SHAKING IT UP IN THE KETCHUP CAPITAL: My Trip to the Illinois Elvis Festival, part one!

I just got back from the Illinois Elvis Festival, and honestly? What. A. WEEKEND! My heart is still full, my feet are still tired, and my brain is still trying to process all the incredible music.

Fun fact, Collinsville, Illinois is actually known for being the home of Brooks Catsup. The city is so devoted to their hometown condiment that their water tower is a giant ketchup bottle.

I’m not kidding. There used to be a ketchup festival, and I’m devastated that I was not aware of this when I could have competed and been crowned Little Princess Tomato. Ah, what could have been.

This weekend was so jam-packed with fun memories that there’s no way I can fit it all into one post without writing a novel. So, let’s start at the very beginning with the day I rolled into town: Friday.

I’m disabled and can’t drive, so my mom is my ultimate partner in crime on these road trips. We got a bit of a later start leaving home than we originally planned, which meant we were desperately hoping to make it in time for the two o’clock show. We were definitely cutting it down to the wire. But we pulled up with less than ten minutes to spare—cutting it close, but we made it!

Sebastian Garland

The moment we walked through the doors, the excitement in the air was contagious, and I immediately spotted one of my ETABFFs, Sebastian Garland. There are just some people in life that you click with right away, and that’s exactly how it was when I first interviewed Sebastian. We’ve kept in touch ever since, but this was actually my very first time meeting him in person! I couldn't help myself—I quickly gave him a rib-crushing hug before running to find my seat.

I also have to give a huge, heartfelt shoutout to Jeannie Nichols. She was so incredibly kind and upgraded our regular passes to VIP seats, meaning my mom and I had the exact same amazing seats all weekend long for every single show. Thank you, Jeannie! You made an already special weekend extra unforgettable! So, Mom and I happily settled into Row H, caught our breath, and waited for the very first performer of the festival: Logan Ramey.

I’d heard so many people speak positively about Logan beforehand, but I didn't know much about him personally. After snagging first place at Elvis Fantasy Fest in Portage, Indiana, Logan will be heading off to compete in Memphis in just a few short weeks! I was completely blown away by his powerhouse vocals and his energy on stage. When he launched into “Polk Salad Annie,” it was straight out of EPiC! The suit, the moves, the attitude—all of it was spot on. I was genuinely astounded by his endurance, and then it all made sense when he announced to the crowd that he’d be turning 21 next week. Ah, youth! Kids these days!

Next up on stage was Alex Mitchell. I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Alex in Nashville earlier this year. He was so sweet back then, and we’d had such a nice, genuine chat outside the hotel after-party. These guys meet SO many fans at every stop that I fully expected him to not remember me at all, but to my delight, he greeted me right by name! He’s a total sweetheart and such an insanely talented performer. He wore the black Pinwheel suit for this set, which happens to be one of my absolute favorite Elvis looks. You can just feel how much he loves what he does from the back row, and he had the crowd jumping to their feet over and over again.

Sophia and Taylor

There was a brief intermission after that, and I heard that my other ETABFF had arrived: Taylor Salamon! I was so excited to finally meet both him and Sebastian in person after all this time and to get to see them do what they do best on stage. I also had the treat of meeting Taylor’s lovely girlfriend, Sophia, who I ended up spending quite a bit of time chatting with throughout the weekend. Honestly, one of the best parts of this whole job (er, unpaid hobby of love) is meeting so many wonderful people. Without this blog, I never would’ve made these lifelong friends from all different corners of the country, and I’m so grateful I did.

I was really, really looking forward to the next performer—another guy I absolutely adored after interviewing him: JESSE ARON! Jesse was someone I had reached out to send a message to on a total whim one day. I knew he was one of the BIG heavy-hitters in this industry, with a laundry list of awards and a long, decorated career. He completely shocked me when he responded almost immediately, and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation. I was incredibly excited to finally see him perform live, and let me tell you, he did NOT disappoint. God, that VOICE! My personal benchmark for a truly great ETA is their ability to tackle the giant, emotional showstoppers: "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "Unchained Melody," "Hurt"...

And Jesse did them all. Flawlessly.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of seeing Jesse Aron in person, please do yourself a favor and fix that as soon as possible, because his vocal ability is unmatched. My jaw was practically on the floor, and if I closed my eyes, I was sitting right there listening to the King himself. I’m kicking myself for not recording him, but I was too busy enjoying it!

Wrapping up the afternoon show was the current reigning Ultimate Champion himself, Jimmy Holmes! I was so thrilled to see Jimmy win last year because I’ve always been deeply impressed by his vocal control. That said, after a hilariously embarrassing first impression back in Nashville, I was admittedly a bit nervous about running into him after the show.

See, Nashville was my very first Elvis festival, and I was entirely unprepared for the sheer, overwhelming VOLUME of black hair dye and sideburns. It was like a real-life game of “Where’s Waldo: Elvis Edition” because pompadours extended as far as the eye could see. I couldn’t keep track of who I’d talked to, and everyone started looking so similar! I saw Jimmy standing there with the signature dark hair and sideburns and zeroed in on him. He was a young guy, so I naively thought maybe he was just starting out in the scene. I walked right up, introduced myself, and launched into my whole enthusiastic spiel about my blog and what I do. When I finally wrapped up my pitch, I extended my hand and asked what his name was.

“Jimmy Holmes,” he replied with a polite, patient smile.

Jimmy Holmes? As in the current world champion Jimmy Holmes? THAT Jimmy Holmes?!?!

It was mortifying, to say the very least. I decided my best tactical option when meeting him again was to lean entirely into the awkwardness and make a joke about it. Jimmy was so ridiculously kind and gracious, reassuring me that I WASN’T weird about it at all (so nice of him to lie! What a sweetheart!). Watching him on stage again, his performance reminded every single one of us why he holds that Ultimate Elvis Champion title. He’s got such a bright, long career ahead of him, and he’s already backed by a loyal legion of fans—including me.

By the time the afternoon show wrapped up, my mom and I realized we’d been running so late earlier that we hadn’t even checked into our hotel room yet! We headed over to drop our bags and unwind for a bit before the evening festivities. When we returned for the night show, I caught sight of Cote Deonath chatting with a group of people and quickly dragged Sebastian (shoutout to Sebastian, a real MVP) over to introduce me, since they’re good friends. I only got to chat with Cote briefly then, and briefly again after the show, but he was super sweet and welcoming!

The evening show was titled “Last Vegas” and focused on the emotional, powerful music of the King’s final years. Jimmy, Alex, and Jesse all returned to the stage, this time joined by ETA legend Bill Cherry! Every set was fantastic, but the real, goosebumps-inducing moment of the night came during the very last song. Jimmy Holmes walked out on stage, dressed in casual Elvis wear, and sat down alone at the piano. He performed a bare-bones, heart-wrenching version of “Unchained Melody” that brought a genuine tear to my eye and brought the entire auditorium to its feet. Truly magnificent.

Sophia and Taylor

Now, if you follow the festival circuit, you’ve probably heard wild tales of the legendary hotel after-parties. I had been a little underwhelmed by the one in Nashville—the lobby there was tiny, and you couldn’t turn around without practically knocking into someone. We were packed in like absolute sardines, and while there was some karaoke, it was so crowded and chaotic that we didn't stay long. Collinsville, however, was a COMPLETELY different story!

Finley Watkins

The layout made a world of difference. It was MUCH more comfortable and open, even if it was still pretty warm and stifling with the sheer number of fans packed into the space. I was shocked at the turnout! We managed to grab a few chairs near the back to soak it all in. Finley Watkins was sitting there with a guitar and a portable sound system, while Chris Patti from the Infinit-E tribute band (which is INCREDIBLE, by the way) played keyboard. They kept calling various ETAs up to jam and do a song or two, and it was just so much fun to sit back, relax, and listen to live music late into the night. Of course, I also took the opportunity to do a little networking, weaving my way around the room to introduce myself and my blog to about a dozen new faces.

Ryan Rose

There was a guy across the room that I was sure I knew, but could NOT remember who it was. It finally hit me, and I zoomed across the room to hand out another bear hug to another interviewee: Ryan Rose!

While I was on the other side of the room introducing myself to people, I received a text from Sebastian. I am a Dean Z MEGA FAN. I think that he’s one of the best in the business and I was absolutely dying to talk to him. Not only is he a fantastic performer, I’d heard that he was one of the nicest, most down to earth people you could ever meet. So when I’d heard he’d arrived? Oh boy, did my brain stop working.

Now, if you know me, you know I pride myself on my ability to strike up a conversation with just about anyone. It’s second nature for me to chat with whoever happens to be near me, whether we're riding an elevator together or waiting in line for coffee. But sometimes my mouth moves a whole lot faster than my brain, and I forget that my natural enthusiasm can come across as a little intense or off-putting to people who don't know me yet!

Which brings me to my sincere, public apology to Riley Jenkins. I’m pretty sure he was genuinely concerned about the crazy lady who basically cornered him by the bar! In my excitement, I also committed a bit of a social faux pas by asking him to introduce me to Dean Z, and I could immediately tell by his reaction that I’d put him in an uncomfortable spot.

So, Riley, if you happen to read this: I am so sorry! That’s a trap a lot of talented guys fall into as they climb higher in this industry—picking up people who just want to use them for connections. The last thing I ever want is to come across like a social climber hunting for introductions. The truth is, I’m just a little socially awkward, and I get so genuinely excited to meet the people in this incredible community—whether you have five fans or 5,000. I thought that maybe if someone he knew introduced me to him, I wouldn’t just look like a rabid fan telling him to call me (which I’m sure he encounters a lot of!).

Unfortunately, Dean Z ended up being whisked away by his security team before I had a

chance to say hello on my own anyway, but don't worry... I would get my chance the very next day!

Which I will save for my next article... stay tuned!

❤️ Allie