Don't Step on Our Blue Suede Shoes

Living in Tupelo, you have to like Elvis because images of him are spread all throughout town. There are guitars lined up and down Main Street that have been decorated by various schools and community groups. You can visit Tupelo Hardware where Elvis bought his first guitar. Or go to Lawndale and Milam schools where Elvis was a student. His first kiss reportedly took place at the Lyric and you can sit in the actual booth where Elvis would sit at Johnny's Drive In in East Tupelo. And this is only a sampling of the Elvis craze that lives in Tupelo, Mississippi!

Judd loved Elvis long before he moved here. But living here has only magnified this love and admiration for the King. But in all our 13 years of living in Elvis Town, we haven't attended the Elvis Festival at all. I did see Taylor Hicks a few years ago at the end of the festival, but other than that...we have either been out of town or just stayed home. But this year was much different and we will never be the same again!

This year's TCT Gum Tree production was All Shook Up which contained numerous Elvis songs. They had 2 encore performances during the Elvis Festival weekend, so we started the weekend out right with a dinner to Park Heights (MC had a fit and LOVED it. Cole said he couldn't breathe in a place so fancy. Amazing that he seemed to eat everything set before him!) We then had front row seats to the performance and the kids loved that even more. When it was over, we were mesmerized with several Elvis lookalikes, in town for the big Elvis Tribute Artist competition being held a the Lyric on Friday and Saturday.

 
MC's first trip to Mom and Dad's favorite place. Park Heights would put a smile on anyone's face...

 
Well, not everyone's face. This was the response I expected for his first time.

 
All 7 year olds should know how to use a butter knife. This one surely does!

 
The girls are loving their date night at Park Heights

 
There's that smile! The boys are being so supportive

It all started when I found out from a former high school teacher (Thanks, Mr. Morrow), that a fellow classmate of '91 would be competing in the Elvis contest held at the Lyric. Eric Schneider and I are "Facebook friends," so I sent him a message that we wanted to see his Elvis act when he came. We bought tickets for Round 1 of the Elvis Tribute Artist Competition held on Friday. What were once known as Elvis impersonators have taken on a new and improved role...tribute artist. This is much like a beauty pageant...Elvis style. Tupelo is a preliminary competition for the "big one" held in Memphis. The winner will represent Tupelo in the pageant...I mean, the ETA (Elvis Tribute Artist) competition. We spent the day watching grown men emulate every move, song, accent, mannerism, jumpsuit, and jewelry of Elvis. Young Elvis to old. Skinny Elvis to more plump. Fringed jumpsuits, the '68 Comeback Suit, the Aloha Suit, American Eagle Suit, Chain and Concho suits abound! I should have noticed that twinkle in Judd's eye, but I was too blinded by Elvis bling to notice that day.

We were there to cheer on Eric, but we didn't expect the level of talent from these 39 contestants nor the amount of jewelry and jumpsuits surrounding us. And each artist stayed in character most of the time. We were in awe as we watched our Elvis compete. Eric was awesome! After he performed, MC and I went to the lobby looking for him. This was not as easy to do since everyone looked alike. Finally, he emerged from the "holding area" in a more leisure-like attire. We enjoyed our visit with Eric before going back in and watching MORE Elvis. There were a few door prizes mixed in there to spice things up a little. Elvis sunglasses, Graceland DVDs, and even the coveted Graceland VIP tour with a night at the Heartbreak Hotel. We made sure to sign up for door prizes, eventhough they had already given away two trips. After a quick lunch break, we were back in the Lyric watching the ETAs perform their second song. At the end of the day, 20 would be chosen to continue to Round 2 on Saturday. We watched as much Elvis as the kids could stand, then we went home for a break. We came back at 5:00 to hear the results and were so saddened that E didn't make it into the second round of the competition. We shared some fabulous memories from our years together at HHS. We spent time getting to know his mom who drove over from Birmingham to see him compete. It was fun and we encouraged him to come back next year. I have a year to work on the judges!! For some real entertainment, you can see and hear him on his own website. He actually gets paid to do this! http://www.ericaselvis.com

 
We were so impressed by Eric

 
Crazed fans gathered outside to catch a glimpse of Elvis!

 
The real birthplace isn't much larger than this replica

 
Loving this jumpsuit and belt

 
Eric belting out some Elvis

 
The spitting image of the King

Our sweet friend and kidsitter, Valerie, gave us her VIP tickets to the Elvis Festival. We enjoyed catered food, lots of water and sweet tea, and especially a big fan as the rest of the people were scorched on the lawn fighting off mosquitos! We listened to a few musicians before going across the street to the big fair. A quick rain shower sent us on our way, but we were coming back on Saturday.

 
A little bit Elvis

 
Our table (both nights) at the VIP tent. Thank you, Val!

On early Saturday morning, my friend Beth and I participated in the Running with the King 5K race. It was cool for a June morning and we enjoyed doing it together. I had to wear my Elvis shades to keep in the spirit of the event. That night, we went back to the fair and let the kids get all the cotton candy, corn dogs, and candy apples they wanted. We played the dart game and watched as the kids rode the rides. Then we walked to Fairpark and went back to our VIP tent for more fun, food, and cool air. One of Judd's fellow TCT board members mentioned that she heard my name as a door prize winner at Saturday's ETA competition. Could it be? Probably not so we didn't even go there. She thought she heard "trip," but on further investigation at the Lyric, someone mentioned they thought it was sunglasses. And we all had our own pairs of those, but oh well! We loved everything about our All Elvis All Weekend! Judd said we would definitely go back and see the ETA competition next year, except we will buy tickets to both days. And he said he would never go to the festival unless he could be a VIP...that's the way to see it!

 
MA and Beth Miller getting ready to "Run with the King!"


After we got home that night, it hit. I knew it would. Judd had gotten the bug--the Elvis Tribute Artist bug. He has done Elvis karoake countless times. He has performed in karaoke bars in Pensacola, the Cat's Meow in New Orleans, and even in outdoor restaurants on the strip in Las Vegas. He always leaves the girls screaming for more when he does his rendition of "The Wonder of You,' "My Way," and "Hound Dog." He does have a talent in this area, I must admit. However we need to work on his costuming. I purchased him an Elvis costume that came in a bag from the costume department at Party Works. Therefore, Judd could only be considered an impersonator and not a tribute artist. We looked online as soon as we got home to see how much these costumes cost. Can I tell you my eyeballs popped out of my head? Most were between $2,000-3,000. And that didn't include shoes, wigs, jewelry, and accessories. I think Judd's dream of competing in the 2011 ETA Competition are on hold. But as we were looking online at these jumpsuits, I received a text saying that I had won the VIP trip to Graceland and one night at the Heartbreak Hotel. You would have thought the kids had been given a trip to Disney World. They, along with Judd, were so excited. We look forward to taking this family trip to pay hommage to the King. It also took the focus off of becoming an ETA for a little while. If you ask MC where she is going to stay in Memphis, she simply says, "The Heartbreak Hotel. It's at the end of Lonely Street." That's our girl!


Can't wait to tour Graceland with the kids


Judd informed me that this "Lonely Street" location isn't in the best part of town and that at dusk, there will be a mandatory lockdown. We'll just see about that!