Last night, thousands of people from all over the world flocked to Graceland to celebrate Elvis Presley's life with candles, elaborate homemade shrines, coolers, Elvis' gospel recordings and lawn chairs.

Elvis Week is upon us, and chances are, if you live in Memphis, you're probably not super excited about it. But you should be,  because during Elvis Week, there's one event that kind of rules all of the other events.

Assignment #221 in the 365 Thing to Do in Memphis is to watch Elvii from all over the world compete for tribute artist glory in the the Last Chance Elvis Tribute Artist Contest.

 

Meet Victor Trevino, Jr., a 27 year-old Elvis tribute artist (ETA) who makes a living performing as the King. Here, he talks about the best and worst parts of being an ETA, which Elvis he prefers and how to make your sideburns longer.

Name: Victor Trevino, Jr.

Elvis fans know Lansky Brothers as the shop that sold Elvis his distinct clothes, but there's more to the 66 year-old shop than flashy man clothes. Assignment #171 in the 365 Things to Do in Memphis is to check out Lansky's signed guitar collection.

Assignment #126 in the 365 Things to Do in Memphis is to fly the friendly skies (or at least, see how Elvis flew them) by touring Elvis' private plane.

,

It's officially the end of Elvis Week 2011, and the closing ceremonies are underway. Every year, Elvis week is punctuated with the candle light vigil at Graceland. The street is shut down, shrines are set up, candles are lit, and Elvis' gospel classics are played. The vibe is part barbecue block party, part funeral.

(I’m having an Elvis-themed day. All day, immersed in the world of Elvis – checking out his favorite places, eating where he ate, and doing some of the things he did in an attempt to find out why after so many years, Elvis is still so fascinating for so many people.) You can't go upstairs to see the bedrooms at Graceland, but you can see Elvis' old apartment at Uptown Square. Uptown Square used to be the Lauderdale Courts housing project.

Hal Lanksy is a second generation Lanksy, aka, one of the Clothier to the King. I photographed him at the Lansky Bros.

(In honor of Elvis Week 2011, I’m having an Elvis-themed Monday. All day, immersed in the world of Elvis – checking out his favorite places, eating where he ate, and doing some of the things he did in an attempt to find out why after so many years, Elvis is still so fascinating for so many people.) Though Elvis was eventually fantastically wealthy, at his core, he was just a guy from a humble background that got lucky.