A Little Bit of Graceland in Boston

Elvis Presley died this week, 30 years ago, on August 16, 1977. Boston is making like Memphis by holding various tributes to the King.

First on the list is Mayor Menino's Movie Night on the Common. Tonight, the city will show Jailhouse Rock for free. The festivities will include a costume contest, and we're dying to find out if Menino will step into a sequined jumpsuit and throw on a pompadour wig. That we would pay to see. The movie kicks off tonight at dusk at Parkman Bandstand at the Common.

On the actual date of Elvis' death, this Thursday, Dick's Last Resort at Faneuil Hall will be holding a free gala featuring - what else? - a contest for Elvis Impersonators. The winner will go to the Dick's Last Resort in Las Vegas on Elvis' birthday - January 8th - and compete against other Elvis impersonators across the country. The impersonator contest will start at 7:00 pm.

Dick's Last Resort will also throw a jelly-donut-eating contest. Fried peanut-butter sandwiches might be more appropriate, but Elvis would apparently eat anything, so why not?

Image of Elvis in Jailhouse Rock from Wikimedia Commons.