‘It was pretty awesome’: Crowds down, but party-goers still flock to Lake of the Ozarks
A Memorial Day vacationer spent more than 12 hours over two days at two popular Lake of the Ozarks party venues. Days later, the Boone County resident tested positive for coronavirus.
A week later, though lakeside bars and restaurants were still bringing in customers, the crowds were subdued by comparison. Some vacationers seemed cautious while others were eager to be among large parties again.
The individual who tested positive for the infection spent time at Backwater Jacks Bar and Grill, Shady Gators and Lazy Gators Pool, and Buffalo Wild Wings on May 23 and 24, according to the Camden County, Missouri, Health Department.
Videos of one of the parties the sick individual attended — the annual “Zero Ducks Given” pool party at Backwater Jacks — was widely shared on social media, drawing national attention and outrage from public figures.
The videos depicted party-goers in close quarters, drinking beer and socializing in and out of pools, despite signage around them requesting they remain 6 feet apart. Locals have said similar scenes played out at multiple other business around the lake that weekend.
‘We’re trying to employ people’
“I’m dead tired because we have so many extra things we have to do, but the lake is a special place,” said Jeremy “JG” Gorham, 43, the owner of Shady Gators for the past 14 years.
They’ve switched to plastic silverware, paper menus and single-use condiment packets in an attempt to reduce contact between people.
“I am spending way more money because of that and it’s costing me because I’m trying to do everything everyone asks,” Gorham said Friday evening, standing outside his Lake Ozark restaurant.
The place was pretty quiet Friday night, he said wondering aloud if it was a result of being the weekend after Memorial Day or because people are scared of COVID-19 now. He figured it was the former.
Last weekend’s crowd was considerable, Gorham said. Like most years, Memorial Day drew the largest numbers of the year so far. His staff did temperature checks before letting people in.
His worst fear is that people will stop coming to the lake, though he doesn’t think that’s likely. He said customers are constantly thanking him for being open.
“We’re trying to employ people,” said Gorham, who was able to rehire his whole staff at the beginning of May. “We’re trying to make people’s lives better ourselves. We’re trying to provide some entertainment and fun for people because they’re all cooped up in their houses.”
In a statement earlier this week, Gary Prewitt, the owner of Backwater Jacks, said no laws were broken during the large gatherings and recited part of an earlier statement from the local sheriff that said it was “the right and responsibility of each individual” to make decisions about going out in public.
In a statement Saturday Prewitt said unfortunately the virus isn’t going away soon.
“With the influx of 700,000+ visitors to the Lake of the Ozarks area on a holiday weekend, it was inevitable that we would experience carriers of the virus, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic,” he wrote. “This will continue throughout our season.”
Prewitt said he will continue to use extra safety precautions, such as non-contact thermal temperature screening and personal bottles of hand sanitizer.
Fauci calls Memorial Day crowds ‘troubling’
When interviewed by CNN Wednesday, Dr. Anthony Fauci was asked about large gatherings as states begin to reopen. The reporter specifically pointed to footage taken at Backwater Jacks.
Fauci called the scene “troubling.”
There will be an uptick in cases as the result of re-opening even under the best circumstances, he said, adding that people need to be prudent.
“Don’t start leap-frogging over some of the recommendations and the guidelines because that’s really tempting fate and asking for trouble,” Fauchi said.
On Thursday, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson extended the state’s social distancing order through June 15, though it’s still not clear how it will be enforced, if at all.
“We must continue to social distance, use common sense and make responsible decisions to protect ourselves and others,” Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said, reiterating that enforcement of his order is up to local officials.
Over the holiday weekend, Camden County Sheriff Tony Helms said those guidelines are not enforceable, saying, “Social distancing is not a crime and therefore the sheriff’s office has no authority to enforce actions in that regard.”
The Camden County Health Department also put a recommended guidance for restaurants and bars in place from May 4 through May 31. It includes that tables, seats and people should be 6 feet apart, whether waiting in line, at the pool or on the docks.
‘I don’t want to be part of the problem’
Kate Kutmas, 32, and her boyfriend, Mike Atkinson, 36, came to Lake of the Ozarks Saturday to celebrate their one-year-anniversary.
As they drove over from Springfield, Illinois, where they’re both teachers, Atkinson quickly noticed he was often the only person wearing a mask in the gas station once they crossed over into Missouri. People weren’t giving each other much space in line either, he said.
They decided to come to the lake for the weekend, despite it becoming “a laughing stock” the weekend prior, Kutmas said, but they plan to keep their distance.
The couple munched on takeout in camping chairs in the corner of the parking lot at Dog Days Bar and Grill in Osage Beach Saturday afternoon.
“You’re not going to catch me down there, that’s for sure,” Kutmas said, gesturing at the bar’s pool, which was getting more crowded as the sun rose higher in the sky.
Kutmas said she plans to continue wearing a mask in public spaces, at least for now.
“I don’t want to be part of the problem,” she said. “If we find out that we do have another spike, at least I can say I tried to help.”
Drew Millas, 22, and his friends stopped by Dog Days Bar and Grill Saturday on their way to Springfield, Missouri.
If parties started up like he saw broadcast last weekend, Millas, of Swansea, Illinois, said they wouldn’t be staying long.
“I already told him we’re not going to be there,” his friends interjected. “We’ll be in the car.”
At the end of the day, Millas said, people are going to keep coming out because it’s a nice lake.
“You can’t really stop that just because of this virus, but at the same time you can keep your distance,” he said.
Crowds continue
John Olivarri, mayor of Osage Beach, told The Star last weekend that it wasn’t possible to control the crowds, adding that he doesn’t know how to shut down Lake of the Ozarks.
“The businesses have some responsibility, but I’ll be real honest with you, no one thought that it was going to be easy trying to enforce some of the governor’s guidelines,” Olivarri said. “It gets down to the tolerance level and the expectation, and if you know that you don’t want to be out there and be part of it, the best thing is to stay home.”
Lane Parker joined a small crowd at Backwater Jacks Bar and Grill early Friday afternoon.
“I wanted to be there, honestly,” the 18-year-old said of the bar’s Memorial Day pool parties he saw featured on TMZ. “I think it was pretty awesome, not going to lie.”
Though the recent high school graduate from Bowling Green wasn’t at Lake of the Ozarks for the Memorial Day festivities, he drove down to the popular central Missouri vacation spot with some friends a couple of days later. He’s hoping to find some large parties similar to the ones he saw online at Backwater Jacks and other venues last weekend.
“I’m a kid. I’m 18. I’ve been healthy,” Parker said. “I’ve played sports, so I don’t think I could get it, but if I did, I think it’d be easy to fight it and get rid of it.
“What are you supposed to do? Like, wait forever and not come? For a couple years? However long this lasts?”
As of Friday, nearly 12,800 Missourians had been infected with the virus. More than 730 had died.
In the four counties the Lake of the Ozarks extends across — Benton, Camden, Morgan and Miller — a combined 60 people have tested positive for the virus. One person has died.
Lake News, a Lake of the Ozarks news organization, reported record sales for many lakeside businesses over the holiday weekend, many observing larger crowds than years past.
A server with Land Shark Bar and Grill restaurant at Lake of the Ozarks spoke with The Star following the Memorial Day rush. Tinara Lynch, 21, expressed concern with the crowds and the lack of social distancing, but said she had no other option but to go back to work so she could make an income.
“I’m pretty sure that everybody that has come doesn’t really care at all about social distancing,” Lynch said. “There’s absolutely no way to even be 6 feet apart.”
This story was originally published May 30, 2020 at 3:50 PM.
