cuddy Cabin (1104 Bagnell Dam Blvd.) from 5 to 10 p.m., with support from Horsepower Hottie and yours truly, Speedonthewater.com. Along with well-known performance boaters, racers and Shootout competitors who will be stopping in such as Reese and Sara Langheim of Team Jackhammer, which will have its Super Stock-class catamaran parked out front, the Speedonthewater.com girls will be there and DJ Mike Watts will be spinning throughout the event.
“We’re excited to team with Swift & Co. and Horsepower Hottie for this must-attend event,” said Speedonthewater.com founder Matt Trulio. “When our friend, Nikki Sorenson, reached out to us about getting involved with an open-to-the-public party at the new location on the strip and told us they wanted to help raise money for the Shootout charities, we were all in.
“Immediately my partner, Jason Johnson, went to work on ideas and ended up calling in a favor from our friend, Jeff Hoefling of Lively Machine Company in Indiana,” he continued. “Jeff, who is a performance boater and one of the organizers of the Kuttawa Cannonball Run in Kentucky, loved the idea and went to work on a limited-edition laser-etched LED sign (see below) commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Shootout for us to auction on Wednesday night at the party. Jeff took it a step further and produced a second one that will be part of Saturday night’s live auction during Super Cat Fest at Camden on the Lake Resort.”
Speaking of Super Cat Fest, one of the new organizers of the event, Sally McClelland, also is hosting a VIP party during the Shootout On The Strip. Dubbed the Super Cat Fest 4 Kids VIP Party, the happening takes on the second floor of Tucker’s Shuckers Oyster & Tap (1339 Bagnell Dam Blvd). VIP wristbands are available through McClelland.
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