Thank you to Victor J Hanson for permission to post his article on his memories of the Collingwood Elvis Festival. For visual interest, I have added photos to the article, but other than that—and a couple of tweaks, the article is as it appeared on Victor J’s Facebook page. Cheers! Carolyn MacArthur, Editor, SIDEBURNS Magazine.
Collingwood Elvis Festival, I Miss You My Friend
by Victor J Hanson, July 26, 2020
The first time I met you I was by myself in 1998. I wanted to see you personally and figure out what all the excitement was about. I was hosting a dinner theatre show called Rock & Roll Heaven on Yonge St in Toronto at the time. I had the pleasure of watching and working with several Elvis impersonators, better known as your friends. They told me all about you.
During my first visit to you I observed my friend and TV / Radio personality Dan Gallagher doing an outdoor interview with DJ Fontana, Joe Esposito, and others. This fascinated me to no end. Dan had taught me a lot about being a good host. Y ou had an impersonator on every corner and even in the blocks in between. You covered yourself in the most beautiful coat of Elvis anyone had ever seen.
Sam Thompson, Cynthia Pepper, Kathleen DeNike, and Marlyn Mason at the 2019 Collingwood Elvis Festival. Photo Credit: Carolyn MacArthur.
The following year I talked my friend Fred Stinson into going with me to see this strange beauty that you had. We had so much fun with you, playing Elvis all day long. We got into one of your main shows at the Curling Club and loved it. You then personally introduced us to DJ Fontana and Joe Esposito where we all had a great chat. I still have the hat that you so kindly got autographed for me. You would later on introduce me to Suzanna Leigh, Christopher Riordan, Sam Thompson, Jerry Schilling, Charles Stone, Marlyn Mason, Chris Noel, Tanya Lemani George, Victoria Paige Meyerink, Gary Lockwood, and Joe Guercio, just to name a few. As you explained to me these were REAL Elvis folks. The ones that actually worked, danced, sang, acted, and played music with that guy that you honoured. Thanks CEF.
2007 was the turning point for you & me. You saw to it that I was no longer an audience member when you got the most amazing musicians Mike Burns and Paco Paul Paco Danesi of the Casino Brothers to ask me to play lead guitar for an afternoon show at your Gayety Theatre. I worked my butt off to learn all the tunes. We backed four ETAs, (the word "impersonator" was now a curse word so ETA was invented), with David Lee as our headliner.
One of the ETAs in our show was not allowed to cross the Canada/USA boarder so Paco and Mike began to panic... WHAT WOULD WE DO?? I remember us laughing at them as they panicked... They asked us why we thought it was funny. We both explained that all they had to do was go out the front door of the theatre and spit. YOU'LL HIT AN ELVIS. They realized how silly it was to worry. I don't think they had to spit on him, but Paul Ross stepped in last minute and was fantastic. He looked at the set list and changed 3 songs, what a Pro. CEF, you sure knew how to pick’em.
Premier of Ontario Doug Ford poses for a selfie with Victor J in Collingwood.
If you recall, the trauma part of this gig for me was that I had only ever worked with the keyboard player before. The drummer and bass player were people I had yet to meet. The drummer and I arrived separately but very early as was planned so we could setup and work through some tunes. We setup and waited for the other guys to arrive. For a couple of hours, it was you, me and the drummer. Not the best lineup of instrumentation for an Elvis show.
About 45 mins before show time and as the audience was being seated, the other two musicians arrived. They were out of breath and looking very contrite. I t turned out that they had driven to Owen Sound as they thought that was where the Collingwood Elvis Festival would be. They came to this decision for reasons that I cannot go into right now. (If only they had read one of your posters along the way.) You took it well Collingwood Elvis Festival and I was proud of you. You were too big to be too proud. After all, people from all over the world were coming to party with you. We spent 5 mins going over the new set list and 1 2 3 4.... We were playing. It was a fun and at times an unnerving show to be part of. You, David Lee, and I knew each other from past shows, so he would ask me questions to add some comedy to the show. You just smiled and played along.
ETA Jay Zanier. Photo Credit: Lori-Anne Crewe for SIDEBURNS Magazine.
Later that day we ran into my good buddy Jay Zanier. (He still loves you by the way.) He suggested that I stay over in his room to see the finals the next day. I was ready to go home, but you suggested that I think better of it and said that I should have the whole Collingwood experience. I'm glad I listened to you. Sunday morning, we got to see my great pal and your biggest fan, Anthony Von win your Gospel competition. (He is such a big fan of yours. He even went up to spend this weekend with you, just to see if it was true that you had gone. Much like the rest of us, he is floating on a river in Egypt... Denial.) Later that night, Jay won your Grand Championship and was heading to Memphis.
BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!
Later that night you introduced to a lovely lady named Cynthia Pepper. I did not know who she was or that she had costarred in a movie called “Kissin’ Cousins” with Elvis. You had us start up a friendly conversation. My first thought was, "What A Nice Person," and you agreed. As the years went by, we all became closer friends and I even ended up writing a book with her. WOW. "Pigtails, Presley & Pepper."
Gerie Regular of Gerie and the Koasters in a selfie taken by Victor J at Collingwood.
Throughout the years you saw to it that I performed in nothing less than three different bands including two of your favourites, Gerie Regular & The Koasters and The Casino Brothers (Marco Spadafora). I got to play guitar and sing background vocals for hundreds of ETAs. From the amateurs to the Ultimate Champion winners and everyone in between. You even made sure that Elvis’s REAL back up singers dropped by just to make my day…The Imperials, The Sweet Inspirations, and the Stamps. You told me that when they sang, It would feel like I was playing along with the original recordings. You were so right.
Somehow, you arranged to have me host different shows at several different venues including Blue Mountain. You said how much you liked my comedy. You saw to it that I had breakfast, lunch and dinner with many of Elvis’s costars and performers that you explained you had mad respect for as they were THE REAL PEOPLE OF THE ELVIS WORLD.
An even bigger gift you gave me was the ability to meet and entertain some of the greatest Elvis/ETA fans on the planet. They still come to see me perform or at least they did before I was grounded with this worldwide pandemic. In a way I am glad you do not have to see this mess or feel the emptiness of the void you left behind.
Victor J Hanson at the Niagara Falls Elvis Festival. Photo Credit: Lori-Anne Crewe.
Thank you for introducing me to and recommending me to the Flaming Star Festival, the Niagara Falls Elvis Festival and the Tweed Elvis Festival. They all thought highly of you.
I know we have many more stories that we could share but at another time. I just wanted folks to know what you have meant to me through the years Collingwood Elvis Festival. Love is the only word I feel.
You were the World's Largest Elvis Festival. Why they ended you, I will never understand.
Photos Album One: Victor J Hanson at the CEF
Photo are credited to Victor J Hanson, AB Cooper, Buck Clarence O’Dell, and Vili Verhovsek.
Photo Album Two: Victor J Hanson at the NFEF
Photos are credited to Lori-Anne Crewe for SIDEBURNS Magazine.
For more on comedian, musician, writer, and emcee, Victor J Hanson, click here