I want to thank my friend Julie for giving me the idea my ‘Z’ Elvis topic for my final installment for the A to Z Blogging Challenge because I was coming up with a blank. I chose, or rather Julie chose, the Zippin Pippin – Elvis’ favorite roller coaster.

The Zippin Pippin is one of the oldest existing wooden roller coasters in the United States. It was built in the early 1900s in East End Park in Memphis, TN then in 1928 was rebuilt (after it was severely damaged by a tornado) and moved to Montgomery Park, which was later named Mid-South Fairgrounds. In 1976, Memphis opened an amusement park named Libertyland that featured the Zippin Pippin. Along with the bumper cars, the Zippin Pippin was Elvis’ favorite ride. He would ride it over and over again without getting off of it. And he loved to scare people by jumping out of the car up top so it would return without him then he would jump back into the next one. Elvis would rent out Libertyland (and Mid-South Fairgrounds before that) all night and invite his friends and fans to ride the rides. In 2005, Libertyland closed. In 2010, the Zippin Pippin was dismantled and relocated to Green Bay, Wisconsin where it was installed at the Bay Beach Amusement Park and is once again in operation.

I have this great photograph I got at an art show in Memphis of a corner of the Zippin Pippin after Libertyland was closed. There is a chair sitting there, and it is titled “Waiting For Elvis at Libertyland.”

What is your favorite movie, song, book, topic about Elvis that begins with ‘Z’? Please comment below. If you missed any of my Elvis ‘A’ to ‘Y’ topics, please click here. Remember to check back next Monday for a full recap of the Blogging A to Z Challenge.