By John Lee In Vancouver

Western Canada has become the sideburn capital of the world this weekend with the arrival of around 18,000 die-hard Elvis fans for the first annual Penticton Pacific Northwest Elvis Festival.

The event, 200 miles east of Vancouver comes hot on the heels of Presley's posthumous chart-topping success in the UK with the remix of A Little Less Conversation.

Staff in the centre are wearing poodle skirts or Elvis hairstyles, and many stores have decorated their windows with Elvis memorabilia

Gary Leaman, general manager of the local shopping centre

Visitors from across North America are taking part in events in honour of the King of Rock and Roll, who died 25 years ago this year.

Highlights include tribute shows, an Elvis-era car rally, an impersonators' talent contest and a wandering band of Elvis look-alikes, known collectively as "the Elvii".

Elvis's original drummer, DJ Fontana, and road manager Joe Esposito will also be on hand to talk about their close-up experiences with The King.

Business

Festival chairman, Dennis Noble, says the biggest draw is the unveiling of a giant oil painting of Presley.

"It's 12 feet by 18 feet and contains three images of Elvis painted by local artists," Mr Noble says.

"We are applying to the Guinness Book of Records to have it recognised as the biggest Elvis portrait in the world."

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Mr Noble says he expects the festival to bring the town �800,000 in added business.

Not surprisingly, shopkeepers are fully behind the event, according to Gary Leaman, general manager of the local Cherry Lane Shopping Centre.

"Some of the staff in the centre are wearing poodle skirts or Elvis hairstyles, and many stores have decorated their windows with Elvis memorabilia," says Mr Leaman.

One local business has taken its support even further by producing a selection of specially labelled wines for grape-loving Elvis fans.

"We've produced three official wines for the festival, each with a distinctive Elvis label," says Ken Lauzon, owner of Hillside Estate, one of many wineries in a region famous for its fruit and wine production.

Mr Lauzon produced 300 cases each of Hound Dog Chardonnay, Graceland Gamay and Blue Suede Blush, along with a guitar-themed three-pack selection box which he expects will become a collectors item.

A percentage of profits from the wine sales will be donated to Penticton and Memphis charities.

Tattoo

Local Elvis fans may well raise a glass themselves to toast their good luck in landing one of only two Elvis festivals in Canada.

The other, 2,000 miles way in Collingwood Ontario, has been operating successfully since 1995.

The Western Canada event is a coup for fans like Irene Gjukich, who has lived in Penticton for 23 years.

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She says she fell in love with The King when she saw the movie Blue Hawaii as a 10-year-old.

"I play his records all the time, I've been to Graceland twice and I have 81 of his albums. He's part of my life," says Ms Gjukich.

She has Elvis's name tattooed on her wrist, and is planning to add a tattoo of his face to her ankle soon.

Ms Gjukich says she is looking forward to the amateur and professional Elvis impersonators' contests.

However, she is not expecting any look-alikes to have the same effect on her as the man himself.

"The impersonators can look like him and sound like him but none of them have that look their eyes when they sing," she says.