Will Bikefest at Lake of the Ozarks continue in 2021?

I have been asked repeatedly if the City of Lake Ozark will be allowing the annual Bikefest to continue? To make it as simple as possible, YES Bikefest will continue in 2021 unless the event coordinator should choose not to market the event. The City of Lake Ozark nor any other sister city has the ability to cancel an event that takes place in numerous municipalities and counties. As Mayor of Lake Ozark I look at it like this… bad things can happen on unexpected dates and locations. We don’t cancel Christmas because of a tragic event. In my opinion we don’t cancel Bikefest because of a tragic event.

Bikefest was started 15 years ago by local businessman Merlyn Vandervort who was seeking ways to draw people to Lake of the Ozarks in a time of year that we would generally see less tourists. The marketing and hard work that Merlyn and many other business owners including myself put into this event in the beginning years have lead to the events success and sustainability.  Bikefest promotes tourism and exposes a lot of new people to Lake of the Ozarks for the first time. Lake Ozark business owners depend on Bikefest and numerous other events that occur in Lake Ozark to sustain their businesses. I want you to know you can depend on the City of Lake Ozark supporting your businesses and events!

As we reflect on a tragic shooting that cost a young mans life we must all come together to seek ways of making our business corridor safer. Residents, Business Owners and tourists alike should feel welcome and safe. Yes there will be a heightened police presence as there should be. We are seeking additional safety measures beyond police presence. Yes we have asked business owners to consider additional security staffing for large events.

Finally the most asked question…will the center lane continue to be used for bike parking and are restaurants and bars not going to be allowed to have outdoor beer gardens? The center lane is really vital for parking additional bikes and unless I hear of some sort of imminent danger to our community and tourists I will support the continuance of the center lane for bike parking. With that said I want everyone to understand the use of the center lane for bike parking greatly reduces the response time for emergency services. I ask you, at what point is the risk to high? As for beer gardens there is a process that each business owner must go through for any event to procure the proper licensing for both state and local laws and that has not changed for Bikefest or any other event.

Please comment with your sincere ideas that can help assist Lake Ozark as we continue to grow at a record pace.

Thank you for your support and I hope to see you in Lake Ozark!

Dennis Newberry

Mayor of Lake Ozark