‘Elvis Is Alive’ and living in Phoenix, OR. Earlier in the week, while canvassing sponsors for the 2010 Rod & Custom Show, I stopped in at Debby’s Diner in Phoenix, one of our regular supporters to RVSR. Debby offered me an invite next Friday to a special dinner party with an Elvis impersonator as entertainment.

Both of us Elvis fans, often attending shows featuring the Canadian ‘Elvis’Champion Steve Elliot, Charlotte and I thought it would be a swell evening for our Friday Nite Dinner crowd. Debby confirmed 20 seats for us and we began calling the members, twice we had to enlarge our numbers.

Friday morning’s paper included a 2 page article with colored photos
of local boy, Clint Ingbretson advertising another performance to celebrate ‘The King’s’ 75th birthday so we knew we were in for a treat. By 5:30, the diner was packed as ‘Elvis’ arrived in an ‘Aloha In Hawaii’ replica jumpsuit Elvis had made for that show. With a boom-box for background music, he began belting out our favorite lyrics in a rich baritone voice that very closely resembles the King, complete with all the gyrations he was famous for.
During the show, we ordered rib-eye steak or chicken pasta dinner with all the trimmings as we listened to ‘Suspicious Minds’, ‘How Great Thou Art’, ‘Jail House Rock’, ‘Caught In A Trap’ and many others.

Also in the audience was Shirley, his fan club president, Jean who makes up satin scarves that he uses to mop his brow and passes out to several of the ladies present and another supporter who makes up his cards and posters. Clint is also a comic and kept us laughing throughout the evening with different renditions, tossing in his imitations of John Wayne, Willie Nelson, Roy Orbison and Ronald Reagan.

He looks a lot like Elvis from the ‘70s, wears wavy, shoulder length black hair with long sideburns and is a trim175 lbs. We are told he can do many more impersonations and also does shows singing all Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin favorites.

Debby and Paul brought in extra staff to handle the diners, the meals were brought steaming hot to the tables starting with a fresh green salad, sourdough dinner rolls, mushroom gravy topped steaks with stuffed/baked potatoes, green beans and tasty pineapple upside down cake for dessert. The other option was a thick cut chicken breast on a
full plate of alfredo pasta with a slice of fresh pineapple.

‘Elvis’ was on stage for 2 hours ending with a great rendition of ‘My Way’, then posing for photos with the ‘girls’ in our crowd, all wearing their prized satin scarves!!! It was a thrill for our member Katy, who was recognized as one of his teachers in high school.

We ended the evening with thanks to our great hosts and ‘Elvis’