Ringo Starr creates lifelong memory for young Hoosier 60 years ago
Sixty years to the day of the last time Beatlemania put a stranglehold on Indianapolis, thousands of Beatles fans returned to the Indiana Farmers Coliseum to listen to their favorite band.
The Fab Four performed at the Indiana State Fair on Sept. 3, 1964, to a sold-out crowd of 10,000 screaming fans. On Sept. 3, 2024, some of those same fans, along with droves of other Beatles faithful, returned to the coliseum to listen to a recording of that show and see a performance by a Beatles tribute band.
Of all the stories from the Beatles’ short stint in Indianapolis, the best might be in the hours after the concert when State Police Officer Jack Marks, assigned to the Beatles’ security detail, spotted a sleepless Ringo Starr by the pool at the Speedway motel the band was staying at.
“My dad and two other state policemen saw him and went over and were talking to him,” said Karen Balach, “And said, ‘Since you can’t sleep, would you like to drive around and see part of the city?'”
At the time, Karen’s last name was Marks and she was just 11 years old — too young for her parents to even let her go to the concert. Her dad had the coolest job around, trailing the Beatles everywhere and making sure the most famous band in the world was safe during their Indy stay.
Source: Eric Graves/fox59.com
