Elvis 2008 Tupelo Festival a big success

Elvis 2008 Tupelo Festival a big success: The official numbers won't be ready until Tuesday, but the Elvis Presley Festival organizers say the initial numbers "look good."
"I thought we had a great year last year. It just didn't look good on the books," Debbie Brangenberg, executive director of the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association, which organizes and puts on the community event. "I thought this year was grand. Maybe it will look good on the books. It was a weekend we can be proud of."
She added that the net income or loss will change over the next 30 days as bills come in for items like electricity, water and sales tax.
Last year, the Elvis Presley Festival lost about $50,000, and the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association pledged to make this year's festival income neutral or income producing.
One of the major differences was the event was scaled back from two outdoor stages to one. In addition, this year the festival had more children's activities and eight hours of free music on Main Street to help draw local attendees.
Amy Nash, the 2008 Elvis Presley Festival chairwoman, said she has gotten positive feedback from retailers and restaurateurs. As of Wednesday volunteers had counted about 7,500 ticket stubs. She cited excellent local attendance Friday night and a large Elvis crowd Saturday night. Nash added that Jo Dee Messina turned out a sizable crowd Saturday night. And, the crowd was rewarded for braving the heat. "She played longer than her contract because of the crowd's feedback," Nash said. Click here for EIN's exclusive interview with Roy Turner all about Elvis and Tupelo. (News, Source;EIN/TupeloDailyJournal)