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Elvis 75th Birthday Celebration – Tupelo, Mississippi

Thursday, January 7, 2010 – 2:00 p.m. Location Tupelo TBD
Downtown Art Project Unveiling
Join the presenters of the Tupelo Elvis Festival to unveil 14 six-foot guitars on
the streets of Downtown Tupelo. The art project, homage to the musical
legacy of Tupelo, will become a permanent part of the cityscape of
Tupelo. Free event

Thursday, January 7, 2010 – 7:30 p.m.
Birthday Celebration Concert at the Lyric Theatre in Downtown Tupelo
Join the presenters of the Tupelo Elvis Festival to celebrate the birthday of
Elvis Presley through musical tribute. Sponsored by the Downtown
Tupelo/Main Street Association. Tickets available by calling 662-841-6598

Friday, January 8, 2010 – 10:00 a.m.
Unveiling of a special exhibit housed in the Welcome Center of the Tupelo
Convention and Visitors Bureau
Join the Tupelo CVB to unveil a special exhibit of music memorabilia and
enjoy live gospel music. Free event.

Friday, January 8, 2010 – 10 a.m.
Official opening of the Sparkle and Twang exhibit at the Tupelo
Automobile Museum
The Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau will bring Marty Stuart’s music
memorabilia collection home to his birth state of Mississippi. The collection,
named “Sparkle and Twang: Marty Stuart’s American Musical Odyssey” is
an homage to music legends like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline,
George Jones, Bob Dylan and more and includes costumes, instruments,
hand-written lyrics and personal mementos. Admission to the Tupelo
Automobile Museum gains you entrance to the exhibit at no extra charge.

Friday, January 8, 2010 – 1:00 p.m.
Birthday Party at the Elvis Presley Birthplace
Celebrate Elvis’ birthday “where it all began.” Enjoy birthday cake with
guests from around the world while reflecting on his humble beginnings in
Tupelo. Free event.

ROCKIN' TUPELO
   Tupelo Public Schools will participate in a community project that will honor our
connection to Elvis Presley history as well as the many talented Mississippi Blues, R &
B, Rock, and Jazz musicians that have called our state home.    With this project,
visual art, music, and classroom teachers will have the opportunity to connect and
create some very memorable experiences for our students. Rockin’ Tupelo will be a
large scale project that encompasses the different art forms; visual art, music, dance,
and drama.   Through this project, every Tupelo Public School will design and paint,
14 large metal guitars that will become a lasting piece of sculpture in our downtown
Tupelo area.   These guitars will be unveiled at what would have been Elvis’s 75th
birthday, the week of January 8th.
   Visual Art Teachers will bring in prints and examples of artwork inspired by blues,
jazz, rock and guitars.   Art teachers will then help students to find their own inspiration
to create “blues, jazz, and rock’ n’ roll inspired art” using a wide variety of art
media.   These musically inspired art pieces will be on display at the Hancock
Leadership Center, Tupelo High School’s Performing Arts Center, and other businesses
in the downtown area.    The Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association sought the
funding for the project from the Elaine Dundy and Roy Turner Endowment for the Arts to
provide 6 foot metal guitars that will be painted by students in Tupelo, and then
placed in the downtown area. These guitars will represent thirteen schools in the
Tupelo Public School District, and will last for many years to come.
   Music teachers will share the rich history of Mississippi blues, R & B, Jazz, and Rock
music that makes our state so unique.   Students will also learn about Elvis Presley,
and the unique distinction we have as a community to be able to call this town his
birthplace. Students will be made aware of just how many visitors from other states
and even other countries come to our great town just for that fact. It is amazing to
see the artists that our state has produced, and this should be a source of pride and
inspiration to our many young students.   Students will be able to perform songs from
these artists for our community.
   Blues, Rock, and Elvis will just naturally make anyone’s feet start tapping! Physical
Education teachers and classroom teachers will be able to incorporate dance and
movement to the music that is inspiring this project. Movement is important in the
development of any child, and Rockin’ Tupelo will make this learning fun. Students
will be able to learn dances made popular in the 50’s and 60’s such as Elvis’s “Do the
Clam” and “Bossa Nova Baby”, as well as the twist, mashed potato, and many
more.
   Drama is an art form that comes naturally to children, and even our youngest
students can take part. Whether performing small classroom skits to act out our
musical history or performing on stage as a part of a musical production, students will
use drama as an avenue to educate and entertain with this arts integrated project.
   With this exciting arts infusion, many teachable moments will undoubtedly occur.
These types of rich experiences will offer many creative writing opportunities in the
classroom. With song titles such as “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Hound Dog” and
“Heartbreak Hotel”, students would be able to let their creativity “finish the story” and
create some very original writings. Through the arts, students will be learning about
their local, state, and country’s history, which can be further studied in their classroom
social studies and history classes. “Rockin’ Tupelo” promises to engage students on
many different levels and provide an excellent example of cross curriculum arts
integration at is best.
   The collaboration between our teachers, public schools, and the community will
have endless benefits for everyone involved. Our goal as educators is to prepare
students to compete in the world academically, but just as important is our goal to
prepare students to be good citizens of the communities that they live. The value of
giving back and leaving the community a better place is the ultimate goal for any
human being. This project will help students feel a real connection to their
community, and it will help them to see that they have an impact on their
surroundings, their community and their world.

HAPPY 75TH BIRTHDAY
ELVIS!