A new walking tour in the Iowa Great Lakes includes information about where music icons like Louis Armstrong and Johnny Cash performed.
“People are always looking for a unique way to experience this area,” says Okoboji Tourism director Rebecca Peters. “We really loved the idea of a walking tour because you get to explore the Arnolds Park area and you get to learn a little bit about some great rock and roll history.”
The Roof Garden Ballroom in Arnolds Park was the second largest dance hall in the country when it opened in 1923. The Glenn Miller Orchestra was among its earliest bookings. In the 1950s, the venue began hosting rock ‘n roll acts. The Beach Boys performed there in 1963. Peters co-authored a book about the ballroom.
“We got to visit with people and hear stories about how friends would pile into their car and get as many people into a car as possible and come to Arnolds Park to listen to great music,” Peters says. “…Music has always drawn people here and so I think it’s really special to be able to have this walking tour that just remembers that history.”
The original ballroom was torn down in 1987. A brand new Roof Garden opened in 2019. That’s where the walking tour starts, at displays of memorabilia like signed contracts and posters for some of the concerts at the Roof Garden. The second stop is at the Iowa Rock and Roll Music Association Museum. The final stop is at the site of the original Roof Garden Ballroom. Walkers can stand on a newly installed star positioned where the ballroom’s center stage was located — and bands like The Turtles performed. If that band’s name is unfamiliar, you may recognize “Happy Together,” which reached number one on the Billboard chart in 1967.
(By Corey Harguth, KICD, Spencer)