Travis LeDoyt
“Elvis the Pelvis” is coming to town Thursday, Sept. 15, for an encore to his hip-swivelling, knee-jerking performance last year that brought down the Conn Center house with a rendition of classics that the “Hound-Dog” king made famous from 1954 to 1962.
Show time is 7 p.m.
“Young Elvis” drew a crowd of more than 600 at last year’s engagement that raised more than $12,000 for Junior Achievement of the Ocoee Region. This year’s gyrations are going to the same cause.
“People of all ages attended the concert last year,” according to Sandy Moore, Junior Achievement president. “From Florida to Georgia to Alabama to Kentucky, as well as from communities across Tennessee and throughout the southeast corner, ‘Young Elvis’ fans came to enjoy a special night.”
She added, “Young, old, teens and seniors, and Red Hat Society to adults with special needs, people came out for the show. It just goes to show, no one is too young or too old for Elvis!”
Tickets have been on sale for three weeks, and judging from the response Moore believes another large crowd is in the making.
“Ticket sales are going very well, especially the ‘Reserved Seating,’” she explained.
Ticket cost is $20 for general admission and $10 for school-aged children; however, “Reserved Seats” can be purchased for $35. These will guarantee rock’n roll enthusiasts a seat in the front section and a keener view of “Young Elvis” as the lanky artist dances and side-shuffles his way into the ‘50s when the boy-who-would-be-king took the world by storm with a new brand of music that changed the landscape of stage entertainment.
“We are indeed grateful for the support of our community and we encourage everyone to come out and join us on September 15 for an exciting evening with Travis ... the King!” Moore said.
The local Junior Achievement affiliate works closely with school systems in five counties — Bradley, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe and Polk. The local JA initiative has operated here since 1965. Its mission is to provide “ ... hands-on, experiential programs [to] teach students the key concepts of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy.”
To learn more about Junior Achievement of the Ocoee Region, visit http://clevelandtn.ja.org or call the local office which operates from Cleveland High School at 423-476-6772.
Young Elvis’ return to a Cleveland stage is again being made possible by the Bowater Employees Credit Union, a financial organization that believes strongly in the Junior Achievement mission, according to Kim Gunter, BECU vice president of marketing, who serves on the JA Board of Directors and works as an active volunteer.
“Junior Achievement’s mission is to promote work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy — and promoting financial literacy is what credit unions in general, and especially BECU, are all about,” Gunter said.
She quoted part of the BECU mission and pointed to its similarity to the Junior Achievement creed.
“In keeping with the credit union philosophy of ‘people helping people,’ we seek to educate members to make better financial decisions,” Gunter said.
Of BECU’s partnership with Junior Achievement, she offered, “Since we’ve opened our doors to anyone who lives and works in our five counties, every student in the area is a potential member and that means it’s our job to teach them financial literacy.”
BECU and JA serve the same five counties.
“Sponsoring this concert allows us to use our resources to benefit every school in our five-county area,” Gunter said.
Tickets may be obtained from all JA board members, the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce, all branches of the Bowater Employee Credit Union, the Red Ribbon and Citizens National Bank in Athens. Tickets may also be purchased by credit card by calling the JA office.
LeDoyt has sold out shows around the U.S. and the world. Domestically, his audiences have come in 20 states, Bush Gardens in Tampa and Hershey Park, Penn. He is a regular entertainer in various casinos, including Harrah’s, Hard Rock and Isle of Capri. Young Elvis also is a headline on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. He also appears regularly at the Elvis Presley Festival in Tupelo, Miss.
Internationally, he has toured China, Scotland, England, Canada and Chile.
Utilizing an authentic three-piece Nashville band featuring bass, guitar and drums, LeDoyt focuses on the genre and ambiance of a 1950s concert.
