LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — Woods Supermarket has joined the elite group of "Top Gun" sponsors for the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout.

Woods Supermarket Owner/President Don Woods Jr. presented a check in the amount of $25,000 to Lake of the Ozarks Shootout Director Ron Duggan Friday, June 23 and became the Official Lake of the Ozarks Shootout Top Gun Sponsor. 

The Shootout is an immensely popular annual boat racing event held at Captain Ron’s Bar and Grill on the 34.5 mile-marker on the Lake of the Ozarks in Sunrise Beach. The event attracts racers and race fans from around the world. 

The American Ethanol team of Slug Hefner and John Cosker won the coveted "Top Gun" trophy at the 2016 Shootout with a speed of 217 mph. The fastest speed on record for the current Shootout race course is 244 mph, set by Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al-Thani, in 2014. 

Proceeds from the event benefit local fire districts and charities, and every year since the races moved to Captain Ron's the event has broken fundraising records. Last year was no exception. The 2016 race events earned an estimated $200,000 for 34 entities. In 2015, the race raised $175,000 and in 2014 they brought in $125,000. 

The fire districts use their earnings to purchase much needed safety, dive team and rescue equipment. “We would not be able to function without the Shootout funds,” Coffman Bend Fire Department Volunteer Margie Frazier said. The charities are as diverse as their location and the funds help a variety of causes including handicapped and abused children and adults, the homeless and the hungry. 

“Ron (Duggan) puts so much into this and we are excited to be a part,” Don Woods Jr. said at the presentation.

Woods Supermarket, Inc. opened their first store in 1947. The company now owns 12 supermarkets, and four of those are at the Lake of the Ozarks: in Sunrise Beach, Osage Beach, Lake Ozark and Eldon. Woods also has five Woods Express Gas Stations; three florists; eight stores with a pharmacy and three stores with online shopping, a personal shopper and curbside pick-up. For additional information about Woods visit www.woodssupermarket.com. 

Along with the employment boost it brings to communities, Woods Supermarket has a tradition of helping their local community. A few of the ways they give back include:

  • Neighbors Helping Neighbors: An easy way for Woods customers to donate food to local families in need. Annually, Woods customers purchase $5 or $10 grocery bags and the purchased items are then donated to local food banks. 
  • Feeding our Furry Friends: Annually, they run a program to assist communities to donate to their local animal shelters. Customers purchase a $5 or $10 bag of pet food and it is donated to our furry friends. In 2016, customers donated nearly 6,000 pounds of pet food. 
  • Charitable Contributions: Since the year 2013, Woods Supermarket has donated $91,000 to community charities and organizations. 
  • Food Bank Donations: Woods Supermarket continues to give back to the community with food donations to local food banks. Since 2013, they have donated more than 230,000 of product. Rather than wasting perishable items, they are donated to local families. 
  • The Woods Charitable Fund also has donated more than $50,000 since 2013. 
  • Their Save A Label program helps to raise money for local for local schools and non-profit organization and they have assisted more than 13,000 non-profits and schools. Nearly 1.2 million cases of Best Choice product labels have been submitted. 

Lake-wide impact 

According to the Tri-County Lodging Association, besides helping people in emergency situations, the Shootout also infuses the local economy with millions of dollars: a boon to businesses at the end of the boating season. Shootout fans flock to the Lake and visit motels, restaurants, shops and more, with many calling the Shootout the fourth major holiday of the year for the Lake economy. 

Aside from the race itself, the Shootout has come to encompass nearly two weeks of events at locations in cities around the Lake. An army of 670 volunteers came together in 2016 to pull off events including poker runs, golf and volleyball tournaments, a mini-shootout (remote controlled race boats), a treasure hunt, an auction, a meet-and-greet and Make a Wish Boat Rides for sick and handicapped children. 

This year, the 2017 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout Races are scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 26 and Sunday, Aug. 27.

Check out LakeExpo.com's Online Shootout Guide and past Shootout stories, and pick up a copy of the Official Shootout Race Guide on magazine racks across the Lake of the Ozarks, beginning July 12.

For additional information visit www.lakeoftheozarksshootout.com.

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