The 2021 Lake of the Ozarks Bikefest is only days away and there have been some changes this year. This year’s event will be held on September 15th – 19th where thousands of motorcycles will arrive at Lake of the Ozarks to enjoy one of the largest Bike Rally’s in the Midwest. The event continues to grow yearly, and we are excited to be hosting the event for its 15th year! There are some changes to the event this year that we want locals and attendees to be aware of so they can plan accordingly.
It was announced a year ago that the Bagnell Dam would be closing for three months following Labor Day for repairs. The Bikefest Committee worked with MODOT to push the closure of the Dam until after Bikefest but due to deadlines and the scope of the work, it was not an option. Even with the Bagnell Dam closure the entire Bagnell Dam Strip area is still open for business. Attendees will just need to take an alternate route to get to the businesses on the Bagnell Dam Strip.
In addition to the closure of the Bagnell Dam, six weeks prior to the event, there was a change in the organizer for the Bagnell Dam Strip area that handles a lot of the events logistics for that area. This left the Bikefest committee and the City of Lake Ozark in a position to try to see what needed to be done to keep the event moving forward in the that area. Since it was short notice, it made it difficult to follow the typical timeline the City of Lake Ozark has in place to process the appropriate applications for permits to shut down the road for parking, so the City of Lake Ozark went above and beyond to accommodate the situation. With the help of local business owners on the Bagnell Dam Strip, the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau and the City of Lake Ozark, a resolution was determined. The City of Lake Ozark held an emergency Board of Alderman meeting on Thursday, September 9th at 2pm to discuss an Ordinance that would close the Bagnell Dam Strip from Ballenger Road to the Dam. The City of Lake Ozark passed the Ordinance unanimously to ensure the event is as successful as possible in Lake Ozark. The road will now be closed daily from 11am until 2am from Wednesday, September 15th until Monday, September 20th at 2am. Vehicles will be permitted from 3am until 11am daily for normal traffic and close at 11am to bikers only. The Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau has processed the application just to follow protocol and will finalize the insurance for the event to the City of Lake Ozark to be presented at the next board meeting, but the Ordinance is in place regardless. In addition to the Ordinance, the Bagnell Dam Strip Association, businesses on Bagnell Dam Strip, the Lake of the Ozarks Convention & Visitor Bureau has secured the additional logistics such as additional security for that area, porta potties, and trash clean up to ensure a successful event.
The 15th Annual Lake of the Ozarks Bikefest is only days away and you won’t want to miss it. The event is a Lake Wide event that will have bikers traveling across three counties over a five-day span. The events and vendor villages for the other locations will be even better than year’s prior. Other than a small detour around the historic Bagnell Dam, most attendees won’t event notice any changes to the event. The Lake of the Ozarks welcomes bikers and are excited to continue to host such an amazing event here at Lake of the Ozarks.
Bikers for Christ will host the Passport Program where riders purchase a $20 passport and then ride to 18 separate locations where they receive a stamp and then turn in the completed passport at the Lake of the Ozarks Harley-Davidson Dealership for a drawing that will be held at 1:00 pm on Sunday, September 19th. Proceeds from the Passport Program are used to promote the event, with a portion of the proceeds being allocated to benefit the efforts of the local chapter of the Christian Motorcycle Association, Fishers of Men, for their participation in executing the Passport Program.
The event will host three vendor village areas at Lake of the Ozarks Harley-Davidson, Camden on the Lake Resort and throughout Bagnell Dam Blvd. The Bagnell Dam Blvd will have a consistent flow of motorcycles the entire length of the event. Bikers will arrive from numerous states and visit over 100 restaurants, bars and biker friendly entertainment and retail establishments.
The 2021 Lake of the Ozarks Bikefest will be held on Wednesday, September 15 – Sunday, September 19, 2021. You can visit www.lakebikefest.com to keep informed of upcoming activities and details of the 15th Annual Lake of the Ozarks Bikefest.
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