Take On The Lake

New Lodge of Four Seasons GM Steve Sharkey and Golf Director Matt Dillman join us as we look backward at the Lodge's past, and look forward into the Lodge's future. People are already noticing some of the upgrades, and they're really just getting started... room overhauls, golf cartpaths, there's a lot on the horizon and we got a sneak peek in this episode.

Did you know Hurricane Deck Elementary school has the highest rate of homelessness in the Camdenton School District? "We will run anywhere from 16 to 25%. So a full quarter of our population will qualify under what's called the McKinney Bento Act," HDE Principal Christie Moulder shared. Moulder also shared a fact many people probably don't know: the school has no budget for things like field trips...

Google is infamous for changing the rules of the Internet. For the past 20 years, it's been: play by Google's rules, or you won't get found. And if they change the rules, well, sorry, you'd better keep up. But what happens when the guys who are constantly changing the rules get the rug yanked out from under them? Well, one thing is that my guest Sandy Waggett and I can't help but smile. So yes, th...

If you lived through the '90s, you know Edwin McCain's massive love song, "I'll Be." That song propelled Edwin around the world, and now having toured for 30 years, he still sings it everywhere he performs. Edwin will be opening for Train at Ozarks Amphitheather — at Lake of the Ozarks — on Aug. 1, so we convinced him to come on the podcast! We talk about one of his major concert mistakes, how mus...

Mary May works wonders with a chisel. A woodcarver for decades, her claim to fame is standing in the Shakespeare Globe Theatre. She helped carve the incredibly ornate capitals in the two giant "Pillars of Hercules" that hold the theater's main roof beam and stand on either side of the stage. Now Mary lives at the Lake of the Ozarks and runs an online and in-person woodcarving school, called Mary M...

There's a moment when you realize, "I need help." For boaters, it's the moment when you've been coving out and you go to start the engine, and it just clicks. You're miles from home, and along comes Chris Stockton, a Marine and a licensed towboat captain. Chris's company Upstream Towing Co. is one of the main towing partners for XTow, LakeExpo's "worry-free boating" club. But sometimes you're a Ma...

What happens when the LakeExpo team skips lunch and starts talking about food? Chaos. Spicy chaos. In this hangry roundtable episode, we dish on our favorite Lake of the Ozarks food trucks, most memorable meals, and which restaurants we think are underrated. Plus, we debate the proper way to pronounce “birria” and “beignet,” and explain why grouper fingers deserve more respect. It’s a rowdy, food-...

Social media is just a game. Jeff Pfitzer — Lake of the Ozarks Lifestyle & Pftizer Media — is obsessed with figuring out the rules of the social media game and helping small business owners hack them, to turn-up the profits. And do it without getting hooked on social media. I've known Jeff for a couple years now, and since he had me on in the early days of his TikTok channel, I decided it was...

In this episode we hear from Drew and Evan Busen (brothers!), the masterminds behind Lake Escape's escape rooms: one of my absolute favorite things to do at the Lake. They've got something new in store, and it involves axes... We talk business, fun things to do at the Lake, and the incredible process of creating an escape room.

It’s not his first Big Surf — but it might be his last! David Busch has opened 24 waterparks in his career, and now he’s leading the charge at SuperSplash USA, formerly Big Surf. We talked about the mad scramble to get a waterpark open, the hilarious horror stories that come with it, and the new changes coming to SuperSplash this year. But most importantly, we dove into David’s bigger mission — ru...

In this free-ranging episode, I joined Nadine Kelsay on her show on DAM Radio, and we went for it ,  on some spicy topics. We talk about why the Minimum Wage might actually be evil, whether AI is just digital Frankenstein, and yes — we even go there, with robot girlfriends. A fun, fast-paced convo that’ll get your brain cooking, and is guaranteed controversial!

For this episode, we sat down in a barn full of treasures with Cody West, a collector, restorer, and storyteller of old things. From antique signs to vintage tools, Cody has a gift for seeing value in what most people overlook. We talked about the Davis Baskets sign he and his wife Emily lovingly restored, why old things are worth saving, and what they teach us about life at Lake of the Ozarks — p...

Marshall Flippo: the world-famous square dance caller carved out a truly Ozarkian niche at Kirkwood Lodge on Lake of the Ozarks. In this episode, Marshall's son John Flippo shares stories of growing up at the Lake, life with a square-dancing dad, and we talk about how things have changed over the years. We close out with a rare treat: an original song Marshall recorded in 1980 with the Lee Mace Oz...

In this episode, we dive into the awesome kitchen chaos of local legend Chef John Buchanan . From his culinary journey to how he and his wife Sheri opened three Lake-area restaurants in just three years, Chef John shares the secrets to making food truly unforgettable. We break into some of his famous tiramisu (yep — he reveals the secret ingredient), and we absolutely throw lasagna under the bus....

What’s it really like to police The Strip at Lake of the Ozarks? We sat down with Lake Ozark Police Chief James Boren to talk about what’s changed at the Lake, summer wild times on the Strip, and hosting a camera crew for Ozark Law. We also dove into issues like police officer pay and body cameras — plus, we talked about his other job: worship leader at a local church! Take On The Lake is produced...

It's hard to get things done in Jefferson City. But in our interview with freshman State Rep. Jeff Vernetti (R-123), we talked about some surprisingly good progress on important legislative issues that affect all of Missouri as well as Lake of the Ozarks. Trigger Warning: We put the minimum wage on blast pretty hard. Delicate ears will be offended.

Trevon Dawson, a 17-year-old from Cole Camp, Mo., busted onto the national stage with a killer performance of "Religiously" in his audition on this season of The Voice. Every single judge wanted him, but only Adam Levine had a spot left on his team. The dude's just 17 but his voice has GRIT . We got the chance to interview this budding star. We talked about the show (of course), his favorite count...

It's Take on the Lake, a new podcast produced by LakeExpo.com and hosted by LakeExpo Editor Nathan Bechtold. We'll be diving into fascinating stories, interviewing intriguing people, and facing controversial issues that are shaping Lake of the Ozarks. In this short intro episode, host Nathan Bechtold explains the "why," and shares his background.