Retro Dee is a regular contributor to The Grooveyard’s website, writing about music, fashion and other trends of the 1950s. Check out her blog, Retro Dee’s Guide to the Best Era Ever here, and her column here every week.
Hi folks, this is Retro Dee at Retro Dee’s Guide to the Best Era Ever and today I’ma tell you about the time I met Elvis.
All right, well, I didn’t actually meet the real Elvis, after all, he died many years before I was even born! And I didn’t actually meet the Elvis impersonator either, because I was too shy to go up and say hello… but anyhow. Here’s the story.
It was Fall, 2018, and I was still living in Santa Rosa, a town in Northern California. It was one year after the first big Fire Storm hit the North Bay. In 2017, my family and I evacuated for the first time. We returned home, grateful that our house had been spared. We thought the fire troubles were over (they weren’t). However, 2018 was the one year we weren’t affected.
That morning I had a special spa appointment, and there was a thick smoke in the air. I recognized the smoke smell immediately. I went out to the deck and looked to the North where I saw a huge, dark cloud. Turns out the fire was nearly 100 miles away in the town of Paradise. In the hours to come, the entire town burned completely to the ground.
Even with the amount of smoke blowing down from the Paradise fire, Santa Rosa was not being threatened at the time. I was very happy about that, and kept my spa appointment.
The spa was having its Annual Special Event! Every service was 20% off. I was really excited to get a professional facial. What I didn’t know is that the Special Event included more than just 20% off… there was a taco truck, a dessert table… and entertainment.
The last thing I expected to see when I pulled into the parking lot of the spa was an Elvis impersonator. He looked like one of the impersonators you might see in Las Vegas, wearing the white leather suit complete with all the “bling”.
I went past him in the parking lot and went up to my appointment on the second floor. In the waiting room, I could hear “Viva Las Vegas” coming from downstairs. I began to think about what an icon Elvis is, and how no matter how much time goes by, Elvis is always Center Stage in one form or another. I also thought about how I prefer 1950’s Elvis to 1970’s Elvis, but I still thought the idea of the spa hiring an impersonator for their event was fun.
I thought about how it was the first time I’d ever seen an Elvis impersonator Live. I had been to Vegas three times, yet never ran into one!
Then it was time for my appointment, so I went in.
When I came out, the Elvis was still going strong, singing his heart out in the parking lot despite the smoke, which had gotten thicker. I didn’t want to wait outside in the smoke, so I sat in the waiting room, waiting for my ride.
A bit later, the music stopped and the door opened, and who came in, but the King Himself. I was in awe of his costume and hair, and the fact that this man really did look a lot like Elvis Presley.
But that’s not the most amazing part. Elvis was nearing the end of his gig, but he was still in character, talking to the women who worked at the spa. He asked if anyone had any requests, and soon we were all serenaded a capella with “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You.”
Elvis’ voice filled the waiting room, and I must say, he sounded remarkably similar to the actual recording! This guy was very talented. He wasn’t just your run-of-the-mill average Elvis impersonator.
After the song, he thanked us very much and said a quiet goodbye, and left the building. What a gentleman! I felt as though I had actually seen the real Elvis, Live and in Person. Well, I can pretend.
One year later (2019) my plans to go to the next event at the spa were thwarted by another fire, this time one that came close to our house. In 2020, another fire came so close, that our neighborhood nearly burned down!
Sometimes I wonder what happened to that Elvis. Did he stay in Northern California? Did he move to Las Vegas? Why didn’t they cast him in the latest biopic? So many questions… but there you have it, the time I met Elvis.
For the dream I had about meeting Elvis, please check out my Dream Blog. I also wrote some fan fiction with him in it, but lucky for us all, I’m not posting that.
Thanks for reading, join me next time when I’ll have three of my favorite Elvis hits posted. You can follow Retro Dee’s Guide to the Best Era ever here on WordPress.
You can also follow Retro Dee on Twitter @RealRetroDee and on Instagram @mariepascal82
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