$28.75 charge to visit Elvis’ grave during vigil upsets fans

SHARE $28.75 charge to visit Elvis’ grave during vigil upsets fans
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Fans wait in line outside Graceland, Elvis Presley’s Memphis home, on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, in Memphis, Tenn. | AP Photo/Brandon Dill

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — For the first time in nearly four decades, Elvis Presley fans who visit Graceland this week to commemorate the anniversary of his death will have to pay $28.75 to walk past his grave.

Many fans are not happy.

Graceland told the Associated Press in a written statement that visitors who attend the vigil beginning Tuesday night and running into Wednesday must have an Elvis Week Property Pass wristband. The $28.75 wristband also provides access to a new $45 million entertainment complex.

Graceland, operated by Elvis Presley Enterprises, says it anticipates large crowds and it has updated its security measures for Elvis Week, the annual celebration of Presley’s life and career. Presley died on Aug. 16, 1977, in Memphis.

Some fans are saying they won’t attend another vigil.

Associated Press

A young visitor places a crown on the grave of Elvis Presley on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2002. | AP Photo/The Commercial Appeal, Lance Murphey/File

A young visitor places a crown on the grave of Elvis Presley on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2002. | AP Photo/The Commercial Appeal, Lance Murphey/File

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