Elvis tribute being held tonight

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) — Seventy years after KWKH's Frank Page introduced 19-year-old Elvis on the singer's first radio broadcast from The Louisiana Hayride inside Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, two groups are coming together to mark the occasion.

Keeping It Country Live and Elvis' Angels Fan Club will hold a brief ceremony at the Elvis statue on the front steps of the Municipal Auditorium at 6 p.m. Wednesday (Oct. 16). Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux will read a proclamation declaring Oct. 16 as Elvis Presley Day.

Then at 7:30 p.m., a program featuring Elvis tribute artist Richard Cook and backed by Scotty, Bill & DJ will be held at the Louisiana Grandstand , 802 Margaret Place in Shreveport. There also will be refreshments and a display of Elvis memorabilia, including the original KWKH microphone from historian Joey Kent. Admission is $5 for children age 12 or younger, $10 each for everyone else. Proceeds will benefit the Ronald McDonald House.

The Louisiana Hayride was broadcast live every Saturday night from the Municipal Auditorium and could be heard across large swaths of the southern and western United States. Elvis' appearance there would help launch his career.

FUN FACT

While performing on the Louisiana Hayride, Elvis recorded the only commercial in his entire career — for doughnuts, according to 64parishes.org. The website reports:

"On November 6, 1954, Presley sang about the time of day when Shreveport's Southern Maid Donuts shop would draw hungry sweet tooths:

"As a teenager with a voracious appetite, Elvis was known to make frequent visits to the bakery's location at 2700 Greenwood Road, where a large neon sign would light up with words HOT, HOT, HOT to indicate when the confections were fresh from the deep fryers."