Fort Dodge, Iowa

Buddy Holly Plays at the Laramar

January 30, 1959

710 1st Ave N

The Laramar Ballroom, and some 1,000 fans crowded into the downtown building at 710 First Avenue North to watch, dance and sing along as the musicians played their hit songs.

Cubs vs White Sox @ Dodger Stadium

April 9, 1942

April 9th, 1942 was a thrilling day for the estimated 8,000 people who filled the Dodger Stadium baseball field to watch an exhibition game between the Chicago White Sox play the Chicago Cubs.

Harvest Festival

August 1946-August 1959

From 1946 to 1959, the Harvest Festival was a major celebration each August held in Dodger Stadium. Sponsored by local businesses, free tickets were given away to people in surrounding communities as a thank you for their patronage. The three-day festival contained performances by the Karl King Band and featured a vaudeville-type format ranging from acrobats and other circus-like acts, motorcycle racing around in a cage, horses diving into a small pool of water and fireworks. Every year, the Harvest Festival would attract thousands of spectators. In 1947, an estimated 35,000 people attended the festival over the course of three days.

JFK's Visit to Fort Dodge

September 22, 1960

John F. Kennedy arrived at the Fort Dodge Municipal Airport to a crowd of thousands on hand to welcome him.

Teddy Roosevelt's Visit to Fort Dodge

June 2, 1903

President Theodore Roosevelt spent one hour visiting Fort Dodge in 1903.  He arrived at the Illinois Central Station by train around 11:25 am.  His train was drawn by a great engine, decked with hundreds of flags, coming from Denison, Iowa.