Lake of the Ozarks my surreal summers in a vanishing America

Before there was 'tourism' and souvenir ashtrays became 'kitsch,' the Lake of the Ozarks was a Shangri-La for middle-class Midwestern families on vacation, complete with man-made beaches, Hillbilly Mini Golf, and feathered rubber tomahawks. It was there that television host Bill Geist spent summers...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Geist, William (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language:English
Published: New York : Grand Central Publishing, 2019.
Edition:First edition.
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Summary:Before there was 'tourism' and souvenir ashtrays became 'kitsch,' the Lake of the Ozarks was a Shangri-La for middle-class Midwestern families on vacation, complete with man-made beaches, Hillbilly Mini Golf, and feathered rubber tomahawks. It was there that television host Bill Geist spent summers in the sixties during his school and college years, working at Arrowhead Lodge -- a small resort owned by his bombastic uncle -- in all areas of the operation, from cesspool attendant to bellhop. What may have seemed just a summer job became, upon reflection, a transformative era where a cast of eccentric, small-town characters and experiences shaped (some might suggest 'slightly twisted') Bill into the man he is today. It was this time in his life that had a direct influence on his sensibilities, his humor, his writing, and ultimately a career searching the world for other such untamed creatures for the Chicago Tribune, the New York Times, and CBS News. Geist takes readers back to a bygone era, and demonstrates how you can find inspiration in the most unexpected places.
Physical Description:xii, 195 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm
ISBN:9781538729809
1538729806
Author Notes:Bill Geist is the New York Times bestselling author of Little League Confidential , The Big Five-Oh, Fore! Play! , and Way Off the Road . He has been a correspondent for "CBS News Sunday Morning" since he joined CBS News in 1987. He chronicles some of the quirkiest people and places in America for the broadcast and has won two Emmys for his work on the show. To date, one of Bill's greatest achievements is taking third place in the Illinois State Fair Bake Off in 1979. Geist lives in New York City with his wife. They have two children.