There Had Been Rumors All Day About Elvis...
By Jerry Kenion
Greensboro Daily News
March 14, 1974

Elvis arrived in Greensboro at 5 p.m. Wednesday, and only about 25 people were on hand to see him descend the ramp from his chartered plane.

There had been rumors all day. In beauty shops. In curb markets and grocery stores. Even at one of the local barbecue restaurants.

One story had it that Elvis arrived late Tuesday night and stayed at the Holiday Inn Four Seasons, being whisked away to the Hilton Wednesday morning. That one was false.

ANOTHER RUMOR was that he'd been in Greensboro most of the day Wednesday having arrived early in the day. Another wrong one.

Several avid Elvis fans got onto the right story and spent the major part of Wednesday afternoon waiting around Atlantic Aero at the Regional Airport. These female fans waited patiently, scanning the skies with their binoculars. They knew they were gambling, but all they had to lose was time.

Two enterprising Elvis - chasers were using the pay phone at Atlantic Aero to call friends who might know a bit more about the star's arrival. At the time this was going on, the plane that brought the band to town was sitting on the pavement, the band members long gone. Some of the fans took several pictures of this plane, just in case they missed Elvis' plane.

About 4 p.m. signs began to appear. Men with out-of-town accents were strolling purposefully around the terminal for small planes.

AND THEN, the tip-off. One of the out of towners made a long distance call at the pay phone. Eavesdroppers (three of us) heard him say, "I'm at the airport waiting for Elvis right now."

We'd all hit pay dirt. He wasn't there yet, and we wouldn't have to wait long.

The man at the pay phone moved out onto the pavement with two or three others and they stood around close to where a black limousine was parked in the grass beside a runway. Terminal employes began to move a bit more quickly.

Elvis was in the air, that much we'd overheard. It couldn't be long now. About a dozen women moved outside in the wind to keep their vigil.

Then the sleek white plane touched down and taxied toward the front of Atlantic Aero. There was a rush for the doors as two dozen women braved the jet blast to move a bit closer to the plane. The black limousine was parked just steps from where the singing star would hit the bottom step of the plane's stairs.

AN ORDERLY GROUP, the Elvis fans stopped moving toward the plane when one lone terminal employe said, "That's far enough." They were content to stand 40 feet away and see their idol descend from the plane.

Several people left the plane and climbed into the limousine. Then, there he was. The King. He walked slowly down the stairs, the wind blowing his black caped coat, and flared black trousers. Elvis paused to greet someone in his exclusive circle, glanced up through tinted sunglasses at the few fans waving and taking pictures, and disappeared into the limousine.

A few of the quick-thinking fans were waiting in their cars, ready to take off after the limousine when it rounded the corner of the parking lot. There were, of course, rumors that Elvis was going to several hotels. These sleuths were really to follow that car to find out for themselves.

It was all over. The King had arrived with no fanfare, The Colonel's (Tom Parker, his manager) tight security triumphed again.

Elvis Presley fans could move on to testing the security at the Coliseum before, during and after the 8:30 p.m. concert. And then, there were the hotels - he was bound to be at one of them and somebody would find out which one.

They never give up, these followers of Elvis. But they hardly ever get much more than a glimpse of the entertainer.

Courtesy of Archie Bald