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Elvis is still the king, and the festival should live on

Columnist Wendy King speaks as an Elvis fan to the town of Collingwood
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Editor's note: Everything King is a regular column that runs on BarrieToday.

Collingwood, don’t be cruel.

I think my blue suede shoes just got stepped on, big time!

As you have no doubt heard in news reports across the country, after the 25th anniversary of the Collingwood Elvis Festival this summer, the town will no longer assist financially.

It may offer limited non-financial support to a private operator for three years.

In the most recent town council decision, politicians voted to basically accept bids from private operators who might continue the hugely popular festival. They could continue it there or they could move it elsewhere.

I write this column as a lifelong fan. I volunteered at the festival for almost the life of it. While I happen to be a reporter, that’s not my interest or involvement here.

I have no claim to fame here, except for the fact that my life has been infinitely better whenever Elvis has been a part of it. I owe him. 

The Collingwood Elvis Festival, in part, saved my life or at least my sanity.

I moved to Barrie in 1993 with my then-husband. I left my hometown, my career, my family and my friends for a new life. 

By 1995, when the Collingwood Elvis Festival first began at the Vacation Inn, I was a very unhappy camper. 

I was lonely and isolated. I had lost myself. The thought there would be a place for me to be among like-minded music lovers and surrounded by all things Elvis gave me a reason to celebrate. 

I thought it was a sign of good things to come, and it was.

As years went by, it grew incredibly.

I knew nobody those first years, but every July I went there and I felt completely at home. This was when every store got involved with window décor. Restaurants had Elvis-themed meals like Love Me Tender steak and Houndog hamburgers. Elvis sang loudly over the loud speakers on the main street. Dogs wore capes in the parade. Tribute artists perfected their stage presence.

It was folksy, it was friendly and it felt like a warm hug.

It was before politics and the almighty dollar reared their ugly head.

I sat alone at a pancake breakfast event and started smiling and talking to strangers. By the end of the afternoon, I had new friends. I was never alone again. You can’t be in an Elvis crowd. Now, hundreds of us meet each year for a family reunion.

I tell you this not because I was unique, but because I was not.

There are thousands of personal stories of just how much this festival has meant to people from our area to the United States to Europe and Asia. This event has put Collingwood on the global map. That is not an exaggeration.

The town has reported it doesn’t make enough money. Personally, I would say the spin-off benefits to tourism, to restaurants, hotels, condo rentals, parking fees, event admissions and gas would far exceed what the taxpayers pay ... $50,000 of a $60-million budget.

They say crowds are decreasing, but the survey they used for numbers represented the last three years when the festival was reduced from five days to three. So, less events would equal less money and less guests. I assume tourism has ebbs and flows.

If you have ever attended, you know there's barely room to squeeze another person into the town.

All those people appreciating Collingwood's scenery and amenities and planning a return visit. All those people and never in 24 years a violent crime. That is something to be celebrated, I would think.

Some locals hate the congestion. I get it, but it's one weekend. It's a tourist town. There's always special events.

I am not naïve enough to think the town cares if my feelings are hurt over this decision.

I just wished they had shown Elvis the respect he deserves for the goodwill he brought to the community.

I wish the town had appreciated the fans instead of price gouging us at every turn. That’s why attendance is down. We can’t afford to do it all. 

On average, each person spends about $1 to $1,500 in that three-day period. Some stay longer and make it a week long vacation.

Some people have even taken up residence there.

It may not be completely gone, but it will never be the same.

The Elvis family may or may not come back. We are a loyal bunch, but we won't be taken for granted. There are other festivals. There are about to be a lot more. Elvis is as popular as ever. New generations are discovering him.

Elvis doesn’t need anybody’s help to remain relevant.

Thanks for the memories. I just wish they weren’t so bittersweet.


About the Author: Wendy King

Wendy King writes about all kinds of things from nutrition to the job search from cats to clowns — anything and everything — from the ridiculous to the sublime. Watch for Wendy's column weekly.
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