One week and counting...The Surf Ballroom prepares for a historic week

by Marianne Morf    The numbers are staggering:    Seven hundred forty-seven room nights reserved at local hotels.    One-hundred seventy-five volunteers putting in more than 5,000 hours.      Sixty trips planned to airports in Minneapolis, Des Moines and elsewhere to pick-up and deliver entertainers, crews and other guests to Clear Lake.    And that’s just the tip of the list organizers of next week’s 50 Winters Later Tribute at the Surf Ballroom are compiling.    “We’re still trying to get our arms wrapped around all of this,” said Laurie Lietz, executive director of the Surf Ballroom & Museum/North Iowa Cultural Center and Museum.  Lietz remains calm, cool and collected amid a flood of messages and spread sheets detailing every aspect of scheduling for the nearly week-long event.  The 50th anniversary of the original Winter Dance Party, featuring Buddy Holy, Ritchie Valens, J.P. “the Big Bopper” Richardson and others has dominated every day of the job she accepted almost one year ago.      “Planning started Feb 18, 2008-- as last year’s event closed-- for a way to commemorate this special year,” said Lietz, who accepted the post at the Surf Ballroom days after it was announced a non-profit organization would handle day to day operations at the famous ballroom.  She previously served as tourism director at the Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and was part of that group’s team which successfully put on “50’s in February” at the Surf.    That experience will no doubt serve Lietz well, but this year’s event is significantly larger and includes much more than musical performances over a few nights.      For example, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will bring a team of 16 persons to Clear Lake to first designate the Surf Ballroom as a historical rock and roll site, then conduct a series of free symposiums discussing the influence Holly, Valens and Richardson had on rock and roll and related topics.  The traditional three-day tribute will be followed by a fourth concert night on Monday, Feb. 2, exactly 50 winters after the 1959 Winter Dance Party at the Surf.  There will also be at least 42 other events, ranging from record shows and dance lessons, to bus trips to the crash site and a staging of “Buddy: The Musical” at NIACC Auditorium Sunday, Feb. 1.    Lietz estimates she and Surf staff and volunteers will be responsible for the general care of 120 persons during the week.  That will involve arranging their travel to events, lodging needs and general hospitality.   On this historic year, the families of several musicians and persons associated with the event in the past plan to attend.  Some 11 members of the Valens family will be in attendance.    “We will have eight to 10 drivers scheduled daily getting people to where they need to be,” explained Lietz.  “Right now the rooming list is a bit of a moving target as the event gets closer and peoples’ plans are firming up.”  She notes a travel agent has been hired in the event that bad weather forces travel changes.    “This is new and we’re going to screw up,” Lietz sighs.  “Flexibility will be the key word.  But we intend to do our best and we hope people will understand that.”    In addition to planning on paper, there is significant work being done to prepare the ballroom itself for the big week.    Floors are being scrubbed, light bars moved and the lounge/bar is being expanded and renovated.    “Nothing makes you more productive than last minute needs,” said Lietz.  “But these are things that needed to be done and we wanted to have done.”  She notes she is extremely thankful for the constant five to seven volunteers who are always present at the Surf, tackling a variety of jobs.  She also appreciates the willingness of the entire community to pitch in and make this an extra special event with unique touches.      A display of the 30 posters advertising the tribute event through the years seemed like a great idea, until it was discovered the Surf did not have the entire collection.  But thanks to fans like Denny Farland, of Newton, Iowa a complete collection of posters was brought to Clear Lake where they are being photographed Craig Kienast, of Images Photography, and readied for a special display.      The Surf is also planning to film the entire event for its archives.      “We felt we’d be remiss if we didn’t film it and archive it,” said Lietz, noting the Surf got its own investors to cover those costs.  “There may be a documentary eventually.”    And what about rumors that Paul McCartney or other such huge stars might slip into the event?  Lietz said she expects there to be some surprises, but she is not aware of anything of that magnitude.    “There’s not enough hours in the day right now.  We’ll plan for what we know is going to happen,” said Lietz.  She considers communication to be the most important aspect of her job.  “I think of myself as a giant piece of glue.  I try to take it all in, plan it, and have others help to carry out the plan.  It’s been a phenomenal ride.”