CityView Magazine

28 August 2022 Diane Parfitt, a die-hard Elvis fan since childhood, has a life-size stand-up figure of Presley that she donated to the Cameo Art House Theatre in downtown Fayetteville. Photo by Hank Parfitt SHE ELVIS When CityView contacted me about Elvis — aer someone revealed my Elvis obsession on Facebook — I was sitting in the parking lot at the grocery store going over my shopping list. And listening to the Elvis radio station. What a dream come true to be able to listen to Elvis' music anytime I want. So, I gathered my thoughts about my lifelong love of Elvis and his music. I first saw him perform on "e Ed Sullivan Show" when I was in fih grade. Oh, how I was taken with his good looks and his amazing music. Aer that, I would go to the record store whenever there was a new song released, and they would let us listen to it as long as we wanted. I finally got a record player for my birthday and would save my money to buy his 45-rpm records and, occasionally, an album. When his first movie, "Love Me Tender,'' came out, my girlfriends and I rode the bus from Chevy Chase, Maryland, to the Loew's eater in downtown Washington, D.C. Of course, I loved the movie but hated the ending, when Elvis dies. Over the years, I would see his movies, but when they started all being alike, I lost interest. But I still loved his music. I was never a screaming Elvis fan; I kept it close to my heart. My biggest regret is that I never got to see him in person at a concert. I would watch all his TV specials and especially loved his "Comeback Special" in 1968. at was the Elvis I loved. I remember exactly where I was when he died. Hank and I were in San Francisco driving across the Oakland Bay Bridge. I was nodding off listening to the radio when suddenly the announcer broke into the music to say that Elvis had died. at was a sad day for millions of fans of e King. When Cape Fear Regional eatre did a play with Elvis' music, I had an Elvis party. We served fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, fried chicken, and other of Elvis' favorite foods. en the entire gang went to see the musical. Years later, to celebrate our mutual birthdays, a good friend and I decided to go to Graceland. at would be the closest I could ever get to Elvis, and I absolutely loved the trip. We stayed at the Heartbreak Hotel, where you could watch Elvis' movies on TV in your room 24 hours a day. We toured Graceland and saw the rooms as they were when he was alive. We even walked through his private jet, the Lisa Marie. For a bunch of Elvis fans, it was a dream come true, second only to seeing one of his concerts. But alas, that was not to be. When the new Elvis movie came to the Cameo theater, I got a group of friends together and we went to see it. What a remarkable story of his evolution as a singer and heartthrob. It was a real credit to his musical talent and a look at what happens to entertainers along their journey to stardom. As we le the theater, I was able to get my picture taken next to the cutout of Elvis in his glory days. What memories it brought back. – Diane Parfitt is a CityView columnist and owner of City Center Gallery & Books in downtown Fayetteville.

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