Lake of the Ozarks West Chamber

The holiday season is right around the corner. This is the time of the year that you can donate time or money to help families in need. In this week’s blog, we will feature a few non-profit organizations in the Lake area that could use volunteers to help make the holidays special for several people in our community.  Share the Harvest  In 2004 a group of volunteers opened a Youth Center in Greenview to serve the West Side of the Lake in Camden County. It quickly became apparent that there was also a big need for food for the youth and their families. In 2005, Share the Harvest Food Pantry and Thrift Store was established by a community group that recognized a need to provide food to families and was dedicated to addressing the need. In the first month, Share the Harvest Food Pantry served 100. Realizing resources were not enough to sustain the pantry, the thrift store was opened in order to provide income to help sustain the pantry. In 2007, Share the Harvest Food Pan

The last weekend of October is upon us which only means one thing Halloween events all weekend long. This weekend will not disappoint Halloween lovers at the Lake of the Ozarks. With events for kids and adults, there will be something for everyone to enjoy. In this week’s blog, we will highlight some of the Halloween events for the weekend.  Halloween Bash on the Strip This annual event is a great way for the kids to enjoy games and trick or treating. Held on the historic Bagnell Dam at Luby’s Plaza, there will be games for the kids to play, pumpkin carving contest, a pie-eating contest, and of course a costume contest. Each child will receive a bag of goodies to take home and games to enjoy with the chance of winning more candy. After playing the games and participating in the costume contest, enjoy a walk up and down the strip for more trick or treating. Participating businesses will have plenty of candy to fill the kids' candy bags. Bagnell Dam Strip Saturday,

The Lake West Chamber focuses on helping local business members grow their businesses, creating local events, and tourism on the westside of the Lake of the Ozarks. Representing the cities of Laurie, Sunrise Beach, Gravois Mills, and the Greenview area. Our goal is to enhance the business climate and quality of life at the Lake of the Ozarks. When a business is struggling often, they don’t know where to turn. This week’s blog explains 3 ways the chamber can help during these difficult times. 1. Get to Know Your Chamber Staff When a new member joins a Chamber of Commerce, the chamber staff needs to get to know the new member.  As a new member allow yourself to open up to the chamber staff.  Tell the staff the goals of your business, your target audience, and your mission statement. Tell them your struggles and your wins. This will allow the chamber to get to know you and your business. The staff is a team of professionals that can give you great advice and ideas. By allow

The Fall Harbor Hop will be this weekend at the Lake of the Ozarks.  The Harbor Hop will bring smiles all over the lake as participants try to get this best hand to take home the cash.  In this week’s blog, you will find out all the details about the Harbor Hop.   The Rules Enter the Harbor Hop by stopping at any of the checkpoints listed below. To obtain a hand, sign up and pay an optional $20.00 donation (per seven-card hand). A player may enter more than once. The 1st card is drawn at the checkpoint where the hand is purchased; 6 additional cards are obtained by "hopping" to six more checkpoints drawing one card per hand, at each location. The hand is complete when the 7th card is drawn. An optional 8th Bonus card can be drawn for an additional $5. The completed hand is turned in at the checkpoint where the 7th card is drawn. To qualify, a hand must be turned in by 7:00 p.m. on the day of Harbor Hop. Winners will be notified by mail. Prizes are based on entry

The first weekend of October at the Lake of the Ozarks is full of family fun. Amateur anglers will travel to the lake for the Big Bass Bash and families will flock to Versailles for the Olde Tyme Apple Festival . If you love fishing grab your fishing rods and head to water this weekend for your chance to win the big bucks but if you're looking to enjoy a wonderful festival Versailles in the place to go. This week’s blog will tell you all the details of each event.  Big Bass Bash The Big Bass Bash is one of the largest bass fishing tournaments in the nation. The event is a great way for amateurs to win a large amount of money like the pros. The Big Bass Bash is October 5th & 6th from 7 am to 3 pm each day. The awards ceremony will begin at 4:00 pm on Sunday the 6th at PB #2 (Grand Glaize State Park). To register for the tournament, you have a few options. You can register online at  https://midwestfishtournaments.wufoo.com/forms/m2yvw8e1vbhnjs/  or Friday, Octob