Lake of the Ozarks restaurant owner ready for huge crowds over Labor Day weekend

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. (KMIZ)

Businesses are gearing up for a busy Labor Day weekend on the Lake of the Ozarks, even during a summer marred by a global pandemic.

Jeremy Gorham, co-owner of Shady Gators in Lake Ozark, said Friday that he expects this Labor Day weekend to be a big one.

"I've been doing this 22 years and I look at this being the busiest Labor Day weekend we've ever had," Gorham said.

Gorham said there's no college football for lake businesses to compete with at schools such as the University of Missouri this weekend. Gorham said that the lack of college football will leave many college-aged people with nothing to do for this holiday weekend.

The restaurant and bar uses paper menus, packeted condiments, has set up over 30 hand sanitizing stations and has social distancing reminders throughout the building because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The restaurant has multiple events lined up for the holiday weekend. Live music is scheduled every night as well as multiple parties scheduled at Lazy Gators, a poolside bar.

The Lake of the Ozarks has made national headlines on multiple occasions this summer thanks to images of revelers not observing social distancing recommendations or wearing masks.

America's top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has warned that several states, including Missouri, could see upticks in cases after this holiday weekend if Americans are "careless."

"There are several states that are at risk for surging, namely North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Arkansas, Missouri," Fauci said in the interview this week.