San Marcos police officers Kassondra Lysek waits for ambulance arrive to pick up Kyle Lavelle, a 36 year old Garden Ridge man injured during a brawl early Friday. Lavelle was taken to the hospital for a severe facial fracture. A second injured man refused treatment. PHOTO by SEAN BATURA.

by SHELLEY HENRY
Special to the Mercury

With the looks, the voice and the moves to recreate the excitement of a 1950’s Elvis Presley stage performance, Houston’s Ralph Elizondo will be the featured entertainer for “Jailhouse Rock,” the Sept. 24 event sponsored by the Hays County Historical Commission.

The top-rated Elvis impersonator in Texas, Elizondo will take the stage at the site of the 1884 Hays County Jail, at 168 Fredericksburg Street in San Marcos, for the the commissioner’s fundraiser to restore the old jail and turn it into a county museum.

Tickets for Jailhouse Rock are now on sale for $50 (or $80 for a pair) and will also be available at the door when the event kicks off at 7 p.m. Food, drinks, and the performance by Elizondo as well as the local band “Two Way Street” will all be in store for guests, who will have the opportunity to get an up-close look at the historic jail building and the exterior renovation that has been completed on the structure so far.

As a full-time Elvis tribute artist, Elizondo has given hundreds of performances at venues such as Reliant Stadium, the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, the Houston Convention Center, Lakewood Church, and the Legends Theatre in Branson, Mo. He also took the stage at Elvis’s home, Graceland, in Memphis, where he was the 2009 international winner of the first Graceland-sponsored Elvis contest.

Elizondo has been featured on national television shows CNN and Entertainment Tonight along with other appearances on ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX. He has also been hired as a professional actor, appearing in his own local television show in Houston and most recently starring in nationally televised commercials for a Las Vegas corporation.

“I started watching Elvis movies and never stopped due to my mother’s influence as a child,” Elizondo said. “Consequently, my shows often reflect the many themes of Elvis movies. My father and grandfather are both famous musicians. So music has always been a part of my life.”

While his performance at the old Hays County jail will bring the 1950’s Elvis to life, Elizondo is known for his ability to portray Elvis in all different eras, from the 1950’s to the 1970’s. The Sept. 24 program will include early Elvis hits like “Hound Dog,” “Heartbreak Hotel,” and of course, “Jailhouse Rock.”

The show could bring back memories for long-time San Marcos residents of the October 6, 1955, performance by Elvis Presley himself on the campus of Southwest Texas State University before he became a fully-known national rock and roll star.

Underwriting sponsors for the Jailhouse Rock fundraiser include Bill and Kate Johnson; Clayton & Little Associates; the Heritage Association of San Marcos; Carved Stone, Inc.; Bob and Jenelle Flocke; SarahAnn Lowther; Leslie Garner and Chris LeBoe (in honor of Tom E. Garner); Bill and Shelley Henry; Perry and Marianne Moore; Bonnie Eissler; Ted Breihan Electric Company; Mensor Corporation; Pennington Funeral Home; Richard and Margie Kidd; and Jane Hughson. A few sponsorship opportunities are still available.

For information on the event or to reserve tickets or purchase sponsorships in advance, visit the HCHC website here.