Elvis Fantasy Fest next week

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Updated: November 16, 2011 9:15AM

Elvis is in the building — well, at least his hip-swinging music and movies will be during the 19th annual Elvis Fantasy Fest at Woodland Park in Portage from Friday, Oct. 14, through Sunday, Oct. 16.

The fun begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday with delicious meals served by smiling waitresses and waiters. Where else can you get an all-inclusive pork chop dinner or Hooters wings meal — including potatoes, vegetable, applesauce, roll, and drink — for just $5? And there is no tipping. Why, it’s worth coming just to eat!

But if you stick around, you can play Elvis Bingo for a 50-cent donation per game. At 8, the wild-and-crazy concert begins with tribute impersonators blasting out ’70s favorites and, of course, Elvis staples. After the concert, there will be a free sock hop.

The doors open at 10 a.m. Saturday for a day and night of contests, games, vendors, raffles, food and fun.

More than 20 impersonators will compete to become this year’s No. 1 Elvis. The top contestants Saturday will perform Sunday to capture that title, starting with a gospel sing.

Sunday’s finale is extra-special, as the Porter County Special Olympics athletes march in to a medley of songs and photos depicting this year’s accomplishments (thank you Bob and Judy Helmchen).

The cost for Friday’s concert is $15, and Saturday’s and Sunday’s entertainment is $25. This is the largest fundraiser each year for Porter County Special Olympics and allows our programs for 600 athletes to flourish. Were it not for special angels — Kay, Paul, Shirley, Bob, Ruth and Carol to name a few — we might be knocking on doors for help.

They sure are our pet persons of the week. For more information, visit www.ElvisFANtasyfest.com.

It is so nice to see National Football League players wearing pink to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the many people affected by this malady. Their pink gloves, pink hats and pink shoes are a silent, yet “loud” reminder of the need to end this killer.

Most of us think of breast cancer as a “female” condition, but men, too, can be afflicted. Last week, a dear friend, Tom, learned that a cyst was, in fact, a rare form of breast cancer. With knowledgeable doctors and hundreds of prayers, his prognosis is good.

If you like to walk for others, consider joining the Strides against Breast Cancer Walk on Oct. 16 from the Butterfield Pavilion at the corner of Calumet and Evans in Valparaiso. It is an upbeat walk to fight the good fight.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, the Porter County Career Center’s automotive students will check your tires, make sure your lights and wipers work properly, and check all fluids — for free — at the service center on Evans Avenue between Washington and Franklin streets in Valparaiso.

You also will be told of any repairs that might be needed. Tell your friends, and don’t forget to say “thank you.”

Then, I hope you have a great day because you deserve it. Thanks for reading. Fly your flag.