The King is alive and coming to campus. Professional Elvis Presley impersonator Junior Talley will be visiting both the Cafe and the Hub.
To celebrate the final Elvis grill of the semester, Talley will be at the Cafe during lunch on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Students are encouraged to dress like Elvis, and prizes will be awarded to the best Elvis lookalike. Throughout the lunch hour the movie “Jailhouse Rock” will be playing on the screen in Vermeer Dining Hall.
In the evening Talley will give a concert at the Hub from 8-9:30. Drinks will be a dollar off from 7:30-10. Students who attend the concert dressed in ‘50s or ‘60s attire will receive a free cookie.
Chef BJ Whitmore first discovered Talley at the Bridge View Center in Ottumwa where Talley was giving concerts.
“I’m a huge fan of Junior Talley. He is a professional,” Whitmore said. “When he walks in you’ll think the King is alive. If you like Elvis or don’t like Elvis, it doesn’t matter. This guy is a great performer, and I’m really excited to be partnering with Student Activities on this to bring him in.”
Students around campus aren’t quite sure what to expect from the Elvis impersonator.
“It’s going to be weird seeing a dead guy walking around campus,” said senior Brittany Dreesen. “I’ve never listened to him, but look forward to expanding my musical horizons.”
Many students are looking forward to seeing Talley in action.
“It’ll be interesting to see how good of an impersonation he does,” said junior Crystal Hillenga.
Whether an Elvis impersonator can upstage the milkshake machine or hot cookie bar is yet to be seen, but Talley is yet another way Whitmore is working to keep dining at Northwestern interesting.
Sophomore Ashley Van Wyhe said, “I think it’ll be fun and something different for our campus to experience.”
Talley began his career as an Elvis impersonator in 1989 when he performed for a few business owners at a Chamber of Comerce meeting. In 2001 he started touring casinos across the United States.
