Dear Friends:

Our hearts go out to our brothers and sisters on the Gulf Coast who are suffering through the worst natural disaster to hit the United States. May the Lord ease their hearts and help them look to the future.

August was a full month. Mario won at the Images Contest and we congratulate him. Pete Parquette from Canada was 2nd and Kavan was 3rd. Dwight Icenhower won the Spirit of Elvis® award and Joe Trites won the Peoples' Choice. It was so good to see old friends and have time to visit and catch up. Bobbie Claborn and Mary Cash were in rare form and we had good times together. It was wonderful to see the Fary Family and all the others we only get to see in Memphis.

Unfortunately, the Holiday Inn's air conditioning was not working well - so - most of the hotel and even the showroom were hot and humid. Luckily, the individual room air conditioners were working fine and at least we could sleep in comfort. Ronny had the right idea - if he wasn't on stage, he was at the pool.

This was the year of the return of the jam sessions! The room next to the showroom was packed with fans and ETA's enjoying lots of music - both Elvis and other. David Lee and Rob Langford provided the karaoke systems and, when they packed up, the diehards stayed on and sang with guitars. Kavan, Dwight Icenhower, Matt Joyce and others were still there at 5:00 and 6:00 AM. I only know this because I was told - I packed it in long before.

While we were in Memphis, we traveled down to Tunica to see Brandon Bennett's show at the Sam's Town. We met his lovely new wife and enjoyed his great show. We are also happy to report that Katrina spared the Bennett's homes. They were in Las Vegas during the hurricane and safe.

A few days after I returned home from Memphis, I flew to Lake George, NY, for meetings about next year's show. The dates are June 2-4, 2006. Some exciting things are planned and we urge everyone to make plans to be there. The community is unbelievably friendly and it's a gorgeous area. It would be a perfect place to plan a family vacation - in June, of course.

I had 2 days to rest up and wash clothes before Ronny arrived for our trip to Gatlinburg. The drive is long but with Ronny and his brother, Brian, we laughed a lot. Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are fun places to visit and it's also beautiful country. Kathy, Marie and I found time to drive out to the 8-mile Arts and Crafts Drive. This is a circular drive dotted with tiny stores selling all homemade crafts. The unwritten rule is that nothing is sold that is not produced on the premises. We enjoyed a lovely lunch and watched a few of the local craftsmen at work.

As always, Lou and his sweet wife Cindy were fabulous hosts. As we know, Lou is now back at Memories Theater. The contest was bittersweet as Lou's theater will be closing. The weekend, however, was lots of fun. The winners were 1st - Rob Langford, 2nd - Kavan, 3rd - Brian Keener, 4th - Russell Dennis, and 5th - Brandon Davis. Lou's Saturday night "suicide Karaoke" party was a huge success and his staff was, as usual, friendly and helpful.

A note about Lou's band, the Reflections Showband. They are a fabulous group - full of energy and immensely talented. We will be adding them to our website and urge ETA's to consider using them all over the South. Lou is sorry to be leaving them as they enjoyed performing together so very much.

It was especially nice to see Patti Parry. She has become such a dear friend and her love for Elvis® is so apparent in the wonderful stories she tells. She calls herself my "Jewish Princess" and her sense of humor is fabulous!

It was also great to see Dee Gallon from Memories Theatre. She also enjoyed the competition and we had fun talks about the future.

We've had almost a week to rest up and will be leaving for Ronny's Elvis® Explosion. Ronny has a fabulous line-up this year for the contest with special guests Irv Cass and Dwight Icenhower - last year's winner. This show is to benefit the Childrens' Miracle Network and it is always fun and exciting. We have added Mississippi Cruises with ETA entertainment this year!

In 2 weeks, we travel to Dewey Beach, Delaware, for Elvistival! It's a wild and crazy contest with avid fans and huge crowds. Join us!

Well, my grandkids have gone back to school and the air has a new clarity that lets us know that fall is right around the corner. My garden is yielding tomatoes and peppers and squash in giant amounts. Hope everyone had a great Labor Day.

Nance