fifth of Elvis in georgia!

You didn't really expect me to stay away, did you?
This marked the 5th Annual Georgia Elvis Festival!
I couldn't be there for the entire competition, but I had to be there for some part of it... so my three sawbucks bought me a front-row seat in the balcony for the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest Finals.
Hallelujah!
That was a first for me: sitting in the balcony at the Ritz.
Very nice way to mark my third adventure with Elvis!

So, this very afternoon, I was treated to four songs from each of the ten finalists.
That practically guaranteed I would hear unique offerings from each of the fellows...
and I did!
Some of the tunes were even new to me!

The five non-pro contestants were up first.

Riley Jenkins was an energetic, though quite short, teenager, who sported a red jacket.
He graced us with "Hound Dog", "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck", "Don't", and "Jailhouse Rock".
Nice set!

Taylor Vance, a taller young man in a cream sport coat, had a wonderful voice!
He presented "Heartbreak Hotel", with guitar, then settled into "Don't Leave Me Now". He ended with a beautifully done gospel tune, "Peace In The Valley".
But the third song stuck with me as one I absolutely did not know: "Paralyzed".
Well done!

Finally! A familiar face and voice!
It was Richard Wolfe of Canada, back once more to burn up the stage!
"Shake, Rattle, and Roll" was his lead in, as it was last year. Then he shook things up with the gospel "Stand By Me", followed by "Don't Be Cruel".
His last one? "It's Now Or Never"...
I do hope he returns next year!

Jacob Eder was the fourth man, again very short and very young. He was also rather hoarse... too much night air last night?
Still, "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care" was fun!
The next one was "I Ain't That Loving Guy" or something of that vibe. Honestly, the lyrics were hard to make out.
But "Can't Help falling In Love" was beautifully rendered, as was "Blue Suede Shoes".

How à propos that Dan Barrella (the hoarse one last year) followed up! Nice black eagle on his white jumpsuit, too!
This year, he led with "How Great Thou Art", which fell surprisingly flat at the end.
That's okay! He amped up the energy with a medley that included "Long Tall Sally"!
Then "Danny Boy" slowed his momentum and "Hurt" couldn't save his set.

After a short break, the pros were on!
Cote Deonath of Ocala, another familiar face!
He was going for the "Money Honey" and didn't need
any "Mean Woman Blues"!
He assured us that "You'll Never Walk Alone", even if
we acted like a "Hound Dog"!
(smile!)
Very nice set, with high energy!

Tim E. Hendry had the best show ever. So very good to see this tall Canadian again!
He showed us, in no uncertain tones, how "Hurt" should sound.
"Release Me" came to life and "How Great Thou Art" was a spiritual experience on this Sunday afternoon.
Hallelujah!
No "Suspicious Minds" about his talent!
And that red and gold eagle on his jumpsuit was beautiful!

A tall man from the UK, Paul Larcombe, followed that tough act quite nicely with "I Can't Stop Loving You".
"Danny Boy", that slow one, was still quite nice and heartfelt.
But "One Night (With You)" had the crowd on their feet...for scarves!!!
Even a five-year-old ETA received a scarf! Hahaha haha!
And guess what the Brit's final song was???
"An American Trilogy"! Quite nicely done, too!

Next up, we had Bruce Andrew Stewart of Canada, another tall hottie!
"If I Can Dream" was quite an opener, closely followed by "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You" after a little joking around. (Perhaps intended for us Meat Loaf fans?)
(smile!)
Then he gave me one of Willie's favorites to croon to me, "Young And Beautiful". Fabulous!
He had us all "Ready Teddy" to rock and roll!

And then, closing out the competition, we had the man who had me all excited last year: Ryan Pelton.
His black-leather-clad self hit all the right moves in a Hound Dog-All Shook Up rockin' medley, then he had "Kentucky Rain" washing over us in Georgia. My, oh, my, what "Memories"!
Now, how about "A Little Less Conversation"...
and a lot more action?
(smile!)

Nope! Instead, we had a break in the action while the judges did their thing.
The emcee, almost-60-years-old Irv Cass, gave us a nicely done Tom Jones' tune, "It's Not Unusual".
Hey, I always enjoy the Welshman!
Irv had been doing fairly good "Sling Blade" impressions all day, as well as an outstanding Paul Lynde bit about "the itsy bitsy spider" - hilarious!
But I digress...

The first awards were for the Fan Favorites, which was independent of the ETA's classification.
Third place went to Taylor Vance, a non-pro.
Second place was won by Sergio Queiroz of Brazil! Hooray! That meant I got to see him on this trip!
Cote Deonath, the pro from Florida, took First Place with the fans!

Finally it was time for all five of the non-professional finalists to hit the stage!
Jacob Eder placed Fifth - pretty good for a South Carolina boy!
Fourth went to Richard Wolfe. That really surprised me!
Dan Barrella placed Third, raspy voice and all.
Second was taken by little Riley Jenkins of Tennessee.
Top honors - and a trip to Memphis! - were granted to Taylor Vance of North Carolina.
Nicely done, y'all!

Then it was time for the big money to get handed out!
Bruce Stewart took Fifth and Paul Larcombe placed Fourth.
(I guess handing out scarves didn't help him.)
Third went to the Floridian, Cote Deonath. Good work!
Then it was between my two favorites!
Much as I loved Ryan Pelton, Tim E. Hendry had totally owned the stage on every one of his songs.
Every one of them.
Apparently, the judges agreed with me!
Tim was the big winner of the three-day event!

And here he is, gracing us with one last song before we leave the building.
Which song had he chosen for the occasion?
"Can't Help Falling In Love", naturally!
Afterward, he stayed on stage to shake the hand of everyone who came up there.
Such a fine gentleman!
Such a wonderful festival!

i thank You, God, for granting me this opportunity!