If you happen to spot "Elvis Presley" at Lagoon Saturday, Aug. 25, don't call your nearest supermarket tabloid with another of those "he's alive and well" stories.
Lagoon is sponsoring an Elvis Presley look-alike contest on that day as part of its Elvis Presley Day, which will also include performances by a Presley impersonator and a festival of Presley films.Ron Van Woerden, director of the entertainment division at Lagoon, said the park got the idea for the Elvis Presley Day celebration after seeing a T-shirt emblazoned with "Elvis Presley Tour '89" on and a long list of purported places where the late King of Rock 'n' Roll has allegedly been seen - shopping malls, gas stations, remote little country towns.
And Saturday - Lagoon.
Paul Casey of Palm Springs, Calif. (where Elvis also maintained a home), is one of the country's busiest Presley impersonators. He's performed regularly at Graceland, the former Presley mansion in Memphis, Tenn., which has become a shrine for Presley fans, and he's appeared on several television shows, including the Jerry Lewis Telethon.
He was featured in People magazine's "25 most intriguing people of the year" issue and was in the cast of the "Heroes of Rock 'n' Roll" show in Las Vegas.
Casey will perform at 4, 6 and 9 p.m. on Saturday in Lagoon's Music USA amphitheater. (The "Silver Screen" revue will be presented only once that night, at 7:30 p.m.)
The Elvis Presley look-alike contest will be staged at 8:30 p.m. in the amphitheater, with pre-registration between 7 and 8. Prizes for this contest, which will be judged by Casey and Jaquee Tingey, Miss Utah, are $600 for first, $300 for second and $150 for third. (The prizes will be a combination of cash and merchandise.) Also that evening all park visitors will be eligible to win a trip for two to Graceland, including airfare and accommodations.
The Presley film festival will be presented from noon until 8 p.m. in the Lagoon Opera House.
Visitors to Lagoon that day also will receive discounts on all-day ride and/or combination passes if they say "I came to see the King" or "the King sent me," or make some other reference to the Presley Day festivities when they're buying their tickets at the entrance. The celebration is co-sponsored by radio station KLZX (93.3 FM).
Labor Day will be the last regular day of the Lagoon summer season, after which it will be open only on Saturdays and Sundays until Oct. 8, weather permitting. Lagoon A Beach is also expected to remain open until then.