CLEAR LAKE, Iowa — The Surf Ballroom is gearing up to host the 2026 Winter Dance Party, honoring rock 'n' roll legends Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. This iconic ...

It was a bitterly cold and stormy night on February 2, 1959. The residents of Clear Lake, Iowa, had no other option than to escape indoors for some relief from Winter’s fierce presence, and there was ...

The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced. CLEAR LAKE — The Surf Ballroom & Museum has opened a new permanent exhibit honoring the legacy of Buddy ...

CLEAR LAKE — The Surf Ballroom & Museum has opened the Music Experience Center and a new permanent exhibit honoring the legacy of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson.

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa — This weekend there has been what’s called a “soft open” for the new Surf Music Experience Center, next door to the iconic Surf Ballroom. The 10,000 square foot building is a visitor ...

Clear Lake, Iowa (RI) – The Immersive Music Experience opened this weekend in the new Music Enrichment Center beside the Surf Ballroom & Museum in Clear Lake on the late Buddy Holly’s birthday. The ...

One of the identical twins who posed with Buddy Holly in a famous 1959 photo taken at the Riverside Ballroom has died. Joan Matti passed away Aug. 14 in Rothschild, according to her obituary. She was ...

It may still be summer, but it’s time for a Winter Dance Party in the Iowa Great Lakes. This isn’t a run-of-the-mill dance party either. It’s the official live, authentic re-creation of Buddy Holly, ...

If the wooden dance floor sitting under the navy blue arched ceiling of the Surf Ballroom could talk, it would likely say that the music did live on at the rock 'n' roll oasis in Clear Lake, Iowa. The ...