Treasure Hunt! Family Fun Event Of The Year Launches Shootout Week

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. – It's for everyone. The kids look forward to it every year. The Great Shootout Treasure Hunt brings families together to build memories and comb the beaches of Captain Ron’s at 5 p.m., Monday, Aug. 20.

All proceeds from the event benefit Kids' Harbor and the Idiots Club.

Online ONLY! Purchase $20 Ticket For ONLY $15

The giveaways at the Great Shootout Treasure Hunt satiate even the greediest pirate: With more than $10,000 in prizes, most treasure hunters walk away with more value in their loot bag than they even paid to get into the event – and everyone gets a T-shirt. Several huge prizes raise the stakes of the event, with adults and kids alike digging frantically in the sand.

Among the treasure chests buried along Cannonball Beach, one lucky adventurer will dig up the key to the grand prize -- a new Hammerhead Mudhead Off-Road Go Kart from Surdyke Yamaha.  

Tickets can be purchased for $20 at Kids’ Harbor, Captain Ron’s and Cannon Smoked Saloon. All ticket holders enjoy a social hour, treasure hunt, prizes and a free t-shirt.

But the indisputable biggest winners of the Treasure Hunt are other children—victims of domestic violence who are helped by Kids’ Harbor. These children are typically unseen, but they are members of the local community, and they feel the impact of events like the Treasure Hunt, that help fund Kids’ Harbor’s mission.

“Kids’ Harbor is excited to be a part of the Treasure Hunt,” said Cara Gerdiman, Kids’ Harbor, Inc. Executive Director.  “Given the increasing number of children from our communities being referred to the agency, this event allows us to raise money which ensures all victims of child abuse are given a voice in the criminal justice process.” 

Kids’ Harbor serves 10 counties in Missouri: Camden, Dent, Hickory, Laclede, Maries, Miller, Morgan, Phelps, Pulaski and Texas. The 501(c)(3) is funded through the generosity of individuals throughout the community, and through donations from organizations and events like the Treasure Hunt. 

Kids’ Harbor helped 613 children in 2016. Over the past decade, the organization has nearly tripled the amount of children it serves annually. That’s bad news and good news, obviously: the scourge of domestic abuse is still a harsh reality in many homes, but Kids’ Harbor advocates and medical professionals have been able to get more help to more kids, as the organization grows.

This year the Idiots Club has also come aboard to help run The Shootout Treasure Hunt, so the children they serve can benefit from the event. 

Founded by Denny and Danna Hiner, the Charity’s mission statement is: The Jesters of Goodwill dedicated to helping youth in-need in the Lake area.  The primary goal is to improve the self-esteem of in-need children by providing basic needs and making it possible for them to participate in school or community activities.

Currently, 65% of children in the lake area live below the federal poverty line.  The Idiots Club works through lake area school districts including Camdenton, Climax Springs, Macks Creek and School of the Osage; as well as social agencies and civic groups who identify the needs of children living in poverty. 

As of January 1, 2018, the Lake of the Ozarks Idiots Club has provided 9,293 child assists. A child assist is whenever the charity provides a good or service for a child.  Some children receive assists on numerous occasions, such as Buddy Packs.  The Idiots Club has spent $148,041.31 in 3.5 years helping children living in poverty.

The event is hugely popular every year, and it’s not only for children. There is something about the chance to find buried treasure that brings out the inner child, for adults of all ages: as soon as the hunt begins, treasure hunters spanning several generations flood the beaches, combing the sand for wooden chests. Once the prizes are redeemed, the evening unwinds, as live music floats across the water, kids steal a few final minutes on the playground, and adults stroll along the sand toward Captain Ron’s for dinner.