147 Elvises (or should that be Elvii?) were spotted in the Australian town of Parkes, setting a new, and arguably unimportant world-record for the most Elvis impersonators singing 'Love Me Tender' at once.
The town's annual four-day Elvis Festival coincides with The King's birthday, January 8. More than 6,000 fans descended on the New South Wales town, significantly boosting its population of 10,500.Parkes town mayor Robert Wilson - who donned his own Elvis costume - joked that they couldn't fit all the impersonators on stage. Other Elvis-themed festivities included a pancake breakfast, gospel service and a wedding vow renewal service, provided by Australia's only Elvis wedding celebrant.
"It was an incredible success and that credit should be given to the organising committees and all of the volunteers," Mayor Wilson said.
Fascinating trivia: Parkes' other significant claim to fame (other than being a good overnight stopover point if you're driving from Melbourne to Queensland) - its radio telescope helped deliver some of the first images of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
