The Last Sunday in January -
Sunday -
January 26th, At Lewis & Clark / Betty Strong Encounter Center, 2 PM
Sioux City on the
Music Circuit: 50
Years of Big Names, Great Music, and Memorable Venues – 1920-1969
It was no accident that
Sioux City was a key stop for some of Music’s biggest names. The town
boasted venues with great stages and big, beautiful dance floors that
everyone loved. Sioux City's businesses created key train and travel
connections to the world, and music rode therails! Add to that the early
radio powerhouses in Siouxland boomed the message across the midwest,
and called the crowds to the dancefloors. As one of the major cities in
the Plains, second largest city in Iowa, Sioux City had it all.
Siouxlanders were moved by big bands, country crooners, smooth
jazz singers and hot new stars.

Moved
was a key point: Dancing was the draw of music, and Sioux City’s
DANCE venues were second to none in the Midwest. Sioux City drew
big names – and rave reviews – as they toured the country.

From the Skylon to Shore
Acres, the Rigadon to the Paddock, the Tomba and the Turin Inn – we will
see the places and hear the stories of the names that made
Sioux
City a popular part of the music scene! We will also see how Sioux City
made history in each era, including Jazz, Swing, and the groundswell
that became Rock n Roll!
None of this was by
accident. Sioux City was not a side bar
but a key location for great
performances, thanks to great locations, great promotions, and great
audiences!
We will meet names from
yesterday that made memories for millions - from Louie Armstrong to
Elvis, big bands to the Beach Boys, we will see how Sioux City enticed,
entertained, and elated the stars of the stage! We will also meet the
man that became a vital link in creating this circuit, and enshrined
Sioux City’s place in it.
Join Russ Gifford and see
these great locations that have been forgotten – and hear the stories of
the artists that left a mark on music and the business!

About the presenter:
Russ
Gifford, Senior Lecturer with Western Iowa Tech’s Institute for Lifelong
Learning, delivers tales of American history to audiences in the
tri-state region. His two decades of programs include over 350 unique
talks, plus numerous articles, and historical papers. Gifford’s work
garnered two teaching awards and his lectures have been supported by
grants from Humanities Iowa, the Kind World Foundation, and others.
“His ratings were the highest for our entire season of 12 workshops, and
far eclipsed those for the previous season. He created a fantastic
class, and people left feeling empowered.”
-- Dr. Lynn Barteck, Tri
State Graduate Center
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