golfkat Travel Blog

We are not the biggest Elvis fans in the world.  I did see him perform up in Tahoe somewhere in the early 70’s.  He was already overweight, and a big mess.  But, he is/was a legend, and we have spotted him several times over the years, in the most unlikely places.  One of the major sightings was in Penticton, British Columbia, about 3 hours northwest of Vancouver, BC.  The other was in Pittsburg, CA.
 
Our dear friends, Ken and Debbie from Las Vegas/Westlake Village (LA), talked us into meeting them in Penticton for their big Elvis Festival in July.  We got rooms at about the only decent place in town, the Lakeside Inn, right on Lake Okanagan.  This area has gotten quite popular among the oenophiles, as have many other, lesser known areas.  There are over fifty wineries up there.
 
Anyway, we did not know what was in store for us.  We rented a nice convertible, and drove about 3 to 4 hours to Penticton.  We would also spend a few days in Vancouver at the end of the trip.  Debbie had attended a previous Festival, so she took care of the tickets and our schedule. The Penticton Pacific Northwest Elvis Festival Society is a not-for-profit society whose main goal is to celebrate the life and music of the greatest entertainer ever known.
 
Penticton is just a little town of about 45,000, mostly a vacation spot for Vancouverites.  They rent a place, tow their boat up to Lake Okanagan, or park their RV in one of the many parks along the Lake.  The town is not very big, but the 4th Annual Elvis Festival is a big deal.
 
We actually found a great Italian restaurant on our way to the evening’s festivities.  We had a great meal, and ambled down to the community center for “professional” Elvis night.  The big attraction was Dean Vegas, all the way from Australia.  He is a professional Elvis impersonator, though they prefer the term, tribute singer.  He was very good, but the show was stolen by a comedian named Herb Dixon.  So went our first day in Elvisland.
 
We decided the next day would be a golf day.  So after we had a pancake breakfast in the city park, we headed out to the Summerland Golf Course up in the vineyards of the Okanagan Valley.  While I don’t remember too much of the golf, it was a good break from the Elvis mania.  I forgot to tell you, a good portion of the men in town dress like Elvis, or grow sideburns.  The women dress like Daisy Mae or whoever might fit the bill as Elvis’ girlfriend.
 
We had a nice dinner at the fine dining room of the hotel, directly on the water.  As the highlight of the event, we went to the amateur Elvis contest.  Little did we know, since we got there late, that some of the singers were pros and some amateurs.  Our guess as to who were the best was way off base.  The guy that won the amateur contest did not even look like Elvis!!!!
 
It is truly amazing during the concert performances.  I think some of the women in the front rows actually think these guys are Elvis.  Some of the Elvis guys throw out sweat stained scarves for the women to fight over.  Many of them are waving panties for him to use to wipe his brow.  They are yelling and screaming when their favorites are being sung.  It is a scene out of the old news reels when Elvis first started performing.  The only things missing were the bobby socks and saddle shoes.
 
It turns out that about 10,000 people come to this little town for this event.  We heard that in Ontario, their Elvis event draws over 100,000.  I thought Vegas had a lock on Elvis, but I was wrong.  But everyone, including us, does enjoy themselves in some way.  Some of the guys are pretty good.  Some try to look like Elvis with very expensive and elaborate costumes.  I also would not mind visiting Graceland (I did a number of years ago).  We have seen the location where Elvis filmed on Kauai at the old Coco Palms Resort in Kapaa.
 
Now, I can’t really say I would go back, but I am glad I went once.  Ken and Debbie went again, dressed the part, and had a great time with their friends from Vancouver.  I would like to spend more time there, if only for the golf, ice cream, and the wineries.  Elvis has left the building!