OUR HISTORY

The story of the TCP Memorial Benefit FAN Club and Indiana Elvis FANtasy Fest begins in the months following Elvis Presley’s passing in August 1977.

In October 1977, the  TCP (Taking Care of Presley) Memorial Benefit Committee, Inc. was founded by Kay and Paul Lipps, along with Herbert and Judy Wright, and supported by Shirley Lyday, Linda Welch, and others. Together, they were united by a shared goal: to honor Elvis Presley’s memory by giving back to the community, inspired by Elvis’ own charitable and humanitarian spirit.

Indianapolis held special significance. Elvis’ final concert took place at Market Square Arena on June 26, 1977, and the TCP committee believed the city had both a responsibility and an opportunity to commemorate that moment in a lasting and meaningful way.

In its early years, TCP brought fans together through fan club meetings, gatherings, memorial programs, and benefit activities, building the relationships and momentum that would help establish a nearly 50-year legacy.

Less than one year after Elvis Presley’s passing, TCP presented the Indiana Elvis Festival in Indianapolis from June 24–26, 1978.

The three-day festival included an Elvis movie double feature, a 1950s dance, a free public festival at Military Park, a tribute concert at the Murat Theatre, and a memorial gathering at Market Square Arena. The weekend featured Billy Smith, Charlie Hodge, Dick Grob, and Terry Mike Jeffrey, establishing Elvis tribute performances as part of TCP’s history from its earliest festival.

Based on the historical documentation preserved by TCP, the event stands as the earliest documented Elvis tribute festival following Elvis’ passing.

That same year, TCP donated a commemorative plaque to Market Square Arena. The plaque was displayed in a wall case in the arena’s ticketing area and remained there until the arena was demolished. Today, it is preserved with other Market Square Arena memorabilia at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

The 1978 festival established a foundation that continues today: preserving Elvis’ history, bringing fans together, presenting live entertainment, and giving back in his name.

The effort did not stop with the first festival.

In 1979, TCP presented another multi-day Elvis memorial gathering in Indianapolis. It included an Elvis convention, a benefit concert at the Murat Theatre, a public memorial ceremony at Market Square Arena, and additional community activities centered on music, films, remembrance, and charitable fundraising.

That same year, with support from city and state leadership, a portion of Market Street near Market Square Arena was officially designated “Elvis Presley Way.” Proclamations were issued by Indiana Governor Otis Bowen and Indianapolis Mayor William Hudnut, recognizing the significance of Elvis’ connection to Indianapolis.

Proceeds from these early activities supported charitable organizations, including Riley Children’s Hospital, establishing a tradition of giving that remains central to TCP’s mission.

By 1980, TCP was looking beyond its own events and exploring a broader effort to bring the Elvis fan community together.

That year, TCP hosted an Elvis Fan Seminar in Indianapolis, bringing together fan club leaders and participants from across the country. Its goals included improving communication among Elvis fan clubs, strengthening public understanding of Elvis’ legacy, and coordinating charitable and educational efforts in his name.

Correspondence and planning materials from this period document communication with Colonel Tom Parker, outreach connected to Vernon Presley, and correspondence that received a response from the White House.

These materials also reveal a larger vision that remains relevant today: independent Elvis organizations working together through communication, cooperation, historical preservation, and charitable purpose.

From the 1980s into the early 1990s, the methods and organizational structure behind TCP evolved, but the mission continued through fan gatherings, memorial programs, charitable activities, historical preservation, and Elvis-related events.

TCP has continuously evolved the ways it carries out its work while remaining true to its purpose since 1977.

Its original mission centered on perpetuating the remembrance of Elvis Presley’s final concert in Indianapolis. Through memorial gatherings, historical documentation, the original Market Square Arena plaque, and the permanent marker later placed at the concert site, that purpose has been meaningfully fulfilled.

As TCP evolved, its mission expanded beyond remembrance alone. Historical preservation remains important, but its broader purpose now includes bringing fans together and giving back in Elvis Presley’s name.

In 1993, tourism leaders in Northwest Indiana invited the organization to develop an Elvis festival that could attract visitors to the region. That invitation brought the mission from its Indianapolis roots to Portage and began the annual Indiana Elvis FANtasy Fest tradition.

What began as a memorial effort in Central Indiana evolved into a lasting annual festival in Northwest Indiana while continuing the same central purpose: honoring Elvis, bringing fans together, preserving his history, and giving back in his name.

Since 1993, Indiana Elvis FANtasy Fest has carried that mission forward through live music, special guests, fan fellowship, historical programming, and charitable fundraising.

Throughout this period, Indiana Elvis FANtasy Fest remained committed to honoring Elvis responsibly and respecting those entrusted with protecting his legacy. The festival has operated with authorization from Elvis Presley Enterprises since 1993 and later became a host of an official preliminary round of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest™.

Over the years, the festival has raised more than $500,000 to support Special Olympics athletes and programs.

The festival has also welcomed special guests with direct connections to Elvis Presley’s life and career, including Joe Esposito, Sam Thompson, Dick Grob, Jerry Schilling, Al Dvorin, D.J. Fontana, Charlie Hodge, and The Sweet Inspirations.

Other guests have included members of Elvis’ medical care team, including nurses Letetia “Tish” Henley Kirk and Marian J. Cocke.

With contributions from Elvis fans, TCP commissioned a permanent historical marker containing a time capsule filled with notes and remembrances submitted by fans.

The marker honors Elvis Presley’s final concert at Market Square Arena on June 26, 1977, while also recognizing TCP’s role in preserving the history of that site. It was originally dedicated at the former Market Square Arena location on June 26, 2002, the 25th anniversary of Elvis’ final concert.

The marker was later moved for safekeeping during the construction of 360 Market Square. Flaherty & Collins Properties and Kay Lipps of Indiana Elvis FANtasy Fest participated in its rededication on June 26, 2018, the 41st anniversary of Elvis’ final performance.

“It was important to honor and acknowledge the history of the site,” said Jim Crossin of Flaherty & Collins.

The marker includes a photograph taken by Paul Lipps of Elvis wearing his Aztec Sundial jumpsuit during the final 1977 Market Square Arena concert. It is currently located at 320 E. Market Street in Indianapolis.

The time capsule is scheduled to be opened on June 26, 2102. Its contents include fan letters, a cassette recording of the final concert, a Graceland catalog, and a book of Elvis tour photographs by noted Elvis photographer Keith Alverson.

Beginning in 2016, Paul Lipps, the son of Kay and Paul Lipps, assumed production and executive leadership of Indiana Elvis FANtasy Fest.

Under his second-generation leadership, the festival continued its annual tradition, its relationship with Elvis Presley Enterprises, its Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest preliminary, its charitable work, and its commitment to preserving the history entrusted to the Lipps family.

Indiana Elvis FANtasy Fest and the TCP Memorial Benefit FAN Club are operated by PMG Group Inc., a corporation founded and led by Paul Lipps.

In 2025, TCP was publicly rebranded from the TCP Memorial Benefit Committee to the TCP Memorial Benefit FAN Club, better reflecting what the organization had long been: a mission-driven Elvis fan club built around remembrance, charitable giving, historical preservation, and fan community.

This was not a restart or the creation of a new fan club. It was a formalization of TCP’s long-standing identity and a natural evolution of how the organization presents its mission to today’s Elvis fans.

Historically, supporters became part of the TCP community by attending events, volunteering, performing, sponsoring activities, supporting charitable projects, and helping preserve Elvis’ legacy. The modern membership program formalizes that long-standing identity and gives supporters another way to participate, including those who may not be able to attend the annual festival.

Today, TCP is developing as a year-round, mission-driven FAN Club focused on charitable giving, historical preservation, fan connection, and collaboration throughout the Elvis community.

Its motto expresses the heart of that mission:

FANs Giving Back in Honor of Elvis.

In 2026, Indiana Elvis FANtasy Fest will celebrate its 34th and final year in Portage.

For 34 years, Northwest Indiana and the City of Portage have provided a welcoming home for an extraordinary chapter of the festival’s history. Generations of fans became friends, incredible performers took the stage, Special Olympics athletes and families became part of the festival family, and volunteers, sponsors, vendors, and community supporters created memories that will always remain part of the story.

The conclusion of this chapter does not diminish what was accomplished there. Portage and Northwest Indiana will always hold an important place in the history of Indiana Elvis FANtasy Fest.

In 2027, Indiana Elvis FANtasy Fest will begin its next chapter in the Indianapolis area as the TCP Memorial Benefit FAN Club celebrates its 50th anniversary.

The homecoming carries special historical significance. The year marks:

• 50 years since TCP was founded
• 50 years since Elvis Presley’s passing
• 50 years since Elvis gave his final concert at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis

Returning to the Indianapolis area is both a return to the organization’s roots and the beginning of its next chapter.

The annual festival will continue as an important part of TCP’s mission, while the FAN Club develops additional opportunities for charitable giving, historical preservation, fan participation, partnerships, and collaboration throughout the Elvis community.

Nearly 50 years after its beginning, TCP remains a mission-driven Elvis fan club that has continuously evolved its methods while remaining true to its purpose since 1977.

The events, partnerships, membership program, charitable beneficiaries, and ways supporters participate may continue to evolve, but the heart of the mission remains unchanged: honoring Elvis, bringing fans together, preserving the history entrusted to us, and giving back in his name.

FANs Giving Back in Honor of Elvis.