The Blue Moon Ballroom was located at the Lyon County Fairgrounds in Marshall. The ballroom was built in 1929 by Ray Baldwin Jr. and John Bulowski. According to Baldwin, he and Bulowski became involved in building the ballroom after the Valhalla dance hall on Lake Shetek burned to the ground. Baldwin and Bulowski operated the business until 1938. They sold the business to Pete and Hilda Brantman, who operated it for about 35 years. Hilda Brantman sold the ballroom to John Williams in May of 1973. Williams remodeled and insulated it for year-round use. A few years later, Williams sold the building to Marlow Anderson. The Blue Moon Ballroom was destroyed by a fire on May 4, 1981, and it was not rebuilt.

During the ballroom’s heyday in the 1930s-1950s, big name bands came from Chicago and New York to play for dances. Some of the regulars included: Lawrence Welk, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Frankie Carle, Sammy Kaye, and Tommy Dorsey. Regional bands that played at the ballroom included: Dudley “Big Tiny” Little, The Ambassadors, the Sammy Jensen Band, and Clem Brau. The late Irv Peterson of Marshall played in dance bands for much of his life. At one time he owned The Ambassadors, and he played with the Sammy Jensen Band for 10 years before purchasing it in 1981.

As the popularity of the big bands began to fade, smaller groups took over at the Blue Moon. Polka bands like the Jolly Lumberjacks and the Six Fat Dutchmen started making their appearances on Friday and Saturday nights. Rock and roll groups like the Kingsmen, the Fabulous Flippers, the Unbelievable Uglies, the Marauders, the Night Beats, and the Reflections played there as well.

In addition to the Friday and Saturday night dances, which were very popular, many wedding dances were held at the ballroom. A photographer would come out to the Blue Moon to photograph the couple and give one copy to the couple and one copy to the ballroom. The photographs of wedding couples covered the walls of the ballroom’s entrance. The Lyon County Museum has in its collection a white card stock ticket with “You’re Invited to Our Wedding Dance at the Blue Moon September 7, 1958” printed on it in blue.

The photograph featured this week from the Lyon County Museum’s collection shows an image of part of a poster advertising the Sammy Jensen band playing at the Blue Moon Ballroom.

The Lyon County Historical Society (LCHS) is a nonprofit, member-supported organization. LCHS operates the Lyon County Museum at 301 W Lyon St in Marshall. The Lyon County Museum is open year-round to visitors. To contact us, visit our website: www.lyoncomuseum.org, call: 507-537-6580, email: director@lyoncomuseum.org, or on our Facebook page.