Scooter's Bar Journal » Clear Lake

The Landing Patio Bar & Grill

scooterj — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 17:11:00 +0000

(Clear Lake, IA)

Scooter’s 1138th bar, first visited in 2016.

Stopped here for lunch on the way to the Twin Cities, a waterfront bar right on the lake. Had some good appetizers and regional craft beer.

I had the Bender (brown ale) by Surly.

1603 S Shore Dr
Clear Lake, IA 50428
US
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(641) 357-5123
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Players Sports Bar & Dance

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:16:00 +0000

(Clear Lake, IA)

Closed, but a new bar has opened in the same location.
Now called Rumorz.

Scooter’s 127th bar, first visited in 2006.

All I can really remember about this place is using the restroom. Both on arrival and on departure.

1210 S Shore Dr
Clear Lake, IA 50428
US
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(641) 357-0901

Elly’s Lake Front Tap

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:15:00 +0000

(Clear Lake, IA)

Scooter’s 126th bar, first visited in 2006.

It was a warm, overcast Thursday afternoon in August as we walked around downtown Clear Lake, Iowa, enjoying cold drinks at the neighborhood pubs. One tavern proved to be a little bit of a challenge for us to find, as we didn’t expect it to underground — in the basement of what appears very much to be a private residence!

Indeed, the front of Elly’s Lake Front Tap looks like a visit to one’s grandmother’s house. However a set of steps leads down to an entrance below sidewalk level to a hidden basement bar.

The bar was U-shaped and had a few people sitting around it, most of them considerably older than us. Drinks were cheap and in cans. We sat down beside a gentleman and he asked where we were from. We told him “Kansas City” and explained what we were up to. When we told him we’d be going to Mason City next, he gave us warning after warning about construction between Clear Lake and Mason City, rambling about lane closures and flooded out shoulders. (We’d later find the highway completely open, clear, and fine.)

Clear Lake is best known for being the location of The Day The Music Died — the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper. The Surf Ballroom, where the three performed their last concert the night before the crash, is located just a few blocks from Elly’s, while the crash site is just a few miles to the northeast.

Consequently, Elly’s has become an unofficial and lesser-known shrine of sorts for memorabilia and artifacts surrounding the event (as well as Clear Lake history in general). The walls of the bar are covered in photos, posters, and newspaper clippings, while display cases house other items such as bricks from the first Surf Ballroom (which was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt years before the crash).

Tourists coming to Clear Lake for its place in music history typically make visits to the Surf Ballroom and to the crash site, but a stop at Elly’s should be added to the itinerary to get the full experience.

Because the interior of Elly’s is very dark and the flash on the camera I had with me was malfunctioning, I was unable to get any decent interior shots. However I have selected a few photos from the nearby Surf Ballroom, as well as from the crash site, to illustrate some of the history in Clear Lake.

12 S Shore Dr
Clear Lake, IA 50428
US
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(641) 357-9589

Ingy’s

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:14:00 +0000

(Clear Lake, IA)

OUT OF BUSINESS
Closed in 2007. In 2009 a place called Bikerz tried to open up but couldn’t get a liquor license.

Scooter’s 125th bar, first visited in 2006.

For whatever reason I can’t really remember my visit to this place.

313 Main Ave
Clear Lake, IA 50428
US
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(641) 357-8635

Retlaw’s at the Lake

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:13:00 +0000

(Clear Lake, IA)

Scooter’s 124th bar, first visited in 2006.

We had a choice between draws for $4.50 total or a pitcher for $5.00. It was a tough call, but we opted for the pitcher. We looked for a trivia box to kill some time but none was to be found.

619 Buddy Holly Place
Clear Lake, IA 50428
US
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(641) 357-4060

Half Moon Inn

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:12:00 +0000

(Clear Lake, IA)

Scooter’s 123rd bar, first visited in 2006.

This place was more of a restaurant but had a small bar towards the back. Its advertising spoke of its fine food, but the kitchen was closed.

701 Buddy Holly Pl
Clear Lake, IA 50428
US
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(641) 357-9339

Other Place

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:11:00 +0000

(Clear Lake, IA)

Scooter’s 122nd bar, first visited in 2006.

This bar is a small chain with most of their locations clustered in north-central Iowa, but for some reason it also has an Overland Park and an Olathe location. It was a pretty big place and not very busy. We asked the girl behind the bar about places to go drinking over in Mason City (she was from there) but she said that she didn’t know because she wasn’t old enough to drink yet.

200 US Highway 18 W
Clear Lake, IA 50428
US
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(641) 357-8118
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Rookie’s

scooterj — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:10:00 +0000

(Clear Lake, IA)

Scooter’s 121st bar, first visited in 2006.

This was a 2-sided bar on Main Street right downtown. We noticed that the lower level side of the bar was all men while the upper level side was mostly women.

The Mecca of Cheap Drinkin’ (Rookie’s; Clear Lake, Iowa)

307 Main Ave
Clear Lake, IA 50428
US
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(641) 357-4629