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Elvis Presley Day Proclamation

January 12, 2011 | People

As the world celebrated the King of Rock 'n' Roll on his birthday, Memphis and Shelby County officials have also proclaimed January 8 to be Elvis Presley Day. During today's ceremony on the front lawn outside the Graceland mansion, Memphis Mayor AC Wharton and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell spoke about Elvis' lasting legacy and impact on pop culture. 

Source:Elvis.com

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MickeyN wrote on January 13, 2011
Can anyone say if this proclamation declares EVERY January 8th as "Elvis Presley Day" (which is an incredible honour) or is it just January 8th 2011 (which is not as significant)? A similar thing was done with New York declaring a "Million Dollar Quartet day" - which seemed just a one-off promotion for the Broadway show.
vegaselvisfan wrote on January 13, 2011
This proclamation (and all others preceding it ) is meant for that day only. However, it is done every year. To have it on the actual Memphis official schedule, it would be a gov't process and it would then be a city or state holiday. So my guess is that the mayor gets around that by using his authority to declare it every year. Works for me! There is no official holiday to celebrate Elvis' birthday, anywhere, that I know of. It is a cultural observation, not something written into law. If you want one to be official, representatives must be written by their voters to get the process started. (I have looked this up.)