Elvis at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley

 
Take a look at the "Elvis at 21, Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer" exhibition through the eyes of our 17-year-old guest blogger Jacob Gulezian:

"When I found out I was going to the Elvis show opening, I didn’t really know what to expect, but when I got there, part of what I saw didn’t surprise me, and part did. What didn’t surprise me was the abundance of older Elvis fans, most likely admirerers from early in his career – ‘fans from the start.’ One of the things I found out about Elvis from this exhibit was that he was accessible and approachable to the public in those early days before true stardom, so it wasn’t that hard to get close to the young musician.

At the museum, I saw vintage Cadillacs and retro vinyl discs, diner prop settings, and black-and-white cutouts of the King of Rock 'n' Roll, and all this didn’t surprise me. In reality, these are the images that became icons of the era.  What truly caught me off guard about the exhibit was the intimacy of Alfred Wertheimer’s photos of Elvis. His closeness and personal anecdotes are unheard of nowadays, where paparazzi constantly mob celebrities. Wertheimer's most striking and memorable photos are those of Elvis sitting at the counter in a diner, or at a lone piano in an empty room, or at busy train station with nothing but a small entourage of family (which can hardly be called an entourage in the first place). The whole exhibit effectively opened a previously unseen vantage point on Elvis’ world as a young musician both on and off the stage.

At the exhibition opening, we enjoyed Southern-style food, mainly pulled-pork barbeque sandwiches and a live band called King Cadillac as well as an Elvis impersonator. People danced to old Elvis tunes reincarnated by the band and were even joined by what looked like the King himself. Everybody seemed to have a great time. For me, the whole experience was fun and refreshing as well as eye opening and interesting. I’m very glad I went, I had a good time all around."

Thanks, Jacob. See more of Jacob's photos of the evening on Facebook.

Follow "Elvis at 21" on:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/elvisat21
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/elvisat21

Photo by Alfred Wertheimer. All rights reserved

 

Comments

[vijay]

Familiar with Elvis Presley Museum? Write your own description and share what you know with other travelers.

[ffxiv gil]

Great information. I'm a huge fan.Are you guys having peanut butter and banana sandwiches?

[Heather Shelton]

Oh, yes! Many of the host venues are making peanutbutter and banana sandwiches part of the opening event menu.

[Atlanta REIA]

I am a huge Elvis fan!!! Sounds like a great exhibit. Wish I could be there. Are you guys having peanut butter and banana sandwiches, one of the King's favorites?

[Bella Mendes]

When some one becomes famous its difficult to follow.

[Lihong]

Elvis was a great star that I adore.

[Heather Shelton]

Thanks, Jessica! Yes, agreed on the part about eating :-)

[Jessica]

I don't think we could eat like Elvis and still look 21. Great information. I'm a huge fan. Loved the photos! Linked the FB and twitter too :)