Image by moronistaffmarie from Pixabay

BY: RACHEL WUMKES

It’s been playing in my head all morning.  As I got dressed.  As I made breakfast.  As I sat with a cup of coffee, looking out the window at the frost-covered trees.

I can’t remember if I cried when I

Read about his widowed bride

But something touched me deep inside

The day… the music died

As a young child growing up on the gravel roads of Northwest Iowa, my father used to sing American Pie by Don McClean often.  The windows of his rusty truck rolled down on a hot summer day.  The dust swirling inside the cab as we sang at the top of our lungs.  I thought it was a cool song.  I thought it was fun.  It had a catchy tune, and I knew all the words.

Every single one of them.

Little did I know the implications behind those words.  That there was a deeper meaning hidden behind the upbeat rhythms and flawless chord progression.

It was a song filled with sadness.

Of tragedy.

Over my four years at the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, I’ve written countless articles related to the Surf Ballroom.  Thousands of words scrambled together, showcasing the magic of the historical building.  Of the Winter Dance Party.  Of concerts.  Of the history of Rock ‘N Roll.

Today, the words just don’t seem to flow as easily.

I met a girl who sang the blues

And I asked her for some happy news

But she just smiled and turned away

I went down to the sacred store

When I’d heard the music years

But the man there, said the music

Wouldn’t play

For the first time, as the anniversary of that fateful plane crash rolls around, I am speechless.  My heart feels heavy.  With all the cancellations and disappointments of the past year due to COVID, this one really hit hard.

However, as I perused the Surf Ballroom’s Facebook Page, looking at old memories in an attempt to cheer myself up, that one line from the song kept floating through my head.

Do you believe in Rock ‘N Roll

Can music save your mortal soul

My simple answer?  Yes.

I do believe in Rock ‘N Roll and the power of music in our lives. The newly minted National Historic Landmark Surf Ballroom & Museum has kept that music alive for years.  Millions of hearts may have broken when they heard about the plane crash that took our three fallen stars, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper, but their music lives on.  Their legacy lives in the hearts and souls of people all over the world, but mostly, it lives on in the Surf Ballroom.

While we are not able to gather in person this year to commemorate the lives of these musical icons, the Surf will host a virtual concert featuring the Holy Rocka Rollaz on February 6th at 8PM.  Tickets are available at www.surfballroom.com – Help us keep the spirit of Rock ‘N Roll alive by supporting the Surf Ballroom and Museum.

It might look different this year, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still “Rave On.”