Lake of the Ozarks, MO -  Thousands of motorcycle riders and enthusiasts will converge at the "Best Recreational Lake" in the Nation for the largest bike rally in the Midwest during the 2018 Lake of the Ozarks Bikefest, Sept. 13-16.

Now in its twelfth year, Bikefest brings around 60,000 motorcycles and 90,000  motorcyclists to the Lake area to check out all the custom-made cycles on display and enjoy scenic rides throughout the rolling Ozark hills. There will be vendor villages, live music, drawings for two new motorcycles, contests and a wide array of other entertaining community events throughout the four-day festival.

"The Lake of the Ozarks is the perfect destination to host Bikefest," says Tim Jacobsen, executive director of the Lake of the Ozarks Convention and Visitor Bureau. "It's been a tremendously popular event over the years. We have many motorcyclists travel here to the Lake during the year because they love the winding roads, beautiful scenery and excellent view of the Lake, and our welcoming hospitality. The popularity of Bikefest is due to the fact that it combines some of the best things at the Lake, like live music, great food at 200-plus restaurants and bars, accommodations to fit any budget, beautiful lakeside scenery, fun rides and a great, festive atmosphere."

	Lake of the Ozarks Harley Davidson is the location of one of three vendor villages for Bikefest.

Three vendor villages,  featuring a plethora of motorcycle gear and souvenirs as well as custom-designed bikes, will be set up around the Lake during Bikefest. One village will be located at the Lake of the Ozarks Harley Davidson dealership in Osage Beach. The remaining two villages are in Lake Ozark at Luby's Plaza on the historic Bagnell Dam Strip and the Throttle America station at the Horny Toad Entertainment Complex at Camden on the Lake Resort.  In addition to the vendor villages, the historic Bagnell Dam Strip in Lake Ozark will be a hotbed of two-wheeled activity. On Saturday, Sept. 15, the entire Bagnell Dam Strip will be closed off to vehicle traffic with the exception of motorcycles from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. And, throughout the entire event, the center lane of "the Strip" will be blocked off for ample parking for bikes, allowing both riders and the general public to walk around to check out all the different bikes and visit the various restaurants, bars and shops that line the area.

There will be two new motorcycles given away during the festivities. The first will be during the "Free Ride Giveaway," where one lucky person will win a customized Harley Davidson Softail. Bikefest attendees can register Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Tucker Shuckers, during Lake of the Ozarks Bike Night on Thursday evening and during the jerky-making competition at Beavers at the Dam on Saturday.  The winner for the customized Harley will be drawn the evening of Saturday, Sept. 15 at 8 p.m. at the main stage at Luby's Plaza.

The second bike given away is part of one of the  most popular activities during Bikefest, the Full Throttle Magazine Passport Ride. To receive a passport, a donation of $20 is recommended.  Participants that complete the 2018 Passport Ride will be entered into a drawing for  a 2017 Harley Davidson FXDL Dyna Low motorcycle. During the four days of Bikefest, the program requires a visit to each of the 24 passport locations where participants will receive a different stamp on their passport. Riders may complete more than one passport, if they desire. Completed passports must be turned into the designated Passport Booth at Lake of the Ozarks Harley Davidson no later than 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 16. The lucky winner's passport will be drawn at random on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Harley dealership. 

	Three suggested rides are available on the BikeFest website and feature some of the most spectacular scenery in Missouri.

Aside from the Passport Ride, there are three suggested scenic rides that traverse the winding Ozark terrain that range from 84 miles to 115 miles in length. The Bikefest website features printable maps of each route. The Lake of the Ozarks-area ride clocks in at a little over two hours, or 96 miles, and showcases many beautiful views around the Lake. The 84-mile ride from Ha Ha Tonka State Park near Camdenton to Bennett Spring State Park near Lebanon highlights two of the state's most popular parks and takes less than two hours. The third ride focuses on the "Mother Road" - historic Route 66 - and covers 115 miles from Linn Creek in the Lake area to the small town of Devil's Elbow near the Big Piney River.

Throughout Bikefest there will be live music and nightly concerts at all the participating restaurants, bars and various venues across the entire Lake area. Attendees can enjoy a variety of music featuring local and regional artists as well as acclaimed tribute bands, like the AC/DC cover band Hells/Bells, who play at the Horny Toad Entertainment Complex on Saturday, Sept. 15.

Other notable Bikefest events include the monthly Lake of the Ozarks Bike Night the evening of Thursday, Sept.13; an American Legion Riders morning motorcycle parade on Friday, Sept. 14, which starts at the VFW Post 5923 in Camdenton and concludes at the Zach Wheat American Legion Post in Sunrise Beach; and a jerky-making competition at Beavers at the Dam on the Bagnell Dam Strip on Saturday afternoon. Additional Lake of the Ozarks festivities that take place during Bikefest include farmers and merchants markets in Camdenton, Eldon and Osage Beach; Laurie Hillbilly Days fair at the Laurie Fairgrounds; a community-wide garage sale throughout the city of Osage Beach and an Ozarks Jazz Society performance featuring Cornet Chop Suey at the Inn at Grand Glaize in Osage Beach.

For complete details on the 2018 Lake of the Ozarks BikeFest, including a schedule of events, concert locations and performing artists, complete list of Passport stops, Lake-area riding routes and more, visit  www.LakeBikefest.com .