WGACC, Inglis, holds ribbon cutting for Elvis Information Kiosk and Statue

Photos courtesy of WGACC. LEFT, L to R: (ribbon cutting): Tisha Neufeld Whitehurst, Executive Director, Levy Visitors Bureau; Chris Cowart, Levy School Superintendant and Chairman of Restore Act Committee; and Dr. Richard B. Streeter, President, WGACC. RIGHT, L to R (local dignitaries with "Elvis"): Chris Cowart, Levy School Superintendant and Chairman of the Restore Act Committee; "Elvis Presley," Lilly Rooks, Levy County Commissioner, District 4; Tisha Neufeld Whitehurst, Executive Director, Levy Visitors Bureau; and Dr. Richard B. Streeter, President, WGACC.

Withlacoochee Gulf Area Chamber of Commerce (WGACC)

Inglis, Florida - On Wednesday, August 11, a ribbon cutting was held at the Withlacoochee Gulf Area Chamber of Commerce (WGACC) to promote its new Elvis Information Kiosk, and life size statue of Elvis Presley, which will provide Elvis fans and other visitors with photo opportunities with "The King" himself, Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), a man so famous he was - and still is, 44 years after his death - known worldwide as simply "Elvis" and dubbed "The King of Rock and Roll."

August 2021 is the 60th anniversary of the movie “Follow That Dream,” starring Elvis, who was then only 26 years-old, filmed in 1961, mostly in the Inglis/Yankeetown area, with the famous courtroom scene filmed in Inverness (Citrus County) at the Old Courthouse Heritage Museum, located at 1 Courthouse Square. The movie shows the lush countryside of the Old Florida of 60 years ago. The majority of the film was shot at Bird Creek Park, bridge and beach, located in Yankeeteown at the termination of Follow That Dream Parkway (Highway 40 West) at the mouth of the Withlacoochee River and the Gulf of Mexico, with marshes and islands dotting the horizon

The funding for staff members to provide information to visitors often provides a challenge to rural chambers of commerce, but thanks to a RESTORE Grant from the U.S. Department of Treasury through Levy County, the Withlacoochee Gulf Area Chamber of Commerce can now provide visitors with information 24/7/365, by way of the new kiosk. The grant provided the funding for the covered outdoor electronic touch-screen information kiosk, and the WGACC purchased the life-size statue of Elvis.

Visit the new attraction at the WGACC building, located at 167 Highway 40 West. Highway 40, west of U. S. Highway 19 to the Gulf of Mexico, is also known as Follow That Dream Parkway through Inglis and Yankeetown. Contact WGACC by phone at 352-447-3383 or visit its website here: www.inglisyankeetownchamber.com.