One of Bell County’s most popular lake areas is finally reopening after over three years of being closed.
Since 2020, the Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area, or BLORA, has been shut down — a heartbreaking time for the current Park Manager, Dennis Bass, who has been working there for 30 years.
”It was hard to watch,” Bass said.
“The priorities shifted within the military. We weren’t getting the funding we needed to keep everything up and going, to keep everything operational.”
There were also other factors such as water levels and the COVID-19 pandemic keeping the gates closed — but not anymore.
”With all that stuff kind of lifted, we decided it was time to go ahead and reopen the beach area, the swim area,” said Thomas Kenney, Outdoor Recreation Chief for Fort Cavazos.
“It will be swim at your own risk down here.”
They will not have lifeguards on duty except for special events.
That’s why they’ve roped off a safe area for swimming, have rescue devices close by, and if visitors do not have life jackets for their kids, they can borrow one from them for free, as long as they return it.
They are kicking off the opening weekend with a bang.
”Tomorrow we have the event going on, which is Beach Blast,” Kenney said.
“Which is going to go from 10 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.”
Since BLORA is run by the Army and Fort Cavazos officials, they are pulling out all the stops for military families and civilians — the very people Dennis Bass has proudly served for three decades.
“This is a place the soldiers can come to. A safe environment where they can come and relax, enjoy themselves, and have fun. That’s what it’s all about.”
According to 25 News meteorologist Caleb Chevalier, the weather should be fairly decent on Saturday.
"We do have more rain in the forecast on Saturday," Chevalier said.
"I could see us getting a little bit here and there but i think most places should be okay. Sunday, we have a decent chance for some scattered showers and storms across all of Central Texas."
Beach Blast will have food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, games, inflatables, volleyball tournaments and more.
The event is free to the public.
