Editor’s note: This year’s Elvis Fest runs July 21-24, 2011:
We really just wanted to grab some lunch on our way home from Blue Mountain Resort, but we ended up taking in the opening salvos of the annual Elvis Festival in Collingwood, Ontario.
I'm sure that I saw Elvis in Collingwood that day.
When we asked at the Tourist Information Centre (right across from the Walmart, where the big RVs overnight because it’s free) about a diner-style place for lunch, they suggested the Olde Red Hen Restaurant on Hurontario Street. Good call. Rye toast, perfect eggs, four kinds of meat, hashbrowns, coffee and raisin pie, all served up with an efficient smile. This is my kind of place, and today it has a very Graceland feel.
Elvis would have liked this car. I did.
And the crowd is very well behaved, making sure to fill only one side of the street with their fold-up camping chairs (fire regulations), waiting for the music to start on the main stage. This isn’t just blue-hairs from the King’s glory days either, there are kids everywhere, all tuned in to the memory and the spirit of Elvis. If you don’t have the right kind of hairdo, no problem, just buy a set of plastic sideburns along the way. And friendly… OMG, these people know how to have a good time.
Orderly crowds waiting to start the party at the Collingwood Elvis Festival
Collingwood was about to be rocked by the King, again. This is the 15th annual festival and according to Catherine Durrant, Economic Development Officer for the Town of Collingwood, each year gets better and better. Once the music started – Elvis impersonators introduced by a local radio personality – we knew it was just the beginning of another Elvis extravaganza weekend. But we reluctantly moved on, sad to leave the party. After all, we had only stopped in for lunch. Long live the King!
Tags: Canada, Collingwood, Elvis, Elvis Festival, Ontario
Hi, i am doing a project in school about the Elvis Festival, may i use your photos if i give credit to you?
Thank you for asking and yes, you may. Let us know how you do.
[...] Starting at noon, main stage entertainment will feature an Elvis tribute, courtesy of the Collingwood Elvis Festival. There will be Greek music and dancing supplied by Taste of the Danforth and a nod to the Fab Four [...]