Clear Lake Iowa Surf Ballroom and Buddy Holly crash site marker 7/7/2019
Sir Mix-a-lot Clear Lake Iowa Surf Ballroom 7/24/15 - Testarossa
Craig Morgan at Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa 7/3/14
Last venue Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and JP Richardson(The Big Bopper) would ever perform at. They perished in a plane crash following the performance at this venue making it legendary. Some people refer to it as,The Day the Music Died.
StraitRun from Vinton, Iowa performs at the Surf Ballroom Clear Lake, Iowa June 7th 2014
SraitRun performing for a private party at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa on June 7th, 2014.
Victor Schmidt, Stephen Schmidt, Samuel Schmidt, & Gabriel Schmidt - straitrunvintoniowa.com
Surf Ballroom History Project
This project aims to create as complete a history of the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa as possible and document every event and performance in the venue's nearly 80-years. Contact Dr. Jonas Westover with your personal stories and any clippings or mementos you might have regarding the Surf's past. surfballroomhistoryproject@yahoo.com
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CLEAR LAKE, IA-- A Clear Lake native is trying to help a legendary venue catalog and preserve its history and turn it into a book.
Jonas Westover has a doctorate in musicology and is attempting to track down the Surf Ballroom's past which now spans nearly 80-years and 2 buildings.
I think the Surf is easily one of the most important venues that represents music in the United States in the 20th century, said Westover. I think there's also something magical about the Surf, the Surf itself has seen all of these people, but it's still there. and it still has that magic.
The Ballroom's Executive Director Laurie Lietz tried to caution Westover about what he was getting into. It's a great idea I can't believe anyone has the time and ability to categorize and catalog and do everything, the gee whiz was when he walked into my office and said, he said I'm going to research and catalog every single concert that's been at the surf since it started, to which replied now you are aware that they used to dance 6 or 7 times a week and we've been around since the 1930's right?
Westover who currently teaches strings and music history at the University of St. Thomas and North Hennepin Community College in the Twin Cities area is no stranger to challenges.
I worked with a project in New York City that actually covers every musical event in NYC from 1863 to 1975, and we have reconstructed that, and we are reconstructing the history of New York music and I'm trying to do the same kind of thing for the Surf.
Over the past year its prompted people to get in touch with Westover and share their newspaper clippings and other mementos with him.
He also wants personal stories and to know about local bands and specific events held over the years dating back to the first version of the Surf which was built in 1933.
It burned to the ground in 1947 and the present day Surf was built across the street the following year.
Westover wants to talk to a Mason City native who performed in both buildings.
Darlene Benson-Trousdale was discovered while she was still a teen.
She remembers being asked by the Ray Pearl Orchestra to perform with them on the second night the venue was open in 1948.
When it was opened it was a beautiful place, and those clouds and stuff in that sky actually moved, in the ceiling, those things actually worked and moved, and it was beautiful it really was, said Benson-Trousdale.
Among his findings after organizing the decade between 1950 and 1960 is that the year of 1956 was a pivotal one for music at the surf.
On July 26 of that year, Jules Herman and his Orchestra and Bill Haley and his Comets appeared in the same show at the Surf. According to Westover it is the first time a rock 'n roll act had been booked at the venue.
The goal is a significant book on the surf, not a picture book, not a book of anecdotal tales, just stories but instead the whole history, the written history and the tales themselves included, looking for an oral history and written history, and if possible a visual history as well, to include all of these things in the book, it is a daunting task but i think it's worth it, said Westover.
He will be at the Surf Ballroom today during the afternoon activities of the Winter Dance Party to meet with people..
I think its kind of an honor to have somebody care enough about you being part of it, to make you part of it when you really were part of it, it's not just the new Surf, it's the old Surf too, said Benson-Trousdale.
Westover can be reached via email at surfballroomhistoryproject@yahoo.com
Visit Clear Lake, Iowa!
Stay at the Shore and explore! Enjoy lake recreation and relaxation your way, and experience year-round, family friendly fun. Great dining, shopping,and unique North Iowa attractions offer memorable experiences for all ages. Lodging options range from cozy cabins to hotels with all of the amenities.
For visitor information and more, download our app (available for iphone and android), or visit our website clearlakeiowa.com.
Weekend Showcase: Experience the Surf Ballroom
For nearly 80 years, the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa has hosted legendary musical acts, such as the Righteous Brothers, the Temptations and Louis Armstrong. Next week, North Hennepin Community College is giving students and community members a chance to experience the landmark firsthand.
NHCC music faculty member Jonas Westover will hold a class Wednesday, Feb. 13, about the history of the Surf Ballroom and two days later he will take the group to Clear Lake to tour the venue and attend a concert there. The class, including the trip, is open to the public.
What we're doing is giving people an opportunity to see really one of the most important venues in American popular music history, said Westover.
The Surf was a mandatory stop for aspiring big bands in the 1930s and 1940s, and for rising rock stars in the '50s and beyond.
It hosted what would be the final performance of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, said Westover, three people who were important rock stars in the late '50s.
On Feb. 3, 1959, shortly after playing the Surf, the three men boarded a plane that crashed shortly after takeoff. The event inspired the song American Pie and is often referred to as the day the music died.
Today, the Surf is not only still a lively concert hall, but it is also a museum. In 2009, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum dedicated the venue as a historic rock and roll landmark. In 2011, it made it to the National Register of Historic Places.
There were ballrooms all across the country in the thirties, forties and fifties, and in the seventies and eighties when music changed, a lot of them were torn down, said Westover, but the surf remains.
Westover has spent years studying the history of the Surf Ballroom. He was born in Clear Lake and his grandparents were regulars at the Surf. He is currently working on a project to document every single event that happened at the Surf since it opened in 1934. Using his connections with the Surf, Westover hopes to share the building's history with his students and other community members.
Westover will give a lecture at the Surf Ballroom and, in addition to taking a tour of the building, the group will visit the site where Buddy Holly's, Ritchie Valens's and The Big Bopper's plane crashed. The trip will end with a live concert at the Surf by an 80's tribute band called Hairball.
Anyone interested in participating in the class and trip is required to register.
The fee for North Hennepin Community College students looking to receive credit is $50. Community members must pay $75 and register at nhcc.edu/ptd. Call 763-424-0880 for more information.
Renee Banot
12 News is on Comcast cable channel 12 in the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis and includes the cities Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, Maple Grove, New Hope, Osseo, Plymouth and Robbinsdale.
Skillet - Victorious - Live HD - Surf Ballroom - Clear Lake, IA - 8/20/19
Candlebox. Higher than a Georgia pine
Candlebox, surf ballroom, clear lake Iowa, 11/15/2019
Chicken at Drive in Clear Lake Iowa Travel USA, Mr. Peacock & Friends, Hidden Tresures
On Mr. Peacock’s latest adventure, they discovered a hidden treasure of a huge chicken at the drive-in called, The Barrel Drive-In at Clear Lake, Iowa. Learn all about this unusual big chicken and giant ice cream cone from Mr. Peacock & Mrs. Peacock in their latest adventure.
Please join us for every episode of Mr. Peacock & Friends hidden treasures by visiting Mr. Peacock & Friends website: or subscribe to our YouTube page at:
E-mail Mr. Peacock at dennisfett@yahoo.com for more information about this fascinating series and check out his web site at
Polar Bear Plunge 2018 | Clear Lake, Iowa
21st Annual Star 106.1 Polar Bear Plunge in Clear Lake Iowa. Followed by fireworks over Clear Lake.
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Clear Lake Iowa
Clear Lake Iowa is a great place to go have fun.
Amphicar's in Clear Lake Iowa
Two Amphicar's in Clear Lake, Iowa during the car show (summer 2017). Car and boat- Amphicar
Americinn Lodge and Suites - Clear Lake - Clear Lake Hotels, Iowa
Americinn Lodge and Suites - Clear Lake 2 Stars Hotel in Clear Lake, Iowa Within US Travel Directory Offering a heated indoor pool and hot tub, this Clear Lake, Iowa hotel offers free Wi-Fi and is just 5 minutes' drive from Clear Lake beaches.
A flat-screen cable TV and a coffee machine are provided in every room at AmericInn Lodge and Suites.
Rooms also include refrigerators and ironing facilities.
Free breakfast is served every morning at the Clear Lake AmericInn Lodge and Suites.
Breakfast includes an assortment of hot items and fresh fruit.
Vending Machines and a on-site meeting facility are featured at this hotel.
Free parking is available to all guests.
Surf Ballroom and Museum and the Iowa Trolley State Park are both 5 minutes' drive from this hotel.
Americinn Lodge and Suites - Clear Lake - Clear Lake Hotels, Iowa
Location in : 1406 North 25th Street, IA 50428, Clear Lake, Iowa
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Clear Lake, Iowa
The Lake, Surf Ballroom, Band Shell...There is no better place to be then in Clear Lake for the summer. GoPro Session Footage.
Check out my friend Keegan's channel!
The Day The Music Died : Visiting The Crash Site & Final Moments
Visited Clear Lake Iowa to relive the final day of Buddy Holly , The Big Bopper and Richie Valens . Known as The Day The Music Died
07/05/15 Ace Frehley @ Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake, IA (0017 Deuce)
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Fishboy at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, IA 4.26.08
description to come
Surf Ballroom and Museum - Best Music Landmark - Iowa 2018
Step onto the hardwood floors, surrounded by ocean-front murals and booths reminiscent of milk shakes and rock-and-roll. Look up into the clouds floating on the ceiling and realize that the sky is still the limit. You're indeed standing on the stage of American music
2014 Polar Bear Club in Clear Lake, Iowa
The 2014 Polar Bear Club in Clear Lake had about 400 people raise approximately $13,600 for Make-A-Wish and Toys for Tots