TWEED - Slicked hair, tight-fitting sequined body suits, a whole-lotta hip shaking and screaming girls.
No, it's not Memphis. Downtown Tweed looked a whole lot like the home of the King of Rock 'n Roll tlast weekend for the first Tweed Tribute to Elvis Festival.
The three-day event attracted more than 5,000 diehard Elvis fans and about 30 Elvis impersonators who competed for the title of grand champion.
It was enough to make some fans, like Lucia Marc, weak in the knees.
"I've been an Elvis fan forever — I just go ga-ga over him," she said. Marc couldn't help but sing and dance along enthusiastically with performers all weekend.
"All of his songs are from the heart," she said, adding she never gets tired of hearing Elvis hits. "Some of the songs this weekend have been sung over and over … I just love them."
The Ottawa resident said the event marked her first trip to a tribute festival, and she was thrilled to be there.
"It's a ball, and you get to meet people who are just as crazy about Elvis as you are; they understand you," she said.
Marc said she had her picture taken with several of the impersonators — who were bombarded by fans all weekend who wanted autographs, photos and a chance to get up close and personal with "Elvis."
"When you see who you think is Elvis, you go wild," she said. She said being a fan of Elvis is like being a fan of any artist, "but multiplied by 100."
Tribute artist Ken Blyth knows all about the mania surrounding The King. Blyth has performed at Collingwood and also has an Elvis and Buddy Holly tribute band.
And predictably, the ladies, young and old, were all over him.
"It's uncanny how fans react and how dedicated they are," he said, adding he was "overwhelmed" the first time he performed in Collingwood in 1997.
Although crowds at Tweed's festival were smaller, they were still "great," he said.
Blyth, who performed Friday and Saturday but didn't make it to the final round Sunday, said this was his first time competing since 2002.
"It was a spur of the moment decision, really last minute," to come to Tweed, he said. Blyth performed songs from the 1970s, including "Little Sister" and "Fever."
While the weekend was mostly filled with performances, visitors also enjoyed a classic car show and parade, pancake breakfasts, karaoke at the Tweedsmuir Tavern and the Elvis Inspirational Hour Sunday morning, among other events.
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