VIDEO: “Blue Suede Cruise” Brings Big Business To Tupelo

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Tupelo hotels and restaurants are doing booming business this weekend.

The 15th annual “Blue Suede Cruise” is in full swing with close to 1000 vintage antique cars on display.

The car owners came from from 17 states, and even Canada, to participate in the event.

Last year’s event was selected as Mississippi’s small festival of the year. Event Director Allen McDaniel says Tupelo is an ideal location for a vintage car show.

“Automobiles and rock in roll, they seem like they go hand in hand. I think we all had favorite music and we all had favorite cars. And Tupelo being the birthplace of Elvis Presley and the king of rock in roll, it just sort of lends itself to being the spot where people can come and enjoy the old cars and enjoy the music and it just kind of takes folks back to I guess a simpler more enjoyable time in their lives,” says McDaniel.

There were some vintage cars inside the Bancorp South arena, including a 1957 Chevy, one of the most fabled cars in history.

The Blue Suede Cruise will wrap up Sunday.

McDaniel says they expect to bring in half a million in tourist dollars this weekend.