Iowa Rock 'n Roll Music Museum Hours and Location
The Iowa Rock'nRoll Music Association Proudly Presents its Museum of Iowa Rock and Roll History at Arnolds Park, Iowa on Lake Okoboji.
Permanant displays include a reproduction of the Iowa Great Lakes recording studio, A 60's era radio Broadcast booth, vintage recording equipment plus memorabilia from many of the inductees to our hall of fame! Also special changing monthly displays of interest! Check our announcements page for updates.
Summer Hours (Mid May through Mid September)
11AM to 7PM Monday through Thursday
11AM-8PM Fridays & Sundays
11AM-9PM Saturdays
September through May
Monday - Friday 11AM to 5PM
Weekends by Appointment
Admission
$1.00 per person (13 and over) children 12 and under free.
IRRMA Members free with ID card
Special Tours by Appointment - Call 712 332 6540
Address and Location
Located on Lake Street, adjacent to the historic Arnolds Park Amusement park
P. O. Box 557
Arnolds Park, IA 51331
712-332-6540
(New Photos courtesy of IRRMA Vice President of Marketing Mick Buckley and Museum Advisory Committee member Barb Lancaster have a look at http://www.iowarocknroll.com/gallery-items.php?catID=21)
2003 Grand Opening
On Memorial Day Weekend 2003 The Grand Opening of the Iowa RockNRoll Music Associations Museum was held.
The Museum is located on the site of the infamous Roof Garden Ballroom at Arnolds Park Iowa.
The location is fitting for such a Museum as virtually thousands of teenagers and visitors visited the Iowa Great Lakes region during the 50's, 60's and 70's and packed the historical Amusement Park at Arnolds Park and the famed Roof Garden Ballroom featuring countless big name national acts as well as their favorite Iowa Bands and Musicians.
That is still true today. In 1997, John Senn (Jay of Dee Jay & the Runaways) along with several other interested people formed the Iowa Rock'NRoll music association as a Non-Profit organization in the State of Iowa.
John's dream at that time was eventually to have a Museum to permanently display and preserve the rich history of Iowa Music, Entertainers, Radio Stations, Ballrooms, Promoters and others that contributed so much to that history.
Also to utilize the association to help educate the children of today's and future generations about that history.
The location provides access to over 300,000 visitors per year that come to the area.
At this time the Iowa Rock'NRoll Music Association is soliciting support for the museum in the form of sponsors, donations of money, memorabilia, memberships and labor.
Memorabilia can be placed on loan to the Museum as well as permanently donated. The Museum is but a start.
Future plans include the building of a magnificent addition to the Arnolds Park Iowa Welcome Center located across the street from the present location.
Additionally if you were or still are someone associated with the History of Iowa Rock and Roll; Radio; The Ballrooms etc. and have any historical or anecdotal information you think would be of interest to us we would like to hear from you! Simply click on the
"contact Us" button to the left!
Special Exhibits
Old pictures are “ Rockin’ the Ballroom Clock” at museum
A collection of rock and roll pictures are bringing attention to the early stars who rocked the stages at Matters Ballroom in Decorah and the Inwood Ballroom at Spillville. “Rockin’ the Ballroom Clock” is the new exhibit now open at the
Iowa
RockNRoll
Music
Association
Museum (IRRMA) in
Arnolds
Park .
The black and white photos, many of them autographed, are part of the vast collection owned by James Ronan of Decorah. Included in the collection are unpublished photos of Buddy Holly’s performance on the Matters stage in July of 1958.
Among the other stars in the collection are Gene Vincent, Fats Domino, Dion,
Conway Twitty, Sam the Sham, Wanda Jackson, Chuck Berry and many more. These stars played all over
Iowa in rock and roll’s infancy and beyond. Matters Ballroom entered the IRRMA Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Inwood at Spillville in 2003.
The museum is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Beginning in late May, it will be open seven days each week. The “Rockin’ the Ballroom Clock” exhibit will be displayed in the museum through the end of May.
