Clear Lake, Iowa — After taking a year off due to the pandemic, the Winter Dance Party has returned to the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake.
Surf executive director Laurie Lietz says people are ready to celebrate the lives of fallen rockers Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and “The Big Bopper” JP Richardson. They were killed in a plane crash north of Clear Lake hours after playing at the Surf on February 3rd, 1959.
Don McLean, who wrote the song “American Pie” to honor the legacy of the early rock legends, was originally scheduled to kick off the Winter Dance Party last year as part of the 50th anniversary of the release of the song. He agreed to come back after last year’s event was scrubbed. McLean’s show for Thursday was sold out. Individual tickets are still available on Friday and Saturday nights. Lietz says Friday night’s event features some long-time staples of the event.
Saturday night’s lineup includes the rock band Los Lobos, who performed eight songs on the soundtrack of the Ritchie Valens biopic “La Bamba,” as well as other groups making a return to the event.
On Wednesday, the Surf hosted about 800 north-central Iowa elementary students as part of a field trip which Lietz says educates them about the meaning behind the event.
You can purchase individual tickets for Friday and Saturday night’s events by heading to surfballroom.com.
