The Lake is about to look different — Bass Pro, Chick-fil-A, and more coming

The City of Osage Beach has rescheduled Heart of the Lake FreedomFest to Saturday, July 11, after the original date got knocked out by the July 4 storm. If you had it on your calendar for the holiday weekend and gave up on it, put it back. This is the makeup date.

A generator sparked a garage fire in Sunrise Beach Monday morning, destroying everything inside. The fire came after last week's storm knocked out power to roughly 30,000 people around the Lake at its peak. Sunrise Beach was among the hardest-hit areas, and a lot of households turned to portable generators to get through the outage.

House fires after storms often start the same way: generators running too close to the house, getting refueled while still hot, or extension cords overheating under a full load. If you're still running a generator, or you've got fire or smoke damage from one, get it inspected. Damage that looks cosmetic isn't always just cosmetic.

Find local help: lozrestoration.com · Localto.co — Lake of the Ozarks electricians · Localto.co — Lake of the Ozarks fire damage restoration

Four projects moving forward right now will change what's available at the Lake over the next year or two.

Bass Pro Shops is planned for the redeveloped Osage Beach Outlet Marketplace at 4540 Osage Beach Parkway. That's 75,000 square feet, more than 125 jobs, and Missouri's ninth Bass Pro location if it goes through. Sky Real Estate, which bought the property in 2024, wants it to anchor a bigger relaunch of the outlet mall with dining and other retail alongside it. Target opening is spring 2027, but the project still needs city approval, so it's not locked in yet.

Chick-fil-A broke ground in March on Osage Beach Parkway, across from Steak & Shake and Outback Steakhouse. It's the Lake's first-ever location after years of requests. No opening date yet, but here's one thing to know before you go: the City of Osage Beach created a Community Improvement District in June, so anyone eating there will pay an extra 1% tax on top of the bill to help fund infrastructure around the new development.

A five-level entertainment complex from longtime Lake restaurateur George Tucker is under construction on the Strip between Neon Taco and Bagnell Dam. The bottom two levels (18,000 square feet total) get two pools, three bars, swim-up service, and boat docks at the 0 Mile Marker, with a Mediterranean Greek restaurant rumored for that level. The middle two levels house a year-round dive bar called Happies Social Club, and the roof is a cocktail bar with dam views. Originally targeted for 2025, it's now aiming for sometime in 2026.

Sushi By R is coming to the corner of Osage Beach Parkway and Osage Beach Road. It's a roughly 10,000-square-foot space with a dedicated sushi bar on one side. Local sushi options have been thin for years, especially in winter, so this closes a real gap once it opens.

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