Poodle Skirts And The Sock Hop

Once again as every year brings us. All of Mason City and our sister city Clear Lake is booming with the memories of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the "Big Bopper".

Tomorrow marks the 47th anniversary of the day the music died. Clear Lake which is Mason City's sister town is home to the famous Surf Ballroom. This is the last place Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper played. The Surf is still there and is home to many music concerts just as it always has been. The crash site memoribillia that is seen above has now since been moved to the surf due to vandals.

I was not born until after this tragic accident happened, yet my mother was a fan of all 3. So I grew up in a house listening to them all. About 5 years ago I got the opportunity to go to the Surf Ballroom to experience something wonderful. You walk through door and it is like a huge time machine and you are somewhere so magical. Men are in white tee-shirts and leather jackets with the cuffs in their pants perfect. You could swear James Dean is going to walk passed you at any time. Women have poodle skirts, bofant hair and saddle shoes. Bright red lipstick and chewing gum to boot. They dance and dance all the dances you have seen but never been able to do. Shirley Temples, Pink Squirrels, Green Grasshoppers and Cherry Coke seem to be the craze. The people who are there are amazing and this event is international. I meet people that came from everywhere in the United States. I also meet 5 or 6 couples that came from England. They said they come every year. It was amazing and it really is quite the evening. They dance and sing until around 4 in the morning. When you leave you realize something that you may not have noticed coming in the parking lot is even a step back in history. Everyone and anyone that has a 50's to 60's car has parked it in the rear parking. It really made a night to remember for me.

Little known fact- The Big Bopper, tired of squeezing into the small tour bus swapped his seat with bass player, Waylon Jennings. Valens wins a coin toss for his seat. The plane crashed eight miles from takeoff.

Sorry no spell check, bare with me!