The music didn’t really die; it’s still alive in Clear Lake

Oversize eyeglass frames like the (smaller) ones Buddy Holly wore mark the entrance to the Memorial Site, marking the spot where he died in a plane crash north of Clear Lake, Iowa, in 1959.  (Katherine Rodeghier / Chicago Tribune)

Crooner Pat Boone’s white bucks are among the memorabilia on display at the Surf Ballroom & Museum in Clear Lake, Iowa. All items on display are from performers who appeared at the ballroom over the years.  (Katherine Rodeghier / Chicago Tribune)

The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, is one of the few remaining in a state that once had more ballrooms per capita than any other state.  (Katherine Rodeghier / Chicago Tribune)

Memorabilia pertaining to Ritchie Valens is on display at the Surf Ballroom & Museum in Clear Lake, Iowa. Valens gave his last performance at the ballroom before he was killed in a plane crash in 1959.  (Katherine Rodeghier / Chicago Tribune)

Clear Lake, Iowa, has a long history as a resort town, thanks to the lake popular for boating and beaches. More than half of the homes in town are owned by nonresidents.  (Katherine Rodeghier / Chicago Tribune)

The memory of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson never dies at the Surf Ballroom, where their images shine above the original maple dance floor ringed by wooden booths.  (Katherine Rodeghier / Chicago Tribune)