Several cars and a white camper are parked in a grassy lot beside a dirt road, surrounded by vast green fields and a line of trees under a cloudy blue sky.

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1791567789/wysiwyg/dvogl673k8fifprdjlen.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">Every winter, and honestly all year long, people find their way to a quiet field north of Clear Lake, Iowa. They come to stand where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. &quot;The Big Bopper&quot; Richardson and pilot Roger Peterson lost their lives on February 3, 1959, after a show at the Surf Ballroom. Don McLean&#39;s song &quot;American Pie&quot; carried the memory of that night to generations of listeners, and many of them have followed it to this spot.My name is Andrew Althof. Our family&#39;s nonprofit, American Pie Parking and Rec Inc, owns the land right across the road from the memorial, at 7368 315th St. I&#39;ve watched visitors pull in from all over the country, and from other countries too. They leave flowers, guitar picks, notes, and pairs of glasses. They&#39;re respectful, they&#39;re moved, and they often have nowhere to go. Right now the only facility for all of them is one porta-potty, and it gets used far more than it was built for. There&#39;s no shelter from Iowa wind or snow, no running water, and no place to sit and take it all in.We want to change that, and we want to keep it free for everyone.Here&#39;s what we&#39;re building:&bull; A shelter house. A covered pavilion where visitors, tour groups, and families can get out of the weather.&bull; ADA-accessible restrooms and showers. A permanent building in place of the single porta-potty, so every visitor has a clean, accessible option.&bull; Water, septic, and electric. The basic utilities that make the rest possible.&bull; Free camping. So fans traveling to the memorial, especially during the Winter Dance Party each February, have a safe, legal place to stay the night.&bull; A small museum. Down the road we hope to display a Beechcraft Bonanza like the plane that went down in 1959, along with the history of that night and the music that came out of it.None of it will cost visitors a dime: no parking fee, no admission, no camping charge. American Pie Parking and Rec Inc is an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 42-4144002), so your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.Our first goal is $50,000 toward the shelter house and utilities. Our full first-phase estimate for the shelter, restrooms, showers, water, septic, and electric is about $183,000. We&#39;ll post updates with real numbers as bids come in, and we&#39;ll show you every step on the ground.Where your money goes (estimates, Phase 1 = $182,975):&bull; ADA restroom/shower building (precast, CXT-class): $83,241 (45.5%)&bull; Shelter house / pavilion (30x40 kit + slab): $34,000 (18.6%)&bull; Freight + engineering: $20,100 (11.0%)&bull; Septic system: $11,500 (6.3%)&bull; Well / water: $10,000 (5.5%)&bull; Electric service: $7,500 (4.1%)&bull; 10% contingency: $16,634 (9.1%)&bull; Total Phase 1 estimate: $182,975 (100%)Trenching is not yet priced. The museum and Beechcraft Bonanza, and camping pads/hookups, are not yet estimated (later phase). Estimates based on published pricing as of fall 2026; final costs depend on bids, site conditions, and permits.A quick note on respect: this is an independent, local effort by our family and board. We are not affiliated with, and have not been endorsed by, the Holly, Valens, Richardson or Peterson families, Don McLean, or the Surf Ballroom. We simply want the people who make this pilgrimage to be welcomed with dignity.If this place means something to you, because of the song, because of the music, or because you&#39;ve stood in that field yourself, please give what you can and share this page. Every dollar goes toward making the memorial a place visitors can comfortably stay a while.Thank you, and I hope to shake your hand out here someday.Andrew AlthofPresident, American Pie Parking and Rec Inc <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1791567800/wysiwyg/hpeueuctundokkdq3xii.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1791567851/wysiwyg/uevxmzh4qsgjrwew3nhv.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1791567857/wysiwyg/yktfnamytyujqzberr7g.jpg" style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; padding: 0px 1px; user-select: none; max-width: 100%; position: relative; box-sizing: inherit;" fr-original-style="width: 600px; display: block; vertical-align: top; margin: 5px auto; text-align: center;" fr-original-class="fr-draggable">

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1791567789/wysiwyg/dvogl673k8fifprdjlen.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;position:relative;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" />Every winter, and honestly all year long, people find their way to a quiet field north of Clear Lake, Iowa. They come to stand where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson and pilot Roger Peterson lost their lives on February 3, 1959, after a show at the Surf Ballroom. Don McLean's song "American Pie" carried the memory of that night to generations of listeners, and many of them have followed it to this spot.My name is Andrew Althof. Our family's nonprofit, American Pie Parking and Rec Inc, owns the land right across the road from the memorial, at 7368 315th St. I've watched visitors pull in from all over the country, and from other countries too. They leave flowers, guitar picks, notes, and pairs of glasses. They're respectful, they're moved, and they often have nowhere to go. Right now the only facility for all of them is one porta-potty, and it gets used far more than it was built for. There's no shelter from Iowa wind or snow, no running water, and no place to sit and take it all in.We want to change that, and we want to keep it free for everyone.Here's what we're building:• A shelter house. A covered pavilion where visitors, tour groups, and families can get out of the weather.• ADA-accessible restrooms and showers. A permanent building in place of the single porta-potty, so every visitor has a clean, accessible option.• Water, septic, and electric. The basic utilities that make the rest possible.• Free camping. So fans traveling to the memorial, especially during the Winter Dance Party each February, have a safe, legal place to stay the night.• A small museum. Down the road we hope to display a Beechcraft Bonanza like the plane that went down in 1959, along with the history of that night and the music that came out of it.None of it will cost visitors a dime: no parking fee, no admission, no camping charge. American Pie Parking and Rec Inc is an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 42-4144002), so your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.Our first goal is $50,000 toward the shelter house and utilities. Our full first-phase estimate for the shelter, restrooms, showers, water, septic, and electric is about $183,000. We'll post updates with real numbers as bids come in, and we'll show you every step on the ground.Where your money goes (estimates, Phase 1 = $182,975):• ADA restroom/shower building (precast, CXT-class): $83,241 (45.5%)• Shelter house / pavilion (30x40 kit + slab): $34,000 (18.6%)• Freight + engineering: $20,100 (11.0%)• Septic system: $11,500 (6.3%)• Well / water: $10,000 (5.5%)• Electric service: $7,500 (4.1%)• 10% contingency: $16,634 (9.1%)• Total Phase 1 estimate: $182,975 (100%)Trenching is not yet priced. The museum and Beechcraft Bonanza, and camping pads/hookups, are not yet estimated (later phase). Estimates based on published pricing as of fall 2026; final costs depend on bids, site conditions, and permits.A quick note on respect: this is an independent, local effort by our family and board. We are not affiliated with, and have not been endorsed by, the Holly, Valens, Richardson or Peterson families, Don McLean, or the Surf Ballroom. We simply want the people who make this pilgrimage to be welcomed with dignity.If this place means something to you, because of the song, because of the music, or because you've stood in that field yourself, please give what you can and share this page. Every dollar goes toward making the memorial a place visitors can comfortably stay a while.Thank you, and I hope to shake your hand out here someday.Andrew AlthofPresident, American Pie Parking and Rec Inc <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1791567800/wysiwyg/hpeueuctundokkdq3xii.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;position:relative;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" /><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1791567851/wysiwyg/uevxmzh4qsgjrwew3nhv.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;position:relative;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" /><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1791567857/wysiwyg/yktfnamytyujqzberr7g.jpg" style="width:600px;display:block;vertical-align:top;margin:5px auto;text-align:center;cursor:pointer;padding:0px 1px;user-select:none;position:relative;box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%" />

american pie parking and rec inc

Help Build a Free Rest Stop at the Buddy Holly Memorial

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