The music still plays in Mason City, and you may hear some familiar tunes while strolling down Pennsylvania Avenue. The boyhood home of Meredith Willson can be found in Mason City. Willson is best known as the composer of the Broadway musicals "The Music Man" and "The Unsinkable Molly Brown"; he also wrote the familiar Christmas tune, "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas."

Mason City was the inspiration for River City in "The Music Man," which debuted on Broadway on December 19, 1957, and ran for 1,376 performances. The popular musical later came alive on the big screen in a Hollywood adaptation starring Shirley Jones and Robert Preston. The musical was nominated for nine Tony Awards and won six, including Best Musical. The play has been revived both on Broadway and in the movies - a Walt Disney production of "The Music Man" stars Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chen. The Beatles even capitalized on the success of the musical with their cover of "Till There Was You."

While in Mason City visit the birthplace and boyhood home of this song writer and playwright of "The Music Man," which is a restored 1895 modified Queen Ann house.