By Donna Barr, West End North Correspondent

The King was in the House in Sekiu, Saturday, Oct. 12.

Olson’s Resort celebrated its 80th year of existence this year and 50 years of operation by Arlen and DonaLynn Olson.

This year, the resort’s King-Coho Salmon Derby was brightened by the appearance of veteran Elvis impersonator Clayton Wagy, presenting “Memories of a King.”

Resplendent in his black bejeweled conquistador suit, Wagy lit up the parking-lot marquette tent twinkling with white lights in the dark.

He did the classic Elvis moves, from the proud stand to the high kick and drop to the knee. And no lip sync for this Elvis; he belted his best and the crowd whooped after every number.

Wagy handled Elvis classics like “Lonely Street” and “Love Me Tender” and added Credence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary” and The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling.”

By the end of the show, audience members were cheering and holding up their lighters.

Wagy was joined in a few numbers by his lovely assistant, Miss Stephanie (Stephanie Meade) who had a fine full voice of her own.

Leanne Grimes, a New Jersey painter who was visiting her painter daughter, Diane Grimes, said Meade’s voice brought back memories of Janis Joplin.

Janis and Elvis; if it never happened, this was a pretty fabulous imitation of the possibilities.

“Does this happen in Sekiu all the time?” Leanne asked.

Diane responded by waving the Elvis coffee cup she happened to find in their motel room.

Wagy arrived from Renton to perform.

He has spent many years bringing back The King, in clubs, cruise ships and casinos, including in Las Vegas, where an accident during a charity performance put him into semi-retirement.

But his best friend and right-hand man, Gregor Ekberg, who also lives in Renton, and has been coming to the resort since he caught his first salmon in 1969, encouraged Wagy to honor Sekiu and do it again.

“I hope this show jump-starts him again. He has a gift from God,” Ekberg said.

There was a little of the inevitable technical difficulty getting the show started. In between songs, “Elvis” apologized to the audience.

“We had about 50 miles of extension cord out here,” he said.

It turned out the delay was caused when someone tripped over the breaker.

But the usual little delays and problems that happen in theater didn’t bother the crowd.

Of course, it being the West End, there was even a small smooth dog running around happily in the tent as Elvis snarled, “You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog.”

Ekberg said Wagy last performed in a Toys For Tots charity show and that they planned to present the show again for Christmas this year.

The marquette tent was provide by Stellar Event Tent Rentals.