Y’all have been comparing the new Elvis Fest poster with the old ones ever since we posted it last week. Here’s a look at the previous Elvis Fest posters from TupeloElvisFestival.com. See all of the posters.
2009 Elvis Festival poster
The poster was unveiled Thursday night at the Tupelo Elvis Presley Festival kickoff, held at the Tupelo Convention & Visitors Bureau. Read the full story here.
The image, which is used on posters and all marketing materials, was designed by Pontotoc native Josh Mabus, a co-founder of the Mabus Birch Agency in Tupelo. It celebrates the anniversary of Presley’s 1968 Comeback Special, a taped television special that jump-started the second half of his career.
Mabus opted do to a more modern graphic-based poster, instead of a traditional hand-drawn poster, in hopes that it would appeal to a younger generation.
In the poster, Mabus incorporated the red “Elvis” sign from the show into the poster’s lettering. He also chose to use the picture of Presley in a black leather outfit.
What do you think? It’s had a warm reception at the Journal offices.
Drumroll, please. Ladies and gentlemen, behold the clues to the missions given to the 2008 Fireball Run competitors during their stop here in Tupelo. The clues were given to the teams in an “Amazing Race” style challenge. They couldn’t get the next one until they finished their current challenge. So, here we go …
See if you can figure them out. And, let us know if there are any other obscure destinations you think the CVB should have sent them to visit. The images will get bigger if you click on them. And if they are squooshed on the next page, click on the image again.
This Elvis documentary has been a nice topic of discussion at the Tupelo CVB meetings. Parts were filmed here in Tupelo, which means film incentive moolah for our fair town. An excerpt (full text) from UPI:
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 15 (UPI) — “Elvis: Return to Tupelo,” a new documentary narrated by singer and actor Kris Kristofferson, is set to air on the Bio Channel next month.
The film traces Presley’s life from his birth during the Depression to his move to Memphis to his formative high school years and through his early struggles to establish a music career, representatives for Michael Rose, who produced the film, said in a release.
This just in from Camille Sloan, this year’s president of the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association:
The Board of Directors has approved the following use of our proceeds from the Elvis Festival. The exact figures are not in, but it looks as if the proceeds will be around $80,000.
- 50% towards a rainy day fund
- up to 25% towards a tangible, visible investment in Downtown
- up to 25% towards a new position at Main Street
So, if DTMSA winds up with a profit of $80,000, the approval means:
- $40,000 will be put in a rainy day fund
- up to $20,000 will be spent on a tangible, visible investment in Downtown
- up to $20,000 will be spent on a new position at Main Street
Camille didn’t say what the “tangible, visible investment” will be. You can read the suggestions and add your two cents here.
The Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association wants to use some of the $75,000-plus profit from the 2008 Elvis Presley Festival to spruce up downtown. You can read the full story in today’s paper. The ideas for how to spend the money are plentiful and varied. Suggestions include:
• Hanging flower baskets from Elizabeth Street to Green Street
• Adding green spaces or sprucing up current ones
• Hanging more signs to mark downtown Tupelo
• Renovating the facade of the DTMSA office on Broadway
• Adding lights to the planters
• Installing benches and trash cans
• Cleaning up the alleys
Have a better idea? Let us know.
The rooftop at Park Heights is finally open and it was worth the wait. I checked it out for the first time at the Elvis Presley re-festival gala Thursday (the picture below is from today’s paper) and loved the furniture and the view. Right now, the floor is carpeted, but Park Heights owner Blair Hughes wants to redo it with teak.
Weather permitting, the rooftop is open to the public on Thursdays and Saturdays from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. And, the new eating area has its own menu with a raw bar feel (oysters, shrimp, scallops, crab, etc.). Prices range from $9 to $12. For more information, call 842-5665.
From the Tupelo CVB:
Elvis Presley Festival organizers are calling for entries into the 2008 Elvis Presley Festival parade. This year, the parade will step-off at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 7 from Robins Field winding its way through Church Street and Main Street and ending in the historic Fairpark District where Elvis performed for his hometown in 1956 and 1957.
The parade will kick-off Saturday’s festivities with the second round of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Competition following at noon. The parade is free of charge and many of the tribute artists will participate in this year’s parade line-up. Other anticipated entries include drummers, classic cars, dance classes, fan clubs and other Elvis fan groups. Groups are welcome to participate and pay tribute to Tupelo and Elvis Presley.
To participate in the parade, contact John Hurt at the Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau at (800) 533-0611. Entries into the parade should be confirmed by May 30. There are no entry fees associated with the parade.
Highlights from today’s e-newsletter sent out by the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association:
• Stanford Financial Group is hosting a business after-hours Tuesday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. The Fairpark business is at 110 East Main Street, Suite A. It’s the first building in Fairpark as you cross the tracks going toward east Tupelo.
• Tupelo Community Theatre presents Gypsy on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
• The farmers market opens Saturday. Items for sale include: Fresh baked cakes, pies and breads,
eggs, honey, plants, flowers, smoked meats and early season vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, peas, potatoes, lettuce and radishes.
• The Gum Tree Festival is Friday through Sunday.
• S.A.F.E. Emergency Family Shelter will have a fundraiser Saturday by way of a silent auction for designer handbags.
• The next Networking@Noon event is May 20 at the BancorpSouth Conference Center. Sylvester Croom, head football coach at Mississippi State University, is the speaker.
• 2007 Elvis Festival t-shirts just hit the clearance racks. DTMSA is selling one for $8 or 2 for $10.
• The Elvis Presley Fest is next month (June 6-8).
Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association today announced that Jo Dee Messina will headline this year’s Elvis Presley Festival to be held June 6-8.
For the complete line up, check out DJ’s Scene Now blog.
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