IT'S WHAT HAPPENING AT ARNOLD'S PARK AND THE IOWA GREAT LAKES!

On August 15, 2003, I had the pleasure of traveling to Arnold's Park, Iowa to visit The Iowa Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame & Museum. The museum is presently next to the famed Arnold's Park Roof Garden Ballroom and the sign below greets you by the entrance.

As soon as we walked in, Doris Welle (Executive Director) and John Senn (President, Board Director & Hall Of Famer) were right there to warmly greet us. John And I talked in detail for quite awhile about the Museum, the 60's Iowa Garage scene, the museum's future goals, the upcoming 2003 ceremony, and his days with Dee Jay & The Runaways.

(John Senn And I)

The museum is generally divided by year of band/artist induction (1997-present), and in the back center of the museum lives a tribute to the first recording studio in Iowa, The Iowa Great Lakes Recording Company, which was a magnet for bands from the upper Midwest.

We then walked into the Roof Garden Ballroom and talked about the past performances from the 60's and the previous induction ceremonies.

The ultimate museum will be housed in a $1.5 million addition to the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum in Arnold's Park, nearly on the site of the old Roof Garden Ballroom that was enshrined in The Hall Of Fame in 1997. The outside of this expansion project is similar of the look of the Roof Garden of the 50's and early 60's. Terraces along the second floor will allow museum visitors to walk along the scenic waterfront on the shores of beautiful West Lake Okoboji.

(Future Site)

The trip is a must if you ever get into the heartland of Northern Iowa just off HWY 71.

MISSION: TO RETAIN THE LEGACY OF ROCK'N ROLL AND PRESERVE THE HISTORY OF MUSIC IN THE STATE OF IOWA.