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It's
Now or Never
Don and Kim Epperly's loving tribute to Elvis Presley - Mini-Graceland - went through some hard times. But thanks to a
last-ditch rescue by their loving son, the Riverland Road landmark is no longer a Heartbreak Hotel.
Mike Epperly and his mom, Kim, pose with a Life-size bronze statue of Elvis that sits near their Mini-Graceland buildings.
Two decades ago, Kim inspired husband Don to create the intricate tribute that brought bus loads of tourists to their door.
By Joe Kennedy
People had been talking for years about the decline of Miniature Graceland in Southeast Roanoke, but it wasn't until
a newspaper reporter wrote a story in 2005 that Mike Epperly finally had enough.One of the story's memorable lines was, "Roanoke's
miniature replica of Elvis Presley's Memphis mansion is fading away." Details followed, and Epperly, who had been quoted
throughout the piece, and whose parents created the attraction, was furious.
He called the reporter and complained.
"She ticked me off," he said. Though the story was accurate, he felt it reflected badly on his parents, who
are disabled.
"It looked so bad," he said as he pointed out the improvements to the landmark one Saturday morning
last fall. "A tree fell on it and it laid there for I'd say three years."
So, with zero carpentry skills and only a few tools, he set about reviving his parents' masterwork. He scavenged for wood
and other materials, learned as he went and financed the improvements with part of his earnings from his job driving a Pet
Dairy truck.
Now, three years later, the little version of the Kings estate has been largely restored. Epperly has done what Elvis,
a noted mother's boy, would have done: He has made his mama proud.
GLORY DAYS
Mini-Graceland has occupied the side yard of Kim and Don Epperly's home on Riverland Road for more then 20 years.
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