Day Trip #1
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
East Park in Mason City, Iowa.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/80 sec, f/11, ISO 320
East Park in Mason City, Iowa.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/80 sec, f/7.1, ISO 200
The Rancho Deluxe art instillation in Mason City, Iowa is described as recycled and re-purposed items pertinent to North Iowa’s history. You will find everything from bicycles and bathtubs to hub caps, license plates and bedsprings. It is an ever-changing installation and sure to be different on each visit.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/850 sec, f/3.2, ISO 160
The canvas for these paintings are 3,000 pound blocks of granite from the former county courthouse. Take note of the bathtub on top, which is filled with what I believe to be bowling balls.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/350 sec, f/7.1, ISO 160
This takes a level of talent and skill far beyond anything I could ever accomplish!
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/80 sec, f/10, ISO 500
Immediately across the street from the Rancho Deluxe art exhibit is this rather elaborate mural. The artist continues to work on this project which will one day take up the entire side of the building. On a prior visit we watched him paint the dragon’s tail while standing on that ladder. A level of skill and talent beyond my comprehension. How is it even possible to get perspective when standing 20 feet in the air on a ladder at arms length from the wall? Amazing really!
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/240 sec, f/8, ISO 160
The Statue of Liberty in Mason City Iowa?
In 1950 the Boy Scouts of America celebrated their 40th anniversary with a project called Strengthen the Arm of Liberty. As part of that project, approximately 200 Statue of Liberty replicas were installed throughout the U.S. This is the one located in Central Park in Mason City, Iowa.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/300 sec, f/8, ISO 160
Surf Ballroom, Clear Lake, Iowa.
On the evening of February 2, 1959, the entertainers Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J.P. Richardson “The Big Bopper” played their final concert at the Surf Ballroom. Following the concert, they boarded a chartered flight to take them to their next show in Fargo, ND. They would never arrive in Fargo; their plane crashed shortly after take-off in a field approximately 5 miles from the Mason City airport killing all three rock ‘n roll stars and their 21-year old pilot, Roger Peterson.
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/200 sec, f/7.1, ISO 160
The Surf Ballroom was built in 1948, and on September 16, 2011, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Inside the Surf is a museum dedicated to the three entertainers whose tragic deaths made the Surf famous; as well as the many other headline entertainers who have played this venue over the years.
If you ever have a chance to visit, check out the dressing room just off the side of the stage. The entertainers who have played here have signed the walls. One, in particular, stands out as poignant to the history of this building. Don McLean has written the first verse of his iconic song “American Pie” which is a tribute to the men who died in that Clear Lake cornfield in the early morning hours of February 3, 1959; “The day the music died….”
Fujifilm X-Pro3 23mm, 1/200sec, f/7.1, ISO 160
