the roof garden
tales
from the
iowa great
lakes
The Roof Garden dominated the Arnolds Park landscape for most of the 20th century. We wanted to dedicate this blog to how exactly it changed through the decades.
Let's start with the first photo from a 1917 postcard (courtesy of Charlene Thomsen). The Lakeside Department Store was the base of the future Roof Garden. The second postcard is from the mid-20s and shows how The Roof Garden almost sits on top of The Lakeside Department Store like a hat. But can you imagine all those windows being open while you fox trot across the shiny wooden floor?
The next three photos from the mid-1920s to the late-1930s show how integrated The Roof Garden was to both parks. (Photos courtesy of The Des Moines Register and Charlene Thomsen.)
And then - the iconic Roof Garden posters. They were printed in almost ever color and sent to towns hundreds of miles from Arnolds Park. Flip through any book of these posters, and you'll see they're always packed with talent.
The last photo is a picture of The Roof Garden in the 1960s after the torando. The windows are smaller, the wood exterior is covered. But it's still a stand-out in Arnolds Park view.
But, of course, since this is an episode about music - we made a Roof Garden playlist for you! There are so many artists we couldn't talk about in the episode, so let the decades of Okoboji music wash over you! We'll close this blog out with an Okoboji favorite: a video of The Fabulous Flippers.
We'd also love to hear your Roof Garden memories, so please send us a message at hello@okobojiproject.com.
episode info
The Roof Garden dominated the Arnolds Park landscape for most of the 20th century. We wanted to dedicate this blog to how exactly it changed through the decades.
Let's start with the first photo from a 1917 postcard (courtesy of Charlene Thomsen). The Lakeside Department Store was the base of the future Roof Garden. The second postcard is from the mid-20s and shows how The Roof Garden almost sits on top of The Lakeside Department Store like a hat. But can you imagine all those windows being open while you fox trot across the shiny wooden floor?
The next three photos from the mid-1920s to the late-1930s show how integrated The Roof Garden was to both parks. (Photos courtesy of The Des Moines Register and Charlene Thomsen.)
And then - the iconic Roof Garden posters. They were printed in almost ever color and sent to towns hundreds of miles from Arnolds Park. Flip through any book of these posters, and you'll see they're always packed with talent.
The last photo is a picture of The Roof Garden in the 1960s after the torando. The windows are smaller, the wood exterior is covered. But it's still a stand-out in Arnolds Park view.
But, of course, since this is an episode about music - we made a Roof Garden playlist for you! There are so many artists we couldn't talk about in the episode, so let the decades of Okoboji music wash over you! We'll close this blog out with an Okoboji favorite: a video of The Fabulous Flippers.
We'd also love to hear your Roof Garden memories, so please send us a message at hello@okobojiproject.com.
episode info
- “REMEMBERING OKOBOJI’S ROOF GARDEN BALLROOM”- THE ROCK AND ROLL YEARS 1953-1987 by Tom Tourville and Rebecca Peters
- Interview with Tom Tourville and Rebecca Peters
- Explore more books by Tom Tourville about surf rock, record collect, Midwest Ballrooms, and more!
- Visit Arnold's Parks new Roof Garden virtually and explore more photos.
- Stop by The Iowa Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in Arnolds Park! The new exhibits are stunning, and you may hear some familiar voices throughout the museum.
- Check out Vacation Okoboji's guide to live music in The Iowa Great Lakes!
