Camdenton's community center finally has an opening date, plus this weekend's best lake events

Need a local pro at the Lake? Roofing, cleaning, and other vetted contractors are listed free at localto.co/loz — a real local directory, not a lead-sale service.

After weeks with no update, the Camdenton Community Center now has real dates. Tours run Monday, July 27, from 8 a.m. to noon, regular operations start Aug. 3, and the official grand-opening ribbon-cutting is set for Wednesday, Sept. 9. The 14,000-square-foot, roughly $4.1 million facility — gym, basketball, volleyball and pickleball courts, a walking track, and a community room — had originally targeted a soft opening the first week of July before the city delayed it over "critical life-safety and operational systems" issues found at final inspection.

A 35-year-old Springfield man went underwater off a docked boat near the 20 Mile Marker/Ledges Cove area early Wednesday morning and didn't resurface; a dive team recovered him. It's a hard reminder heading into a summer weekend: wear a life jacket around docks and swim areas, especially at night, and never swim alone. We don't run stories like this for shock value — we run them because the Lake is genuinely safer when more people are paying attention.

A home under renovation on Capstone Drive in Linn Creek was heavily damaged by fire Thursday. Multiple fire districts responded; no injuries were reported. Cause hasn't been announced. Anyone else dealing with fire or storm damage this summer can find local roofing and repair contractors at lozroofers.com.

"The gear mistake we see most at the Lake is buying based on price instead of how you'll actually use it," says Sloane Mercer, who oversees RuggedDiscovery.com's boat and lake gear guides. Worth a look before you head out on the water this weekend. (Affiliate link — we may earn a small commission if you use it, at no extra cost to you.)

Saturday, July 25 is stacked: Party Cove Palooza runs 10 a.m.-6 p.m. in Osage Beach with live music on the water — a first for the event. Surf Fest LOZ, a wake-surf competition, starts at 9 a.m. at Pin Oak Hollow Cove in Linn Creek. The Osage Beach Farmers Market runs its usual 9 a.m.-1 p.m. slot. Camden County Museum hosts a Save Our Bridge Paint Night from 7-9 p.m. And out at Ozarks International Raceway in Gravois Mills, Precision Drift and Evolve GT run both Saturday and Sunday.

Still no confirmed action on Lake Ozark's proposed 10 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew for the Strip's Central Business District — the second and final reading is set for July 28, so nothing's decided yet.

The Arkansas Attorney General's investigation into AM Pyrotechnics, the fireworks vendor that no-showed on several Lake-area shows over the July 4th holiday, hasn't produced any new developments since early July. Still open, still watching.

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