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Tupelo, Fan Appreciation Day
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Location: Blogs Live from Graceland |
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| Posted by: Susan Smiley-Height |
8/11/2007 5:37 PM |
Saturday was Fan Appreciation Day at the Elvis Presley Birthplace in Tupelo. It was hot - and packed!
Friday, Aug. 10
Tupelo, Miss.
9:30 p.m. - Finally, we're checking in to a hotel after 10 1/2 hours on the road.
Saturday, Aug. 11
Tupelo, Miss.
Elvis Presley Birthplace
Today is Fan Appreciation Day at the birthplace. We arrived at 9 a.m. and it was already steaming hot. The birthplace features the little shotgun house were Elvis and his stillborn twin, Jesse Garon, were born. It includes a museum, chapel, gift shop, walk and wall of history, and a statue of Elvis at age 13, showing a boy in overalls holding a guitar.
After a quick tour of the gift shop, we sit for a while in the chapel, just enjoying the peace of a beautiful stained glass wall of windows and Elvis singing his favorite music - gospel. I travel with a three CD set of his gospel music and my all time favorite song, "Who Am I," was one of the ones playing while we were in the chapel. Thank you God and Elvis! Nice way to start the day :-)
We visit with our buddy Bill Burk, a longtime Memphis journalist and friend of Elvis, and publisher of "Elvis World" magazine.
And right about then, all the hollering commenced as our friends from Texas and California arrived, and Boston, and South Florida, and... lots of hugs all around.
We took turns posing with Josh Tomes, who was portraying Elvis at age 13, and stationed next to a bronze sculpture of Elvis then, just before his family packed up and moved to Memphis.
The start of the ceremonies was held up for nearly an hour to await the arrival of the "Brits." Finally, 19 tour buses arrived with a police escort and more than 1,000 fans from across the pond joined the party.
Henry Dodge, chairman of the Elvis Presley Memorial Foundation greeted guests beneath a hunka hunka burning sun. The welcome included policeman Larry Montgomery belting out the national anthem, a prayer and introductions of officials.
Meantime, there were lines to tour the little house, museum and chapel. We strolled across the street and into the cool confines of St. Mark United Methodist Church. There, the Landmarks launched into a spirited 30-minute performance of Southern gospel.
I leaned over to a friend and said, "Elvis would have loved this!"
"Right here, no, right up there, is where he would have been were he here today," she replied.
Now we're in Memphis, checked into the Heartbreak Hotel, after picking up our friend Lynne, who flew in from Jacksonville. We got really cool tote bags as welcoming gifts this year. With as much money as we drop during Elvis Week, it's a good thing they butter us up with presents.
So now we're trying to figure out what's for dinner -- some famous Memphis BBQ? But, still, we're greeting friends with the turn of every corner and finding out who's here, who's not, why not, and all that.
It's scorching hot, but that's OK, we're here for Elvis -- and he was just the hottest thing ever! |
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Re: Tupelo, Fan Appreciation Day |
By Alan Younowho on
8/12/2007 1:31 AM |
| Did you have the option to get one of the famous PBB (peanutbuter and Bananna sandwich?) I have never seen Emeral offer that dish. He should be ashamed. ALAN |
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Re: Tupelo, Fan Appreciation Day |
By Alan Younowho on
8/12/2007 1:34 AM |
| Did you tey one of the famous PBB (Peanutbutter and Bannana sandwich?) I'll bet Emeral hasn't even tried that dish. ALAN |
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