Video: Tupelo Welcomes Big Crowds For Elvis’ 80th Birthday Celebrations

[syndicaster id=’5544013′]

[syndicaster id=’5543512′]

[syndicaster id=’5543280′]

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – The city of Tupelo is marking what would have been the 80th birthday of its most famous son in a big way. The first of three days of celebrations featured Elvis fans from around the world, several parties and much more.

For this celebration at the Elvis Presley Birthplace and Museum, there was an Elvis Tribute Artist serenading the ladies. And of course, Elvis fans sang Happy Birthday to the man who would change modern music forever. Then guests enjoyed cake. This cake is a replica of a birthday cake created for Elvis in the 1960s by Tupelo’s Kermit Bakery. Each year, the bakery in the singer’s hometown would make a cake, and ship it to the superstar.

In the crowd, fans from near and far and a few who knew the hometown boy who went on to fame and fortune.

“We didn’t have quite this big a crowd but we would draw a pretty good crowd in the neighborhood and have a little cake and a little ice cream and punch, something like that,” said Guy Harris, a boyhood friend of Elvis.

“I could look at him all day and all night, he was a good looking man,” said Ruby Robertson of New Albany.

“I love it and I’m here for one man, Elvis,” said Juanita O’Leary from the United Kingdom.

To coincide with the birthday celebrations, organizers of the Tupelo Elvis Festival unveiled this year’s poster for the big event.

“He started out as a gospel singer in Tupelo and from there he became the king of rock and roll and that’s quite a contrast and I wanted to capture that,” said Richard Tucker, who produced the watercolor painting.

Everything wrapped up at “The Ice House,” as Elvis Tribute Artists took the stage, there are two more days of celebrations and festivities honoring Elvis’ 80th birthday.

For information on the Elvis Birthday Celebrations and ticket information for the 2015 Tupelo Elvis Festival, go to,  www.tupelo.net, www.tupeloelvisfestival.com, or www.tupelomainstreet.com.