Wikipedia photo of the entrance to the memorial. Today is the 65th anniversary of The Day the Music Died  when Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens were killed in a plane crash in poor weather just after takeoff from the Mason City, Iowa, airport. They had just played a concert at Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, IA. The entire story, including the weather conditions that caused the crash, is  here .