I would like to start by apologizing for personally causing the COVID-19 virus. Let me explain. I have been looking for a sign to tell me when I need to stop going to Elvis Week. I still get to meet new, interesting people each year. I enjoy seeing the changes to Graceland and the celebration. I enjoy documenting my feelings about the Elvis phenomenon and where it is heading. I am also a creature of habit. It’s easier to continue going that breaking with tradition. So, what might happen to make me consider staying at home? Maybe an international pandemic is a sign from God that I should stay home this year. If this is his way of sending this message, I apologize for my stubborn ways. I will happily remain in my house to avoid getting the virus. I hope I didn’t miss any lesser signs from God where this could be avoided.
Even when this pandemic started in March, I realized there was a good chance that this would not be over by the time Elvis Week arrived. I wondered if Graceland would even be open in August. It was late May when they started taking visitors again. In July, they announced that plans for Elvis Week would be modified. “Scaled back” was a key phrase used in description of this year’s event. I read the descriptions of the plans along with my thoughts and feelings as I seriously considered going to Graceland this year. In late July, I started making lists to help me make my decision. Here is the first list that I called “End of July Thoughts”:
- I would like to go to Graceland to see what it’s going to be like this year.
- I do not want to put myself in a situation where I’m exposed to the Covid-19 virus.
- Graceland is going to great lengths to create a safe environment for fans.
- Elvis fans are notorious for doing whatever they want to do.
- Elvis Week always has fans from around the world.
- Because of travel restrictions, I expect fewer international fans.
- If any international fans make it, they could be less likely to follow instructions.
- I fear that Elvis fans are more likely to be pandemic skeptics, more willing to participate in risky behavior.
Next, I listed possible options for what I would do this year for Elvis Week. Here is that list:
- Stay at home
- Go to Memphis, go to the parking lot, and check out what I can from the safety of my car
- While in the parking lot, consider what the crowd looks like at the visitor center and go buy a hat and shirt if there is “no one” there.
- Go later at night or earlier in the week for the purchasing trip
- Watch the Candlelight Vigil on the live stream from the safety of my home
- Not participate in the Candlelight Vigil, period
A couple of things to point out here. First it is not an option to just go and participate in the Candlelight Vigil regularly. Even, with the best intentions of social distancing, I didn’t think this would be a good idea for some of the reasons in my first list. Second, if I really wanted to buy a cap, I think the option of going earlier in the week might have been my best option. The Candlelight Vigil was scheduled for Saturday August 15. On Friday, August 14, I saw pictures of the visitor’s center from earlier in the week that showed it virtually empty. This confirmed my thoughts that going early would have been the best idea if it was really that important.
The last list I made included things to consider when making my decision. Here is that list:
- I don’t go to Elvis Week to honor Elvis
- While I get caps and shirts each year, that’s not why I go
- I go to watch and talk to people
- If I cannot do that safely, I probably shouldn’t go at all
- If I do go, I should only do what I can do and remain safe
The important thing has always been to interact with people at Graceland. If I could not do that safely, it wouldn’t be worth the trip.
Even though the vigil was on a Saturday this year making last minute trips an option, other things conspired to keep me away from Memphis. Graceland was making free reservations for the Candlelight vigil a necessity. They were limiting the number of people participating in the vigil to 720. By the time I found out about this, the event was “sold out”. The necessary steps to keep this event as safe as possible were stripping it of the spontaneity that had made this fan originated event so special. While the circumstances were quite different, the vigil on the first anniversary was held even though Memphis was under a curfew due to a police/firemen strike. Safety concerns have made it necessary to turn this event into an event totally controlled by Graceland, completely wrestled out of the hands of the fans that started it all.
There were more important reasons for me to stay at home. My oldest daughter bought a house and we spent the weekend working on it getting it ready to move in. My priority is with my family, where it should be. We got a lot done on Saturday and I enjoyed spending time working with my family.
There was still a draw to Memphis on Saturday. I was waiting in line at the drive thru at Freddie’s Frozen Frozen Custard as the sun was going down. I was reminded of all the years where I stood in line at the Candlelight Vigil as the sun went down. Because I was picking up burgers for my family, I thought about eating the cheeseburger specials at the diners at Graceland. I also was reminded of the late-night stops at Waffle House and the characters we met there. I missed going to the freak show. I missed getting souvenirs from my trip. But the time with my family was more important. A happy daughter in her own home was better than anything I might pick up at a Graceland gift shop. I didn’t make the trip this year.
