Elvis has not left the building. In fact, he spent the weekend at Woodland Park in Portage.
OK, so maybe it wasn’t The King himself, but 17 Elvis Presley tribute artists took the stage during the 23rd annual Elvis Fantasy Fest, a fundraiser for the Porter County Special Olympics.
Organizers said the festival has raised more than $250,000 since its start for the athletes in Special Olympics and reflects Presley’s spirit of generosity. Jo Brodzinski, who has helped with the event for many years and whose sister, Kay Lipps, founded the festival, said the three-day event, which started Friday and ran through Sunday, brings in upwards of 1,200 Elvis fans.
“At every event we try to do a charity that’s special to the community,” said festival producer Jason Sherry of Sherry Management, which puts on similar events across the country. “We always try to find something local that reflects Elvis’s nature of giving to people.”
On Saturday, the community center was filled with Elvis fans and memorabilia and fans wearing memorabilia, including buttons, purses and T-shirts.
The black backdrop on the stage glittered with small red, green and blue lights, and larger-than-life banners featuring Presley over the years flanked one side of the stage.
Sisters Sheryl McLean and Carol Kerswell hit the festival for the third year in a row. McLean lives in Twining, Mich., about 51/2 hours from Portage, and Kerswell lives in Corunna, Ontario, Canada, so the two meet in Michigan and drive to Portage for the weekend.
The first year they attended, they left Sunday afternoon before the event was over and missed finding out who won the contest between the tribute artists. They found out by phone from a new friend they met at the festival.
Now, they stay through Monday so they don’t have to miss anything and even do some sightseeing on their way in.
“When we got here we did a double take because our father was a huge supporter of Special Olympics in Michigan,” McLean said, adding the event satisfies the sisters’ love of Elvis and honoring their dad at the same time.
“That’s why we’ve never looked elsewhere. This was pretty cool for us.”
Amy Lavalley is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
