Buddy and Maria Holly Plaza dedication attracts large turnout

Visitors "from literally the four corners of the Earth," according to Lubbock Mayor Tom Martin, have visited Lubbock to "revere and learn more about" native son Charles Hardin "Buddy" Holly.

About 200 fans took advantage of the warm, sunny weather that graced the long-awaited ribbon cutting and official dedication of the Buddy and Maria Elena Holly Plaza, located directly west of the Buddy Holly Center at the corner of Crickets Avenue and 19th Street.

The dedication also included a second unveiling of the life-size, bronze Buddy Holly statue, sculpted by Grant Speed more than 30 years ago. Maria Elena Holly and members of the Lubbock City Council handled unveiling duties.

The statue and more than 50 plaques on the West Texas Walk of Fame originally were located directly west of the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center.

However, anyone looking closely quickly noticed that walk of fame plaques are not installed in chronological order, by the years that inductions took place.

Bill Lowell, president of Civic Lubbock Inc., laughed and said, "Really, I didn't know that they were being installed that way.

"But it's probably nothing we can't fix."

Travis Holley, the late Buddy Holly's older brother, was seated in a motorized wheelchair directly in front of the statue.

He said, "I think this is absolutely beautiful. I think the city has gone above and beyond.

"... Gosh, so many more people will be able to enjoy Buddy's statue now. People used to leave the Buddy Holly Center and ask where they can see the statue, and I'd have a tough time giving directions."

Other visitors Monday included Buddy's other brother, Larry; Sherry Holly, Buddy's young niece; guitarist Eddy Weir, Buddy's nephew; Jack Neal, who played with Buddy as a teenager; Sharon Griggs, widow of Holly researcher Bill Griggs; and all manner of local performers and present and past mayors and council members.

A separate plaque was introduced by Martin, honoring those with the Lubbock Centennial Committee and city council who helped finance the plaza.

That plaque eventually will be installed on the north end of the memorial wall, not with the walk of fame plaques on the front.

Randy Truesdell, director of the city's parks and recreation department, was excited that a "home-grown project" turned out so well.

The plaza, he said, includes ADA accessible ramps, drought tolerant landscaping and a lighting design that makes the Holly statue visible "from the Interstate (27) for traffic in both directions."

A fence surrounds the plaza. Truesdell said the plaza will adhere to the city's parks curfew and be closed from midnight to 5 a.m.

But the plaza will be open all other hours, seven days a week. It will be maintained by the parks department and operated by officials at the Buddy Holly Center.

Maria Holly said she can foresee families celebrating birthdays and weddings at the Buddy and Maria Elena Holly Plaza.

Brooke Allison, the city's museums and special events director, told the gathering that work on the Buddy Holly Center's Fine Arts Gallery began in 2009.

Each step of the project had to first be approved by the city's Urban Design and Historic Preservation Committee "because this is a historic structure," she said.

That part of the center was completely closed between March 2009 and October 2010.

The gallery, with its new hanging system, now can be used for both local and national touring exhibits. Allison said, "In fact, we have exhibits planned through January of 2013."

The center also can rent out the Fine Arts Gallery for special events. Allison said that MAD (music, art and drama) Camps again will take place there this summer.

Kim McPherson, representing the Depot Entertainment District as owner of McPherson Winery, applauded the plaza's potential for introducing more people to the district.

Civic Lubbock members saw no way to maintain its area formerly called the Buddy Holly Terrace, which honored city standouts. Those who were in the terrace now have their names mixed in with those inducted in the West Texas Walk of Fame.

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