Hi-D-Ho Folks!

Fantastic news: Mark your Calendars for June 27th as the Winter Dance Party® will be at the Surf Ballroom for it’s 60th anniversary celebrations!! We are thrilled and honored to be included for this fundraising event and to celebrate the Surf’s 60 years of service to the Clear Lake, Iowa, community. Come on out when it’s warm for a great rockin’ evening. We’ll be raffling off a WDP signed guitar for this event as well.

Yep, still more fantastic news: Clovis music festival just announced their lineup which includes the WDP’s Rockin’ Ray Anthony, The Crickets, Bobby Vee, and our sister show, Buddy, Roy and Elvis! Last year was a fantastic event and this year looks to be the same. Don’t miss this great entertainment Sept 4th thru the 6th! For more info go to: www.clovismusicfestival.net.

Our 2008 Winter Dance Party® tour was sold out at every venue and we thank you for the tremendous support. There’re three links below for some great photos of some of our shows. At the Valens event you will see Donna Ludwig (Ritchie’s “Donna”), Connie and Irma Valens (Ritchie’s sisters), Bob Valens (Ritchie’s brother), Mario Ramirez (Ritchie’s stepbrother) and others. Also, take note of the brand new green “Ritchie Valens guitar” that was premiered here for the first time. It is put out by Harmony Guitar company and will be on sale commemorating Ritchie’s legacy very soon. Check out Ritchievalens.com for more news of this.

Tommy Allsup joined us at four of our show dates and the Green Bay Riverside Ballroom night was something to behold indeed. It started with the mayor of Green Bay proclaiming January 25th as “Tommy Allsup Day” and he then gave Tommy the keys to the city of Green Bay. It was fantastic to have Tommy back at the Riverside Ballroom for the first time since 1959. Kudos to Green Bay’s own Mark Steuer, Janet Gollnick, Ken Tedford, and Jim Morrison for coordinating the mayoral ceremony and festivities. The Green Bay crowd roared magnificently when Tommy walked out on stage and played with us and also gave the Fireballs a great reception too. As always, Green Bay was the most lively audience anywhere. Photo link is below.

We recently donated $1000 to Green Bay’s West High School music department bringing our total now in donations and funds raised for charity this past ten years to $150,000. Thank you all for your support and help with this.

We’ve received a tremendous amount of emails already inquiring as to our 2009 appearances due to it being the 50th anniversary (and our 10th). We therefore have decided to post way in advance our booked dates on the calendar page and as far out as possible. Yes, we’ll be at the Surf too! There will be additional shows added from now until then as well so check back often. As you can see, it is a very busy schedule and will take us to new places previously unvisited. We will have quite a few special guests at some of these shows and will announce them all as soon as possible.

If you’re in the Pittsburgh, PA area this July 10th thru August 21st stop on by at the City Theatre Company where I’ll be starring in Pat Hazell’s hilarious, “The Wonder Bread Years.” Go to www.citytheatrecompany.org for tix details and info.

I think that’s enough news for now, eh? Spring is here and summer awaits. We’ll see ya’ on down the line at the lemonade stand.

Your Buddy,

John

www.myspace.com/theofficialwinterdanceparty
www.myspace.com/johnmuellermusic
www.winterdanceparty.com

WDP 2008 PHOTO LINKS:

Ritchie Valens Family event photo link.
Michelle Hoover photography. Muchos Gracias.

Riverside Ballroom shots of Tommy Allsup and the WDP plus the Fireballs.
Courtesy of Shane Hansen, many thanks.

Willowbrook Ballroom shots of WDP
Courtesy of Dan Ferone, thanks champ.