Young visitors excited about Elvis

January 13, 2008|By JENNIFER FITCH

GREENCASTLE, PA.

Some of the most excited visitors to the Allison-Antrim Museum's Elvis Presley exhibit on Sunday were also the youngest.

One girl fulfilled her birthday wish through the visit with her family, according to Bonnie Shockey, the museum's president.

"This is what she wanted for her birthday, to have them bring her here," Shockey said.

While touring the exhibit that includes Presley's personal effects, the child met a Gettysburg, Pa., area resident claiming to be the crooner's fourth cousin.

"She said, 'That's so cool,'" Shockey said.

A 3-year-old boy took a peek at Elvis' records, scarves, cuff links and a copy of his marriage certificate.

"His grandmother said, 'He really sounds like Elvis when he sings,'" Shockey said.

She said quite a few children were among the 60 people who filled the museum Sunday. She expects a better crowd from 6:30 to 8 p.m. today.

"There's evidently another, coming generation that's enamored with him," Shockey said.

In addition to tonight's open house, the museum's third Elvis exhibit also will be open to the public from noon to 3 p.m. Thursday.

A major draw, Shockey said, is the monogrammed bathrobe being displayed on the second floor. The exhibit's owner, who requested anonymity, has acquired a certificate of authenticity for the bathrobe, as well as many of the other personal effects.

"A lot of the photographs in the exhibit are candid, daily life shots," Shockey said.

On display is a front-page newspaper story from the Memphis Press-Scimitar that announces Elvis's Aug. 16, 1977, death.

"The king is dead. Elvis Presley ? the jiggling, jiving, rock 'n' roll king ? lived just 42 years, seven months and eight days," it begins.

Shockey said the museum received very favorable feedback after the 2004 and 2006 exhibits. She talked about one couple who waited outside for 45 minutes before the museum opened.

"Everybody loves it. They are diehard Elvis fans," she said.

More information about the Allison-Antrim Museum, on South Ridge Avenue, can be found at www.greencastlemuseum.org.

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