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The Tupelo Elvis Fan Club
is partnered with the Tupelo Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) to
help bring the dream of honoring Elvis with a life-size statue to
fruition. CVB had
committed $50,000 to the project. The Tupelo Elvis
Fan Club has committed to raise the remaining $25,000 to bring the
statue of this beautiful image of Elvis to the Fairpark District
on
9th August 2012.
The statue is modeled after the iconic Roger Marshutz photograph
lovingly referred to by fans the world over as, “The Hands”
(taken on 26/09/1956, during the benefit concert Elvis gave in the
town).
The statue will be life-size and mounted on a four foot platform so
fans may walk up to the statue and outstretch their hands as in the
Marshutz photograph. There will be a bricked area circling the
statue. Bricks may be purchased and the donor's
name and message will be engraved into the brick.
Together, we can all make this a reality.
Elvis gave many donations throughout his life to his birth town,
but he died without having the chance to see many of the projects he
had in mind (like the church, the youth recreation center, with
tennis courts and pool, etc) come to a reality. Great part of the
area surrounding Elvis birthplace was built with donations
collected in a similar way, mostly by fans and other associates. And
Elvis 100% has also contributed! |
The new Elvis statue, in Tupelo.
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Elvis 100% will be present, next to this new statue
in Tupelo, to be unveiled this August! And here is a preview of the
brick that was put there and that we have acquired to help with
our donation for the accomplishment of this project.
The donation
certificate that certifies this donation which amounted to 110
US dollars (86.16 Euros),
it was sent to us and we share it with you all below. See also the
payment comprovative. |
The new statue was
unveiled on 9th August 2012, around 08:30 p.m., and in the photo we
can see the unveiling cerimony, with several fans present. These came in
great numbers to snap the statue and touch Elvis's out stretched hand. They
could also enjoy the music by Mississippi natives, Eden Brent and Marty
Stuart.
Mayor Jack
Reed Jr., U.S. Rep. Steve Holland, a representative from Congressman Alan
Nunnelee’s office and Roy Turner, a documentary filmmaker with the Tupelo
Elvis Presley Fan Club, all welcomed fans from down the road and across the
pond to the statue’s debut.
Elvis 100%'s donation, through the acquisition of a brick, cost 110 US
Dollars (86.18 Euros). Thanks to your contributions, we have reached
that amount in order to pay for the brick in full and, therefore, not affect
the fan club's accounting!
We hereby inform the names
of the members who have contributed for this cause (in alphabetical order):
Anabela Pereira, Arsénio Gaião, Célia Carvalho, Joaquim Leal de Meira, José
Rosário and
Sérgio Nascimento
The certificate that the
Tupelo Fan Club was to send and which serves as proof of our donation
only reached us at the beginning of November 2012 and we leave it here for
all of you to see. (Note: Even though several people have
contributed for this project, the certificate was issued in the name of
Célia Carvalho, since the payment was advanced by her with her personal
credit card and ultimately given by the members).
We just need to thank you all, since,
after all, the brick that we have bought to help this project and the
finalization of this statue... is also a bit ours! And now we just need to
travel to Tupelo in order to see it with our own eyes! - The Board of
Directors.
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