Fans of The King in Illinois are super excited for the return of Elvis Fest to our state.

Elvis Fest Returns To Illinois

I was only seven years old when Elvis died but even back then I knew he was a big deal. We were on a family vacation that summer. We were in Hannibal, Missouri when we found out he passed away. I remember the news was everywhere and people were really sad.

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The next summer was my first personal experience with The King. That year our annual trip made a stop in Memphis. We went to Graceland but Elvis' dad wasn't allowing any visitors that day. He stood at the gate with a shotgun. The next day we came back and were able to get in.

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Recently, I was back in Memphis for a St. Jude's event. There was a concert at Graceland one of the nights. I couldn't help but think all these years later, he's still so popular. Could you imagine if there was social media and the internet back in those days?

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This summer there's a huge celebration of The King coming back to Illinois. It's the return of Elvis Fest. It's happening from July 17th to 19th. It seems a long time from now but you don't want to sleep on events like this because they sell out quickly. It will be at the Gateway Convention Center in Collinsville.

This year, Elvis Fest will feature several different Elvis tribute shows throughout the weekend performed by many different Elvis impersonators. Of course, anything Elvis you can think of will be part of the celebration.

Illinois Elvis Festival

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