Under a scorching sun at
Graceland, his beloved home,
fans streamed by Elvis
Presley's grave on Thursday,
the 30th anniversary of the
death of the king of rock
`n' roll. It was, for most,
a time to remember.
"I can't describe how I feel
about him because I've loved
him since I was a teenager,"
said Katie Brown of
Crittenden, Ky. "When I
would hear him sing, I'd go
into like a trance and
nothing else around me
mattered."
Pat Hillebrand of DuBois,
Penn., said her graveside
visit with friend Sandy
Bartoletti of Saratoga
Springs, N.Y., brought back
memories of the Elvis
concert they attended
together in 1957 as
15-year-old schoolmates.
"We rubbed our hands on the
stage and I didn't wash my
hands for a week,"
Hillebrand said. "I had gum
that I chewed in the air
where he breathed and I kept
it for like 15 years."
Dozens of large floral
displays sent by fans from
around the world surrounded
a walkway leading to the
garden. Teddy bears, single
red roses and other small
offerings covered the grave.
Presley, who died at
Graceland on Aug. 16, 1977,
is buried in a small garden
beside the famous
white-columned house.
Graceland was also swarmed
Wednesday by fans who turned
out for the annual overnight
"candlelight vigil" to the
garden. Waiting for it to
start, many sat or stood for
hours in temperatures that
hit 106 degrees.
By the time it began at 9:30
p.m. EST, a tightly packed
crowd stretched almost a
quarter mile, filling all
five lanes of Elvis Presley
Boulevard in front of
Graceland. By the time it
finished, the overnight
event drew what was
estimated to be record
numbers.
"According to our guys who
do special events, and
they're experts at counting
heads, their estimate is
somewhere around 40,000,"
said police spokesman Vince
Higgins.
Jack Soden, chief executive
of Elvis Presley
Enterprises, the company
that runs Graceland, said he
was given a police estimate
of 50,000 participants and
considered that on the low
side.
"It was just amazing," Soden
said. "Everything about this
week has been bigger and
stronger, with more people
and more attendance
everywhere."
The graveside procession
went on through the night
and was still under way when
regular Graceland tours were
ready to begin at 8 a.m.
Thursday, Soden said.
"A lot of fans all over the
world had anticipated this
would be a big year," he
said, "and that had a
tendency to become a
self-fulfilling prophecy."
The city's Convention and
Visitors Bureau predicted up
to 75,000 visitors would be
in Memphis for the
anniversary this year.
Almost 600,000 tourists
visit Graceland each year,
with a capacity attendance
of more than 40,000 touring
the residence during the
anniversary week.
Source: Forbes