Iowa’s historic Surf Ballroom offers a new reason to make the trip

One of the greatest rock ’n’ roll pilgrimages — and one of the closest to Minnesota — has gotten more enticing.

The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, has tacked on an interactive exhibit that celebrates the 78-year-old venue’s place in music history. It was here, just a two-hour drive south of the Twin Cities, where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper headlined a rip-roaring concert on Feb. 2, 1959, then perished a few hours later when their private plane crashed in a neighboring cornfield.

“Not Fade Away: The Immersive Surf Ballroom Experience” drew 2,000 fans during its opening weekend in early September. The exhibit, housed in a building next to the Surf, will get much more exposure Jan. 28 when the city kicks off its annual Winter Dance Party, a six-day event honoring the anniversary of the Day the Music Died.

The town didn’t always embrace its place in history.

I grew up in nearby Mason City in the 1970s and ’80s, a period in which the Art Deco ballroom got about as much respect as grandma’s hard candy. Acclaimed movies “The Buddy Holly Story” (1978) and “La Bamba” (1987) did little to quash rumors that the Surf would permanently shut its doors.

The tide began to turn in 1994, when local businessman Dean Snyder purchased the building and began to give this cultural landmark the attention it deserves.

The stage is no longer reserved for the kind of oldies bands you hear in supper-club bars. In the past decade, I’ve made the trip back home to see Robert Plant, Los Lobos and George Clinton, artists who clearly came to pay their respects.

That movie doesn’t offer much more than what you’ll find on Wikipedia. Footage from past Surf performances is almost nonexistent.

Afterward, you’re invited to press pop-up buttons on a “magic wall” that lead you to short bios and footage on a wide variety of subjects.

“The goal is to bring in the next generation of music lovers,” said Pete Potts, the Surf’s director of marketing. “Kids today want interactivity.”

It’s a good concept, but one that could use a tune-up. In my visit this month, I had a tough time making out the audio and video, even though I was the only one in the room. It doesn’t help that the “lessons” are often interrupted.

I was delighted to stumble across a clip of the Big Bopper’s son donating his dad’s briefcase to the Surf. But the seemingly moving speech was drowned out by the sudden blare of “Summertime Blues” over the main speakers.

I wish Trivium Interactive, the Boston-based firm that designed the exhibit, had taken a deeper dive into history. I pressed the button “Surf Guests/’50s and ’60s” expecting to scroll through a list of past performers. Instead, I got a generic summary of the era that could have been assembled by a high school student on his bus ride to history class.

After 20 minutes of pressing buttons and straining my eardrums, the entire space went pitch-black with no immediate reboot, one of several technical glitches I experienced.

Still, there are some good reasons to pop into the new museum, even if the admission fee of $19.59 (get it?) is a little steep.

Holly’s cufflinks, Valens’ wallet and the telegram from Elvis Presley to the Big Bopper’s family could just as easily be at Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Also on display are Miranda Lambert’s tambourine, Lawrence Welk’s accordion and one of Les Paul’s early prototypes of the electric guitar.

Locals can take advantage of classes offered in posh green rooms. The Palms, an upstairs bar, will offer great lake views from its balcony in warmer weather.

The nonprofit North Iowa Cultural Center and Museum, which runs the operation, wants you to purchase that $19.59 ticket next door before treading the actual hallowed grounds, but no one is going to stop visitors who just wander in to peek at the collection of signed guitars in the lounge or the wall of autographed photos that honor the club’s Big Band era.

And then there’s the concerts. This year’s Dance Party isn’t as star-studded as it has been in years past when artists like Bo Diddley, Carl Perkins, Nanci Griffith and Joe Ely have taken the stage. This year’s biggest names are the Drifters and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.

But keep an eye on the Surf’s calendar. Established names like Steve Earle, Marty Stuart and Robert Cray all played there last year, usually at far lower prices than what you’d pay for their Twin Cities gigs.