Groundbreaking held for Surf Ballroom Music Enrichment & Immersive Center (AUDIO)

(Story posted at 1:07 PM on Wednesday)

CLEAR LAKE — The groundbreaking was held this morning for the Surf Ballroom Music Enrichment & Immersive Center that’s part of the City of Clear Lake’s Surf District Destination Iowa project.

The center will feature a visitors center, ticket office and gift shop, have expanded lesson studios, a conference space, and an 1800 square foot immersive exploratory space dedicated to showcasing the ballroom’s significant contributions to music history.

Jeff Nicholas of the North Iowa Cultural Center & Museum, the organization that oversees the operations of the Surf, says it will be a great learning experience for young and old.  “What we will promise you is that it will be incredible. You will be very, very proud of it. You will be very excited about it, and it will inspire our youth not only to learn about the culture of our community, the culture of the Surf Ballroom, about the music, about all the friendships and all the relationships. This place is bricks and mortar, but it’s so more than that.”

City Administrator Scott Flory says the improvements with the center as well as other improvements to the Surf area will ensure the legacy of the ballroom remains relevant for many generations to come.  “We all know the Surf Ballroom has a very unique story to tell, and the new Music Enrichment & Immersive Center, the streetscape improvements that we are making here, are all things that are critical and pivotal for us to help continue to tell the story of the Surf Ballroom, a National Historic Landmark. There are only 27 of these in the state of Iowa, and we’re blessed to have one here.”

Iowa Economic Development Authority director Debi Durham says the Surf’s mission is evolving from one that celebrates the legacies of the musicians who have played there but also celebrates public art, the lake, and a hands-on learning experience that will inspire generations to come.  “It is game changing for Clear Lake, and an incredibly successful story for Iowa. What I love about this project is not just its potential but its story of reinvention, creative thinking and partnership. You have this collective leadership with the community and the companies that came together around the Surf District.”

Connie Valens, the sister of fallen rocker Ritchie Valens who in February 1959 played with Buddy Holly and “The Big Bopper” J. P. Richardson prior to their deadly plane crash north of Clear Lake, says the center will give an opportunity to continue to teach and enrich future generations about what the Surf represents.  “The Enrichment Center through the dedication of the teachers and students will be at the heart of continuing the legacies of the three young men who changed rock and roll history and continue to inspire new generations of musicians, and more so once those doors open. I just want to say, Viva Buddy, the Big Bopper, and my brother Ritchie.”

The rest of the Surf District project which received a $4.37 million Destination Iowa grant will include gateway and streetscape enhancements around and on Buddy Holly Place and waterfront connections from the Surf Ballroom to the lakeshore. The Music Enrichment & Immersive Center recently was awarded an additional $400,000 Community Attraction and Tourism grant. 

 

You can listen back to the entire groundbreaking ceremony via the audio player below