Etgar 36: Summer 2008

By Madi Cogan

After finally opening our eyes this morning we arrived at beautiful Graceland! We got to go inside and tour almost the entire estate! Although it was very dated, it was one of my favorite places we have seen so far.

After that we went back to Beale Street for some lunch and more free time. Then it was time to go to the Lorraine Motel which houses the National Civil Rights Museum as well as the spot where Dr. King was assassinated. We learned more about the Civil Rights movement as well as the fateful events of April 4, 1968 when Dr. King was killed.

We also got to go across the street and talk with Jaclyn Smith. Ms. Smith is an incredible lady who has spent the last 20 years protesting outside the Civil Rights museum. She was the last person kicked out of the hotel when the city decided to convert it into a museum. She thinks the city should follow in Dr. King’s footsteps and make the motel into a place to help the people Dr. King was advocating for when he died. She is an amazing person and I will never forget her.

After our meeting with Ms. Smith we loaded the bus and drove to Little Rock, Arkansas. Our first stop was at Central High School where we learned about the heroic actions of the Little Rock Nine. These were nine teenagers who were the first to integrate a high school in Arkansas. We also discussed the differences between federal and state law.

After that we went to our hotel and had a pool and pizza party before heading to downtown Little Rock to look around, have our wrap up discussion and see the legendary “Little Rock”. And now….Dallas here we come!

By Madi Cogan

After waking up on time, we ate a great breakfast and loaded the bus to head over to Elvis Presley’s birth home in Tupelo, Mississippi. We got to see the house he grew up in as well as visit the amazing Elvis gift shop next door.

We then all gathered at a nearby picnic bench area where Billy shared all of his incredible knowledge of Rock and Roll music and how it originated. After singing along to “Walking In Memphis” we had our delicious Subway sandwich lunches. Twenty minutes later, we were on our way to Sun Studios where we got a fascinating tour of the studio. We learned about all of the musical legends affiliated with the studio such as Elvis, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis and the history of the studio. We even got to stand and take pictures in the exact spot that many famous musicians recorded their hit songs.

We then went to Beale Street and got free time to explore and shop. After this we went to the Smithsonian Rock and Soul Museum where we learned even more about how rock and roll was created and its place in the Civil Rights struggle.

After that we walked to Huey’s where we ate an extraordinary Memphis dinner. To end the musical day we went to a park off of Beale Street where we were able to dance the night away to a live Blues band. We all had a great time!

Singing along with “Mustang Sally”