Elvis Lives

It’s holiday season in Baltimore, time for those long-honored annual traditions: the lighting of the Washington Monument on Charles Street, the twinkle of holiday decorations along 34th Street in Hampden, the Elvis impersonators gyrating at the Lithuanian Hall in Southwest Baltimore . . . F This December, The Night of 100 ELVISes turns ten, solidifying it as one of Baltimore’s unique annual traditions. The event, which benefits The Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, was first conceived after a Bob Dylan tribute show at Charles Village’s Roots Cafe. That event’s success led its organizer, Kevin Delaney, to start thinking about another, even bigger tribute show. He joined forces with Carole Carroll, who ran her own volunteer event production company, and Craig Curley. “We chose Elvis for the body of work,” Carroll says today. “His music spans decades—gospel, rockabilly, everything.” F The inaugural program, featuring local musicians and famed Elvis impersonators from Maryland and surrounding states, was pulled together by a group of volunteers working with a shoestring budget. They transformed the Lithuanian Hall on Hollins Street into a lounge-like atmosphere, complete with a Jungle Room and an enormous ice sculpture of the King playing guitar. Stages scattered throughout the building hosted a rotating cast of Elvises, while showgirls dressed in Vegas-like outfits worked the crowds. The party (fueled by copious amounts of Viryta, the famed Lithuanian liqueur steeped with spices and vanilla) was a raging success. Ten years later, it continues to be one: It almost always sells out in advance, drawing talent from across the nation (and Canada!), and crowds from up and down the East Coast. The Discovery Channel, and even a news program from Japan, have sent cameras to cover the event. Last year, the program expanded to two nights to accommodate the demand. F The 10th Night of 100 ELVISes will be held December 5th and 6th, and to celebrate, we’ve captured some of the people who make this such a special night. Ladies and gentleman, Elvis is in the building . . .