Photos from "50s IN FEBRUARY"
at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa

Thursday through Saturday, February 1-3, 2007

Photos by John Lindquist.

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Following are my photos from the 2007 event, and I still have more 'splainin' to do about the
Saturday Night concert. A page of Matt Lincoln's digital photos is here.

A peek at what went on at the rockabilly festival 3 1/2 months later in Green Bay is shown here.

Thursday Morning through the Afternoon:

A1-A4: The annual trek to the crash site. This year a bit of digging was needed to expose the monument. In Photo A1 we are looking at the 480-acre field from the south; the crash site is almost at the exact center of the field as explained in the inset on this page. In Photos A2 and A3 we are looking south and east (respectively) from the monument.

B1-B2: Inside the very popular Starboard Market Deli on Main Street. (Photo B1 is actually from 2005 but could still be representative of today's menu.)

C1-C2: A couple shots of this year's program at the Clear Lake Middle School that raises funds for the Winter Dance Party Musical Scholarships and Awards Program. Donnie Briggs is featured in Photo C1, and Photo C2 shows the all-star finale.

Thursday Night at the Surf Ballroom:

D1-D4: The popular Iowa band Coupe de Ville.

E1-E8: Tommy Allsup and Johnny Rogers.

F1-F6: Matthew and Gunnar, the Nelson Brothers with their lead guitarist Cary Park.

Friday Night at the Surf Ballroom:

G1: Emcees Ed & George – "Real Oldies" DJs from the Boston Area.

H1-H7: Johnny Star and the Meteors – their final(?) public performance together, as Johnny Starr is about to emerge as the new Jay of Jay and the Americans.

I1-I4: And here are Jay and the Americans with their new lead singer!

Saturday Afternoon at the Surf Ballroom:

J1: A very well-organized fan fair where one can meet one's favorite performers. Bobby Vee is near the far right in the photo.

K1-K3: Performer, historian and all-around nice guy Alan Clark entertains in the Surf Lounge.

Saturday Night at the Surf Ballroom:

L1-L2: Josh Holmes does a non-stop acoustic medley.

M1: Shawn Nagy of the Shackshakers.

N1-N5: The Fireballs. George Tomsco and Stan Lark do their inimitable routine in Photos N1 and N2. (It might look easy, but just try it! It ain't easy.) Jimmy Gilmer made a rare appearance and is shown in Photos N3-N5.

O1-O2: Dale Hawkins.

P1-P3: The Cleftones.

Q1-Q3: Barbara Lewis

R1-R6: Bobby Vee.

S1-S5: The Crickets.

T1-T5: Bobby Vee and the Crickets' big finale.

A few miscellaneous shots:

U1: The historic telephone at the Surf.

U2: A sunrise as seen from the east end of Clear Lake.

U3: An outside view of the Surf.

• Go to John L's Surf Ballroom Tribute
  and Winter Dance Party site which
  covers 1979-2002.
  
• The Celebration/Reunion Continues!

Page last modified on 6/19/07 at 6:00 PM, CDT.

I am emailable at jlindquist @ arismail.com .

John Lindquist: homepage, complete site outline.
Department of Bacteriology, U.W.-Madison