Chilean Miner Edison Peña to Visit Graceland in Memphis for Elvis Presley’s Birthday Celebration in January 2011

Visit to Vegas to See Viva ELVIS by Cirque du Soleil to Follow

MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Edison Peña, the recently freed Chilean miner who became known around the world as a major Elvis fan, will be visiting Graceland in Memphis, Tenn., during Elvis Presley’s annual birthday celebration on January 6-9, 2011. When the staff at Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. first learned of his love for Elvis, a care package filled with Elvis music and other Elvis merchandise was delivered to the mine. Through media reports, it was later learned that Peña jogged to music from the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and helped keep morale high by leading Elvis sing-a-longs as he and 32 fellow miners were trapped 22,000 feet below ground.

After the rescue, Graceland and the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau offered an all expenses paid trip to Peña and a guest with airfare provided by Delta Airlines. It was announced this week that Peña plans to visit Memphis and Graceland during the annual four-day Elvis Presley birthday celebration in January 2011.

While at Graceland, Peña will receive a private tour of the mansion and exhibits and see other Memphis attractions such as the historic Sun Studio where Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis all started their music careers. Memphis plans to pull out all the stops to show Peña true Southern hospitality with 5-star accommodations provided by The Peabody Hotel and the opportunity to try some Memphis barbeque.

It’s also fitting that on the eve of the release of the much anticipated “Viva ELVIS – The Album,” it’s being announced that following Peña’s visit to Graceland, he will be flown to Las Vegas to see the new hit Cirque du Soleil show Viva ELVIS at the ARIA Resort & Casino.

About Elvis Presley Enterprises

Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. is based in Memphis, with additional offices in Los Angeles. In addition to Graceland and its related attractions in Memphis, including the Heartbreak Hotel, EPE is aggressively involved in a worldwide licensing program, merchandising, music publishing, and television, film, video and internet projects. For more information on EPE and Graceland, visit Elvis.com. EPE is a subsidiary of CKX, Inc., a publicly traded company listed on the NASDAQ National Market System (NMS) under the ticker symbol CKXE.