Elvis
was not a swimmer. He didn't often use the pool at Graceland®
but did in fact sit around it, sunning himself, or just
relaxing. The pool is a modest size, telling his fans that
while Elvis did enjoy some of the finer things, he also
respected his humble past, his parent's and his own humble
beginnings, and he tried to keep his home practical and
efficient despite the sometimes flashy and garrish design
of some of the rooms. Guests and friends sometimes enjoyed
the pool, as did the family and some of the employees. There
was also a game room at Graceland® with exercise equipment
and pinball machines.
More than this, Elvis was into sports and games. He loved
football and roller skating, he loved amusement rides, he
was all out for a good time with the fellows whether boxing,
footballing, skating, crashing a course on the dodge-ems,
horseback riding, motorcycling, or shooting, Elvis was an
avid outdoorsman. Even as s a youngster, he learned to fish.
Enjoy
the same thrills Elvis experienced on the Zippin Pippin Roller Coaster
shown here at Libertyland:
Ah,
the Zippin
Pippin. Elvis' favorite roller coaster ride. Libertyland in Memphis
was Elvis' favorite hang-out and due to his fame he would rent out
the entire park--after hours--sometimes at 12 midnight, so that
he and family members and friends could enjoy the rides and games
without interruption. Elvis would ride the pippin for hours on end.
What most fans do not know was that Elvis enjoyed two straight hours
on the Pippin as his last actual public appearance. He rented the
amusement park out on Aug. 8, 1977 from 1:15 am to 7am to enjoy
with friends. Remember
Libertyland Website
The End of an Era | (an old article) "On October 29, 2005 Libertyland closed its doors forever.
While undeniably a loss to the community, it was the proposition to
auction off Libertyland’s rides – including the Zippin Pippin
and Grand Carousel – that prompted the formation of “Save
Libertyland,” a group of activists led by Denise Parkinson. Save
Libertyland argued that by destroying Libertyland, the city was, in
fact, destroying part of its history. And with the Pippin and the carousel
on the National Register of Historic Places, they may be right. They
began their fight by organizing protests and gathering signatures for
a petition to save the park. They even attracted investors who were
willing to revitalize the park, including T-Rex Entertainment who offered
to lease the park for $10,000 per month. The offer was initially declined both
by a city official and members of the Mid-South Fair Board. Now, though,
the city is willing to consider such offers. The group’s second
major victory came when they prompted the city to look into its own
rights to the rides. After much research, the city attorney produced
documents proving that the city owns both the Zippin Pippin and the
Grand Carousel, forcing the Fair Board to take the two rides off of
the auction block.
A city
council committee then recommended that the city terminate its lease
with the Fair Board and have them vacate by the end of the year. This
doesn’t mean much, though, in terms of saving the park as the
committee has not yet announced its plans for the park when the Fair
Board is gone.
What
will happen to Libertyland? That remains to be seen. While its historical
value is undisputable, to those who grew up riding the Revolution,
Zippin Pippin, and the Log Flume, its sentimental value is without
measure."
Though
Libertyland has closed it's doors forever some of the more well-known
attractions have since found homes in other parks. Elvis' beloved Pippin
has resurfaced in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, a state not unfamiliar
to Presley family history!
The
Zippin Pippin -- Elvis' Favorite Ride -- Is Donated to Save Libertyland
APRIL 26, 2007 - 04:28 PM
It was Elvis' "favorite ride." On
Monday, Carolina Crossroads, the company that bought Libertyland's
Zippin' Pippin, the second-oldest wooden roller coaster in the
world, for $2,000, donated the coaster to Save Libertyland —
which was incorporated as a nonprofit organization last week.
Steven Mulroy, lawyer and County Commissioner, burned the midnight
oil last week to get Save Libertyland incorporated as a nonprofit.
The city's deadline for a decision on what was to be done with
the classic coaster was Tuesday, April 24th.
Carolina Crossroads had originally
planned to take the cars from the coaster and build a replica
of it at their retro rock-and-roll themed amusement park, Roanoke
Rapids. Though they have maintained one of the coaster's cars
and are still planning to build a replica, they've given the
rest of the coaster to Save Libertyland.
Today, at the gates of Libertyland,
Mulroy said that Save Libertyland plans to donate the 100-year-old
coaster back to the city of Memphis, with the condition that
the city preserve it.
"Through the generosity
of Carolina Crossroads, we hope to open a park around the Zippin
Pippin rollercoaster and the historic Grand Carousel, which
have both been a part of the city's history for nearly a century,"
Mulroy said.
Save Libertyland would like to
turn all 20 acres of the former amusement park into a city park,
using Coney Island’s redevelopment plan as a model. The
organization would be willing to work with the Salvation Army,
which plans to buy all 170 acres of the Mid-South fairgrounds
in August in order to build a community center.
Libertyland, like its famous
coaster, has had its ups and downs over the years. It was opened
on July 4th, 1976, to coincide with the nation’s bicentennial.
The Pippin, which was Elvis’ favorite roller coaster,
continues to attract people from all over the world as a part
of their Elvis experience.
The organization has been in
contact with Elvis Presley Enterprises. Save Libertyland would
like to work with the EPE to possibly include the Zippin' Pippin
in tours of Elvis' Memphis, a plan that Save Libertyland's Denise
Parkinson maintained could help the roller coaster pay for itself.
Save Libertyland also plans to
get the coaster on the National Historic Registry, which would
bar federal funds from being used to move or destroy the coaster.
It would be the second ride in Libertyland to be on the registry,
along with the Grand Carousel, which has a history of its own.
The Grand Carousel has long had
a reputation for being haunted. On August 2nd, 1976, not two
months after the park opened, a 17-year-old boy named Mike Crockett
was operating the carousel as his first summer job. When a child
in the park lost his balloon in the ride's inner workings, Crockett
climbed into its roof to retrieve the prize. While he was inside,
the carousel somehow started up and the gears crushed him to
death.
"No one even knew his name
until today," Parkinson said. "I want to re-envision
this place as the Mike Crockett Memorial Park."
Elvis'
other favorite ride was the dodgems or bumper
cars and he would spend hours with friends, males only allowed,
speeding and crashing into one another with evident amusement.
Shown here is a photo of Elvis in one
of the cars, courtesy of Scott Presley.
Enjoy
the same thrills Elvis experienced on the Zippin Pippin Roller Coaster
shown here at Libertyland:
Games
