Elvis exhibit to grace next State Fair

After nearly 50 years, the spirit of Elvis will return this year to the State Fair of Texas - or at least his red crushed-velvet bedspread will.

The bedspread, which once lay on the King's 9-by-9-foot bed in Graceland, will be among 250 Elvis artifacts on display at the Hall of State when the fair opens next fall.  So will the "Tree of Life" pendant that friends gave Elvis for his 30th birthday - which became his favorite piece of jewelry - and the Drug Enforcement Administration badge he received from President Richard Nixon.

Then there are the garish rings, his Army induction papers and his employee identification from Precision Tool Co., where he held his first job.

And what would an Elvis extravaganza be without the King's white two-piece leather suit he wore in a Las Vegas floor show?

The items will be the centerpiece of an exhibit dedicated to the history of rock 'n' roll and organized by the Dallas Historical Society. It will also pay tribute to Texas musicians who influenced Mr. Presley and those who were influenced by him.

But there will be no mistaking the center of attention.

"The Elvis artifacts are what are going to grab people," said Alan Olson, the society's director of collections. "The other stuff is nice, but what people are going to come out to see is Elvis."

Mr. Olson said fair organizers decided on the musical theme after a series of years when the top historical draws were exhibits on Bonnie and Clyde, World War II and the assassination of President Kennedy.

"We thought we'd do something this year to get away from death and destruction," he said.

The Elvis artifacts are part of "The King's Ransom," a traveling exhibit assembled by three longtime collectors. Russ Howe, one of the three partners, said the artifacts were accumulated over 30 years.

"It started out as a hobby and became a sickness," he said. 
 
A fan then and now: Betty Pitcock, 77, looks forward to a reunion with Elvis at the fair. Mr. Howe's favorite part of the collection is the Bible found on the singer's nightstand the day he died.

"I like it because it's so personal," he said. "You look at it, and you can see all the verses he underlined."

Among those who have vowed to see the Fair Park exhibit is Betty Pitcock, who attended the Elvis Presley concert at the Cotton Bowl on Oct. 21, 1956.

Ms. Pitcock, 77, who lives near White Rock Lake, said: "I don't remember many details about it, other than that he was wonderful. He was just like he was advertised on television."

Although Elvis was still at an early stage in his career and not quite respectable to mainstream tastes, he received an enthusiastic reception at the State Fair.

"They say women threw their panties at his feet, but I don't remember anything like that," Ms. Pitcock said. "We weren't in seats close enough where we could see the bottom of his legs, so I can't say for sure."

At the end of the concert, people just "cheered and cheered and cheered."

Ms. Pitcock was among them.

"I was a fan then," she said, "and I've never stopped being a fan."

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