Big Weekend for Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake

It’s grand opening weekend for the “Immersive Music Experience” in the new Music Enrichment Center (MEC) next to the Surf Ballroom & Museum in Clear Lake.

“Not Fade Away: The Immersive Surf Ballroom Experience” is a permanent, first-of-its-kind experience honoring the legacy of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. It also tells the story of the ballroom’s history.

Surf CEO Brian Luallen says cutting-edge technology will help tell the ballroom’s story to younger and older generations. 

“When we talk about the song ‘American Pie’, there are kids that know the song because it’s been featured in ‘Stranger Things’ or Marvel movies, but they don’t know it’s about us, it’s about northern Iowa. So the ability to help them understand who those stars were, make it as exciting as it would have been to walk into that ballroom as a teenager, in February of that year, is incredibly exciting.”

Luallen adds that the MEC will also be an educational center and serve as a greenroom-type facility for the ballroom. 

Local students toured the MEC Friday (09.05) afternoon, with The Brothers Osborne performing a live concert in the ballroom Friday night. 

The MEC will again be open all day Saturday (09.06) with free admission to the public. There will be an official ribbon cutting ceremony at noon on Sunday (09.07), the day that would have been Buddy Holly’s 88th birthday.

Celebrations to mark the historic occasion will include:

Thursday, September 4, 5:30: Exclusive sneak preview, guided memorial site tour and author Tommy Canale signing his book, Shadows Over Clear Lake: The Tragic Tale of the 1959 Winter Dance Party. VIP tickets for this event can be purchased on the Surf Ballroom website.

Friday, September 5, 12 noon: After local students tour the new MEC, doors will be open to the public until 8 pm, when the Surf Ballroom hosts the Brothers Osborne show. Admission to MEC is FREE all day.

Saturday, September 6, 10 am – 6 pm: MEC is again open all day with FREE admission to the public. Rocker Richie Lee & the Fabulous 50s will perform a FREE concert next door at the Surf Ballroom beginning at 6:30.

Sunday, September 7, 12 noon: Official ribbon cutting ceremony marks the opening of the Surf Music Experience Center. Remarks by family, board members and city officials will be followed by a celebration of Buddy Holly’s 88th birthday this day. MEC will be open 12 noon until 6 pm.

The 10,000-square foot Surf MEC will function as a visitors center for the Surf District, with exhibits of never-before-seen artifacts related to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, and the groundbreaking fully-immersive experience, Not Fade Away. The MEC also includes:

• Rooms for private music lessons

• Spacious green room for artists and performers

• Historical artifact exhibits

• State-of-the-art immersive theater

• The Palms Rooftop Cabana cocktail bar

• The Palms Ballroom event space