Elvis Presley fans from all over the country came to rock out at the Lynchburg Elvis Festival hosted by TMJR Productions. The event took place Sept. 11-14 at the Historic Academy Center of the Arts Theatre.
For the fifth annual celebration, TMJR Productions introduced the official Ultimate Preliminary competition to this year’s festivities.
TMJR Productions founder Taylor Rodriguez said the decision to add a competition to this year’s event is special because it was where he got his start nearly two decades ago. He said his passion for Elvis began when he was only 6 years old.
“I won the Ultimate Tribute Artist competition in 2019. … The entrepreneurial side of me said to try something new, and we’ve been doing the festival for five years now,” Rodriguez said.
He said the festival has continued to grow over the years as more of the community has gotten involved.
“Each year we have increased our attendance. Last year, we had over 1,500 guests pass through these doors. This year, we have seen a big influx of attendees,” Rodriguez said. “We want to bring this community together. There is so much division, and sometimes you just need to step away from that and escape and just be entertained.”
Over the weekend, 12 contestants competed for the chance to represent the Lynchburg Elvis Festival on an international stage at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee.
Contestant Brooke Wright said he was thankful for the opportunity to compete under TMJR Productions and for their amazing leadership in producing the show.
“They just have it nailed down, … the venue is beautiful, … they make it easy for you to come and do what you love to do. … They make you feel comfortable,” Wright said.
Five finalists, who were chosen after a full day of competition on Sept. 13, moved on to compete for the top three place titles on Sept. 14.
Finalists included Maxlee James, Moses Snow, Grey Galloway, Hayden Lynn and Brooke Wright.
The first-place winner, Snow, not only won the chance to compete in Graceland, but also a first-place trophy and $3,000 cash prize.
Wright and Lynn also took home trophies and cash prizes for second and third place, respectively.
Dedicated Elvis Presley fan, Carol Montalbano, and her husband have traveled across the nation for years attending Elvis Presley Tribute concerts.
“We heard about this competition from all the other ones we’ve been to. Taylor Rodriguez would perform, and that’s how we were introduced to this event,” Montalbano said.
The grand prize winner of the Graceland competition will win $20,000, the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist title and an endorsement by Elvis Presley Enterprises.
The 2016 Ultimate Elvis World Champion, Dwight Icenhower, has been a part of the festival from the beginning, and has loved every minute of it.
“When Taylor first asked me to be part of this, we fell in love with this city and the down-home people that are here. It’s been great. I love the festival; it’s always a great crowd and a nice mix of music,” Icenhower said.
Icenhower performs as a tribute artist at every festival. This year, the festival featured a mix of country and gospel to appreciate Elvis’s roots.
“We always like to change it up a little bit. We all love Elvis, but there is so much great music that came out of Memphis and Sun Records that Elvis started on, so it’s great to have everyone here,” Icenhower said.
Riden is the on-campus news editor for the Liberty Champion.