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Dear Fans and Friends:
OK! OK! I missed the Spring Newsletter! I'm sorry - I'll try to do
better....
Our year officially began on January 16th when we had our annual
ElvisŪ birthday bash at the Original Mothers in Chicago. It was
packed, as usual, with Dick Biondi from the True Oldies 94.7 Radio
Station doing the honors. Jerome Marion, Dennis Stella, Curt Lechner,
Ed Parzygnat (the Monkey Man) and Jerry D rocked the house.
The following weekend, the Change of Habit Tribute Band, Ronny
Craig, Irv Cass, Dwight Icenhower, and Ted Torres traveled to
Boonville, MO, and the Isle of Capri. Their show was sold out with
many fans unable to get seats. We have already been rehired for
another exciting weekend!
February brought our annual FANtasy Fest Cruise. This year, we all
flew to San Diego where we set sail for the Baja Peninsula. Our
ship, the Carnaval Elation, was the cleanest and most beautiful ship
we have been on! What a gorgeous trip! The first day, the weather
was cool - but - the scenery was fantastic! We saw whales and
dolphins and the sea was like glass. Our first stop in Ensenada was
fun - we all traveled to the "market" (many people rushing at you
and lowering prices before you ask!) and the Blow Hole. It's too
long to relate here - but - ask Kathy, Dwight, Kayla, or me about
our silly experience at the Blow Hole. Our other stop was in Cabo
San Lucas and it is just beautiful! We were lucky to have Patti
Parry and Myrna Smith with us as well as Leo Days, Robert
Washington, Irv Cass, Dwight Icenhower, and Ronny Craig. Their shows
were great - however - my spot - the sound booth - was about 5
million degrees - whew! The final night out, the ship had a talent
show - the biggest hits of the show were our very own Dwight
Icenhower as Elton John, Robert Washington as James Brown, Leo Days
as ElvisŪ and...... Ronny Craig as Frank Sinatra!
March brought us the Marine Corps League fundraiser at the Empress
Casino called "ElvisŪ Meets Rod Stewart" starring Irv Cass and Steve
Bobbitt. Our surprise guest this year was Irv Cass as Tom Jones. He
really had the fans dancing in the aisles. The Empress Casino was
wonderful to us and we had a sold-out show. The Change of Habit
Tribute Band rocked behind all the performers!
May 9th was our annual "ElvisŪ Meets the Beatles" - a fundraiser for
the Animal Welfare League. What a night! I ended up selling 1/2
price tickets for "standing room only!" Irv Cass and Dwight
Icenhower outdid themselves as did American English. The highlight
of the evening came, however, when Dwight stepped out on the stage
as Elton John complete with red, white and blue sequined top hat and
feather boa!
The end of May brought us to Lake George, NY. What a FABULOUS
weekend! To begin with, Lake George is a wonderful vacation spot
centered around their 32 mile pristine lake. The people are friendly
and thrilled to have us in town.
We began Thursday night with the Opening Ceremony at Shepherd's Park
- an open air shell overlooking the lake. Terry Collins welcomed the
large crowd, Dwight Icenhower, Robert Washington, and Shawn Klush
each sang a song. Then, Ronny Craig lit our candle in remembrance of
ElvisŪ while the 3 ETA's sang "Memories." With the sun dipping below
the horizon and the lake sparkling in the background, it was a
beautiful ElvisŪ moment.
There was a karaoke party at the Adirondack Restaurant later that
evening. This year, owner John Carr added a tent to accommodate the
huge crowds that attend.
Friday morning, the contest began. This year, the Change of Habit
Tribute Band backed 1/2 the contestants each day and the other 1/2
were backed by CD's. It was a fun day with 57 contestants singing
their hearts out.
Friday night, we presented the "40 year Comeback." Dwight Icenhower,
Irv Cass, and Robert Washington recreated the TV special with the
Change of Habit Tribute Band. The show was fabulous with some
highlights being the Sit-down session with Dwight and band members
jamming on stage and Robert rocking the house with the Gospel
Medley. The Lake George Forum was packed and the audience was vocal
in their appreciation.
Friday night, Irv and Dwight hosted an after-hours jam session and
karaoke party at the Boardwalk Restaurant. It was very well attended
and all the fans seemed to have a ball!
Saturday was a full day! The contestants performed for the 2nd time,
each ETA performed at a venue in town, and there were 3 fabulous
lake cruises hosted by ETA's. Saturday evening, the finalists were
announced and everyone got ready for the night show.
To say the show, Aloha from Lake George, was wonderful is a huge
understatement. The room was packed to the rafters and I think you
could hear their approval miles away! Donny Edwards opened the show
with an assortment of Elvis'Ū early music. His powerful voice and
good looks thrilled fans! Shawn Klush then took the stage and it was
pure magic. As I walked through the crowd, I saw upturned faces with
expressions of awe and pleasure. Shawn well-deserved his title of
Ultimate EPE Champion...
The after-hours jam session that night was at Neptune's Restaurant.
After the reports about the fun, I was amazed to see the ETA's show
up on Sunday alive and well!
Sunday began with our gospel show. Along with Irv Cass, Dwight
Icenhower, Robert Washington, Ronny Craig, many of the ETA's came to
add their voices to this beautiful show. Elvis Bingo followed. Irv,
Dwight and Robert cavorted on stage, singing the called songs. Kay
Lipps called the numbers and there was much laughter in the Forum.
Sunday afternoon, the Change of Habit Tribute Band took to the stage
to back the finalists. I didn't envy the judges as there were some
wonderful performances. After a short break, Terry Collins presented
all 57 contestants with trophies to mark their attendance at Lake
George. Ronny then announced the winners:
Youth
1 - Davis Campbell
2 - Jackson Begley
3 - Matthew Boyce
Non-Professional Early Years
1 - Larry Tschekalin
2 - Prezley
3 - Drew Polsun
4 - Brycen Katolinsky
5 - Bruce Herron
Non-Professional Later Years
1 - Steve Mitchell
2 - Anthony Caldone
3 - Wayne Curtis
4 - John Cigan
5 - E-Rock
Professional Early Years
1 - Gino Monopoli
2 - Matt Joyce
3 - Ted Torres
4 - Joseph Hall
5 - Lance Dobinson
Professional Later Years
1 - Joe Ramsey
2 - Kevin Mills
3 - Mario
4 - Bryant Scott
5 - Rick Huntress
Peoples' Choice
1 - Joe Ramsey
2 - E-Rock
3 - Joseph Hall
The representative to the Ultimate Contest will be Gino Monopoli who
had the highest score in the finals.
Congratulations to all!
Two weeks later, we drove to the Isle of Capri - Marquette. Luckily,
the ETA's flew into LaCrosse and Ronny picked them up. Kathy and I
drove through horrible rain and had to detour around flooded roads.
Our hearts go out to the victims of this most recent flooding.
Robert Washington, Dwight Icenhower, and Ted Torres performed for 4
sold-out shows. It takes more than floods to keep Elvis fans away.
The Change of Habit Tribute Band gamely kept up with the three
jokesters performing different eras each time on stage. It was a fun
weekend...
In 2 weeks, we leave for Florida where we inaugurate a new contest
at the Seminole Casino in Immokalee which is near Naples. Their
desire is to develop a huge ElvisŪ weekend in the future and we are
looking forward to an exciting start. Ryan Pelton and Jerome Marion
will be the special guests and all ETA's will be backed by the
Change of Habit.
Later in July, we travel to the Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs,
Iowa. This is an invitational competition where the casino pays each
contestant to come in and provides them with meals and lodging. The
venue, called the Whiskey Roadhouse, is fabulous and everyone has a
great time.
August brings us to Memphis to meet up with old friends and
celebrate all things ElvisŪ. Hope to see all of you there!
In the meantime, enjoy the summer days and nights!
Nance
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