What’s Happening To Fireworks Celebrations In Lake Of The Ozarks?

Guys, as Memorial Day approaches, of course people are starting to think about summertime. And part of summertime is the fun of The Fair, going swimming, barbecuing, and fireworks.

There are the standard "Every Year" staples, even though changes are coming. But if you go to the Lake of the Ozarks area for fireworks this summer, you might not see any.

WHAT? What's Going On?

Matthew Corley

Several of the Lake area's biggest resorts are not throwing their own fireworks displays this year. For Memorial Day, only Celebration Cruises/Bagnell Dam and Bear Bottom Resort are having a fireworks display. All the others in the area have been cancelled.
Now when it comes to 4th of July celebrations, some of them are still up in the air, but a lot of them have also been cancelled.

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Um, That Sucks! Why Are They Cancelled?

Dovapi

Well, the resorts are saying it's because there's been a significant reduction in Lodging Taxes. In 2024, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that the taxes imposed down at the Lake of the Ozarks were unconstitutional.

"In the opinion issued on June 25, 2024, the court struck down the statute that allows the Lake of the Ozarks business districts to exist and ordered an immediate halt to "any further collection of lodging taxes pursuant to the unconstitutional statutory scheme."

The taxes were first imposed in 1993, and the local tourism industry obviously became dependent on them. Since the change was recently imposed, this is one of the first consequences.

Wait, What Are Lodging Taxes?

Well, to make it simple, they're a form of a sales tax.

Hotel tax is paid in addition to sales tax, but works in much the same way: it’s collected when the guest pays for the accommodation, then remitted by the hotel to the appropriate state and local authorities.

And since a lot of these big lodges aren't getting as much from the Lodging Tax, they are saying that they can't afford to throw big fireworks displays anymore. If that's going to be forever thing, that's up in the air. It depends on how things go this year, really. And not all of the resorts have made a decision on whether they're going to do it or not.