Tupelo Elvis Festival features new event that highlights the local fan club
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – As Dawson Horn was entertaining the crowd inside the headquarters of the Tupelo Elvis Fan Club, a sold-out crowd was enjoying an Elvis-themed brunch.
It was also a chance for fans to visit with Elvis Tribute Artists from around the world.
“I think it is really cool that all these little Elvis guys love doing the things, to make sure that image of Elvis is still present on the stage, to help the younger audiences feel what audiences felt back then,” said Sophia Scham, an Elvis fan from Colorado.
These Elvis Tribute Artists are competing in Tupelo’s Ultimate ETA contest and say visiting the place where it all started is special and gives fans insight into the boy from Tupelo who became a global superstar.
‘You get to feel the spirit of the king everywhere you go, but a different side of him, you feel a side more personal, and intimate, and truly shows the man behind the image,” said ETA Riley Jenkins.
‘I think it is fantastic, it is wonderful, so welcoming, everyone is so warm, everyone loves Elvis and shares that love, we are having the time of our lives,” said ETA Taylor Salomon.
‘He is a legendary guy beyond the performing, you talk about giving people things, grounded in his faith,” said ETA Dawson Horn.
The brunch also gave the fan club a chance to show off its new, patriotic-themed merchandise. All proceeds go back into helping the community.
‘Absolutely, we are a charity organization, all membership dues and every donation goes to local and regional charities, we try and pick the ones we think Elvis would have supported and we try and keep it local,” said Mallorie Biffle, president of the Tupelo Elvis Fan Club.
The fan club will have its headquarters open all day Friday, it is easy to find, right across from the birthplace and museum.
For more information on the schedule or to see if tickets are available for certain events, go to tupeloelvisfestival.com
