Summer in Australia is a time for festivals. Not every town, however, is satisfied with a round up of the latest pop stars. Having developed a large and loyal following since its inception in 1993, the Countrylink ParkesElvis Festival continues to celebrate the king of rock’n’roll in a variety of inventive ways.
Before I arrived in the small city of Parkes I pictured a handful of Elvis impersonators crooning and
swooning a few middle aged couples. ‘That’ll be a nice chance to see regional Australia’ I thought.
So I made a spur of the moment decision to explore the quiet side of
Australia. Next thing I know I’m sitting in the Royal Hotel bar surrounded by a
group of Elvii* whose claim to fame is riding to victory in the 2012 parde atop
inflatable pink flamingos.
I should have taken the hint of
things to come when I got off the bus and saw a middle-aged Elvis, in full Vegas
gear, casually filling his car at the service station.
The rest of the
weekend would be a blur of sequins, hairspray and swing dancing. On Friday, a
young boy strikes his best Elvis pose without the slightest encouragement. Saturday
sees Elvii of all shapes, sizes and ages take to the streets for the parade.
Sunday morning, more than thirty couples renew their wedding vows under the Love Me Tender
arch. By Sunday evening, the Elvii from day one have forsaken their
sequins and are now dressed in Priscilla wedding dresses. One of the dresses was purchased on Ebay from a bride who
hoped it would bring as much joy to the new owner as it did to her. I doubt she ever could have pictured where this dress would have ended up but it most definitely
did bring joy to the people of Parkes.
Elvis was originally considered
a bad influence, with his swinging hips and curling lips. In
Parkes it's quite the opposite. There is something for everyone at this festival. Whether
you're a happily married couple wanting to renew wedding vows, a young child
learning to swing dance or a somewhat shocked tourist soaking up the great atmosphere and making a mental note to pack some blue suede shoes for next year.
* Elvii is the plural of Elvis, a surprisingly common word in this part of Australia..
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